The Rolling Stones celebrated the release of their new album with an intimate club performance in New York City, closing the show with a rousing duet with Lady Gaga as Daniel Craig, Chris Rock, Mary-Kate Olsen, and more cheered on.
The rock icons performed songs from Hackney Diamonds — including the Gaga-featured “Sweet Sounds of Heaven,” the first single “Angry,” “Whole Wide World,” and “Bite My Head Off” — hours before the album was released on Friday morning. The Stones’ seven-track set also included well-known songs like “Tumbling Dice,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” and “Shattered.”
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood played like old friends onstage, enjoying every second of the short performance while the audience watched in awe. Attendees included Trevor Noah, Jimmy Fallon, Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, Taylor Hill, Rachel Weisz, Christie Brinkley, Ed Burns, Keegan-Michael Key, Imagine Dragons’ Dan Reynolds, Minka Kelly, Christy Turlington, and Questlove, who deejayed sets before and after the Stones performed. Grammy-winning producer-songwriter Andrew Watt, who produced Hackney Diamonds and is best known for his work with Justin Bieber, Miley Cryus, and Ozzy Osbourne, also attended.
Jagger removed his jacket near the end of the show and danced and sang onstage, which featured stunning backing musicians, including Steve Jordan on drums.
Gaga was pitch perfect while singing alongside Jagger, earning a standing ovation from the audience. She and the band bowed at the end of the set.
Hackney Diamonds is the band’s first album of original music since 2005’s A Bigger Bang. In 2016, they released the blues covers album, Blue & Lonesome, which won the band their third Grammy.
The rockers said they recorded 23 songs for the album, eventually picking 12 tracks to make the final cut. Songs were recorded in London, Los Angeles, New York City, and the Bahamas.
Regarding the album title, Jagger explained at the album launch in London: “It’s like getting your car window screen smashed on a Saturday night in Hackney.” He also called the theme of the album “angry and disgust.” Charlie Watts, who died in 2021, performed on two tracks, while original member Bill Wyman plays on “Live by the Sword.”
