The music world is mourning the loss of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, who died almost two years to the day after the band’s final Arizona appearance, in Glendale.
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The music world is mourning the loss of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, who died almost two years to the day after the band’s final Arizona appearance, in Glendale.
On their No Filter Tour, the Stones played State Farm Stadium, at 1 Cardinals Drive, on Aug. 26, 2019. Watts, the backbeat of the band since joining the Stones in 1963, died at the age of 80 on Aug. 24.
“Charlie was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and also as a member of The Rolling Stones one of the greatest drummers of his generation,” his publicist said in a statement.
Their show in Glendale would turn out to be their last in Arizona to date. The 19-song setlist spanned the best of the band’s catalog, from opening the show with “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” to “Get Off My Cloud” to “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and ultimately closing the two-hour concert with “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”
The Stones have a long history with Arizona.
The rock and roll legends made their first stop in the desert on their 1969 American tour with a Nov. 11 date at Veterans Memorial Coliseum that preceded their infamous show at Altamont Speedway by about three weeks. Ike & Tina Turner and B.B. King were the opening acts at that Phoenix show. Like the 2019 concert in Glendale 50 years later, the Stones opened their set with “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”
More than half of the band’s 1983 concert film “Let’s Spend The Night Together,” which documented their 1981 tour, notably featured their Dec. 13, 1981, show at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.
It was the Glendale show in 2019, however, that would prove to be their last in Arizona with Watts. He had previously announced he would not tour with the Stones in 2021 because of an undefined health issue.
No Arizona dates are currently featured on the tour, which is scheduled to kick off Sunday, Sept. 26 in St. Louis with Steve Jordan sitting behind the drum kit.
Steve Stockmar has been with the Independent Newsmedia team since 2017. An NAU alum and Peoria resident, Steve’s community journalism pursuits focus mostly on arts & culture, education, and profiles of neighbors making a difference. In his spare time Steve plays in a vintage baseball league using uniforms and rules from the 1860s, and also acts (badly) in community theater. In addition, he has an unhealthy obsession with baseball and the Chicago Cubs.
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