The only, historic Rolling Stones concert in Havana, Cuba. Directed by Paul Dugdale, “Rolling Stones: Havana Moon” – which Rai Cultura offers on Saturday 27 June at 11.05pm on Rai 5 – is the story of a record-breaking concert.
Filmed at the conclusion of the 2016 “América Latina Olé Tour”, the film recounts an unprecedented event: a free concert that brings together over one million two hundred thousand spectators in Havana, transforming the Ciudad Deportiva into an enormous open-air arena. The full Rolling Stones on stage: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood.
The setlist retraces the key moments of their repertoire, with classics such as “Jumpin' Jack Flash”, “It's Only Rock 'n Roll”, “Gimme Shelter”, “Brown Sugar” and “(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction”, restoring the energy of a band capable of speaking to historically distant audiences and contexts. More than the chronicle of a show, “Rolling Stones: Havana Moon” captures on film the symbolic value of an evening that marked a cultural and musical transition for Cuba.
Meanwhile, the Rolling Stones have revealed the details of “Jealous Lover”, the second single from the new album “Foreign Tongues”, expected on July 10th from Polydor Records. The song will be released on June 26th and follows “In The Stars”, accompanied by video clips, as well as “Rough And Twisted”, initially released under the pseudonym Cockroaches. If “In The Stars” showed a more pop-rock face of the band, “Jealous Lover” brings the group back to their rhythm' and 'n'blues roots, in a song characterized by Mick Jagger's falsetto and immediate melodies. Alongside Jagger, the song features Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood on guitars, Darryl Jones on bass and Steve Jordan on drums and percussion. Guests include Steve Winwood, who contributes Rhodes piano and organ, while Andrew Watt and Matt Clifford complete the band with further instrumental contributions and arrangements.
“Foreign Tongues” will be released less than three years after “Hackney Diamonds”, the album that gave the Rolling Stones a Grammy Award. Recorded at Metropolis Studios in West London, the album was born from a particularly fertile phase from a creative point of view for the band.
The fourteen tracks feature Jagger, Richards and Wood along with long-time collaborators Darryl Jones, Matt Clifford and Steve Jordan. Among the most significant elements of the project there is also the presence of Charlie Watts, who can be heard in a recording made during one of his last studio sessions before his death in 2021. The announced guests include, in addition to Steve Winwood, also Paul McCartney, Robert Smith of the Cure and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
On the concert front, this year's tour was canceled due to arthritis problems affecting Keith Richards. Mick Jagger, interviewed by the US program Sunday Sitdown, however hinted that the band hopes to return live in 2027.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
