The Rolling Stones did their first show in Liverpool, England in more than 50 years Thursday night, and they paid tribute to the town's most famous musical export, The Beatles.
Mick Jagger commented on their return to the Merseyside city, saying, “It’s great to be back in Liverpool after such a long time. Long time, no see.”
Jagger also paid tribute to Charlie Watts, who died last year from cancer. "In 1962, we met a drummer called Charlie Watts and this is our first tour in England we’ve done without him, so we’d like to dedicate this show to Charlie.”
When it came to performing a song associated with the town, he said they could do the Liverpool Football club anthem, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” but then added, "We decided instead to do a cover of a song written by some other local lads. So we’re doing this especially for you Liverpool, OK?”
And with that they played “I Wanna Be Your Man,” which was written and given to them in 1963 by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
The Stones last played the song in 2012 in Brooklyn, and both McCartney and Ringo Starr have been playing it in their shows this year.
In 2016, McCartney did the song for the first time since 1993 during his set at Desert Trip in Indio, California. It was his response to the Stones doing "Come Together" the night before, also at Desert Trip.
The Stones continue their Sixty tour Monday in Amsterdam.
Source: RollingStones.com and Premiere