NEW ORLEANS — Time was finally on the side of The Rolling Stones and their New Orleans fans as the long-awaited Jazz Fest appearance finally happened Thursday in front of sellout crowd on the fest grounds and a standing room only crowd on the streets outside.
After a couple of misfires due to a Mick Jagger heart issue in 2019 and a couple of years of COVID, The Rolling Stones, fresh out with a new album, made it to New Orleans.
The long wait was apparently worth it with face value tickets over $200 and secondary market tickets more than twice that, if you could even get them.
The Stones played an 18-song set that included many of their classics and three cuts off the new Hackneyed Diamonds album. They also paid tribute to New Orleans and Louisiana music, bringing Irma Thomas on stage to share the spotlight for her hit that they covered - Time is On My Side.
Jagger even delved into local politics by taking a shot at Governor Jeff Landry, who he said was in attendance. Jagger took aim at Landry's policies, saying the governor wanted to take the state back into the Stone Age.
Landry fired back in an apparent light-hearted manner by taking a shot at Jagger's age, saying he could probably recall the Stone Age and telling the frontman that he was always welcome in Louisiana, but capping it with #LoveMyCountryMusic.
Despite the change in rules for the all-time great band's appearance, there were few complaints among those in attendance and a threat of rain only dusted the crowd, proving the adage that you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.