The Rolling Stones celebrated the release of their first new album in 18 years, Hackney Diamonds, with a private concert at the Racket NYC club in Manhattan on Thursday night.
Ronnie Wood, Lady Gaga, Mick Jagger, Steve Jordan and Keith Richards perform during The Rolling Stones surprise set in celebration of their new album "Hackney Diamonds" at Racket NYC on Thursday – Source: REUTERS
The band, now in their seventh decade as a rock ‘n roll institution, tore through a half-dozen songs from their new album, Hackney Diamonds, as well as classic hits like “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Tumblin’ Dice.”
Lead singer Mick Jagger, 80, joked that the band was motivated to make a new album so they could have another excuse to launch it in New York. “We were missing the launches so much we had to go back and make another album,” he told the crowd.
“We were missing the launches so much we had to go back and make another album,” Jagger said.
The Stones have a long history of launching albums in New York with great fanfare. In the past, they’ve rolled down Fifth Avenue on a flatbed truck and ridden on a caboose into Grand Central Terminal.
For the Hackney Diamonds launch, the Stones closed their set with a special guest appearance by Lady Gaga. The duo performed a slow, blues-infused number called “Sweet Sounds of Heaven,” which recalls the Stones’ 70s classic “Moonlight Mile.”
Hackney Diamonds is the band’s first studio album of original material since 2005’s A Bigger Bang and their first recording since longtime drummer Charlie Watts died in 2021. The surviving core of the band consists of Jagger and guitarists Keith Richards, 79, and Ron Wood, 76.
The album also features guest appearances from Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Elton John, and longtime bassist Bill Wyman, who left the band in the 1990s. Wyman appears on the song “Live by the Sword,” which also features drumming by Watts before he died.
Hackney Diamonds has been met with some of the band’s best reviews in decades, with critics praising its classic Stones sound and Jagger’s energetic vocals. The album is sure to be a hit with fans of all ages, and it is a testament to the Rolling Stones’ enduring legacy as one of the greatest rock bands of all time.
