Rolling Stones rock London in 50-year show

UK: The Rolling Stones rocked London on Sunday, thrilling a 20,000 crowd with the first of five concerts to mark their 50th anniversary.

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood were joined by their original bass player Bill Wyman at the O2 Arena as the ageing rockers performed their first major concert for five years. Lead singer Jagger made light of criticism of the ticket prices for the sold-out gig -- fans had paid up to 406 ($650, 500 euros) for a standard seat, and thousands of Pounds more on ticket re-selling sites.

“How're you doing in the cheap seats? They're not that cheap though, that's the problem,” Jagger joked as the concert began. The band opened with “I Want to be Your Man”, with 69-year-old Jagger strutting around the giant stage dressed in a silver jacket and trilby, before launching into “Get Off of My Cloud”.

US soul diva Mary J Blige joined Jagger to sing the female lines of “Gimme Shelter” and legendary rock guitarist Jeff Beck added a flourish to “I'm Going Down”. The Stones welcomed on stage another former member, guitarist Mick Taylor, to play on “Midnight Gambler”. Jagger donned a black feathered cape to perform “Sympathy For The Devil” while a demonic red light was trained on him, before a rousing rendition of “Jumping Jack Flash” ended the night.

The Daily Telegraph's music critic Neil McCormick said the Stones rose to the occasion, laying claim to the title of the world's greatest band “with some style and panache.”

AFP