The Rolling Stones finally played the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for the first time on Thursday, May 2, after scheduled performances were canceled twice over the last few years.
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The band’s headlining set featured a historic duet with Irma Thomas, the Soul Queen of New Orleans. As Thomas had revealed in an interview before the show, she teamed up with Mick Jagger and company for a rendition of “Time Is on My Side,” a song she covered in 1964 that inspired The Stones to record their own version that same year.
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As seen in fan-shot video, before welcoming Thomas to the stage, Jagger set up the performance with a little introduction.
“In 1964, which was a very, very long time ago, we heard this great song on the radio by this amazing singer,” Jagger told the crowd. “And we recorded it, and it became our first … hit in America. And the lady that did this song first … she’s the Soul Queen of New Orleans! I’d like to bring her out on stage now to sing the song with us. Here she is, Miss Irma Thomas!
As the 83-year-old Thomas appeared, Mick took her hand and walked with her to the front of the stage. The two singers proceeded to deliver a soulful duet, with Thomas handling most of the lead vocals, including the spoken-word bridge section. Jagger also sang a verse and harmonized with Thomas throughout.
As the performance ended, Jagger took Thomas’ hand, thanked her, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. The Stones hadn’t performed “Time Is on My Side” in concert since 1998.
More About “Time Is on My Side”
“Time Is on My Side” became The Rolling Stones first Top-10 hit in the U.S., peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964. As Thomas has explained in many interviews, after that, she decided to stop performing the song for many years, because she got upset that many people thought she was covering a Rolling Stones tune.
Speaking recently with NOLA.com, the singer noted that she was never angry with The Stones themselves, and felt that the fact that their version of “Time Is on My Side” copied hers “was an honor.”
Zydeco Musician Dwayne Dopsie Also Played with The Stones
Before the performance with Thomas, The Rolling Stones welcomed another local musician to the stage, acclaimed zydeco accordionist Dwayne Dopsie. He joined the band for a version of its 1969 classic “Let It Bleed.” It marked the first time The Stones had played the song live since 2021.
More About The Stones’ New Orleans Set
Another song the band introduced to their set in New Orleans was “Whole Wide World,” a tune from the group’s 2023 album, Hackney Diamonds. The Rolling Stones had only played that song live once before, at the intimate, invite-only album-release party held at the New York City club Racket in October 2023.
The rest of The Stones’ 18-song set featured tunes that also were played at the 2024 tour kickoff show in Houston on April 28.
After the concert, Jagger took to his socials and wrote, “So happy we finally got to play for you NOLA @jazzfest! Special thanks to Dwayne Dopsie and Queen of New Orleans, Irma Thomas for joining us on stage!”
Ronnie Wood Performed with Thomas Again That Night
Meanwhile, Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood revealed in a post on his social media pages that he made a surprise appearance at a show Thomas played that evening at the famed New Orleans venue Preservation Hall. As seen in a video clip Wood posted, he played guitar as Thomas sang “Time Is on My Side.”
“At midnight after the show I popped to @PreservationHall to see the Soul Queen of New Orleans, Irma Thomas,” he wrote, “then jumped up to play ‘Time Is On My Side’ with her and her amazing band!”
About The Rolling Stones’ Upcoming Tour Dates
The next show on The Rolling Stones’ 2024 tour in support of their Hackney Diamonds album is scheduled for May 7 in Glendale, Arizona. The trek, which features a total of 19 concerts, runs through a July 17 performance in Santa Clara, California.
Tickets for The Rolling Stones’ concerts are available now via various outlets, including StubHub.
Here’s The Rolling Stones full set list, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Orleans, LA, 5/2/24:
- “Start Me Up”
- “Get Off My Cloud”
- “Out of Time”
- “Angry”
- “Let It Bleed’ (with Dwayne Dopsie)
- “Time Is on My Side” (with Irma Thomas)
- “Whole Wide World”
- “Tumbling Dice”
- “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
- “Little T&A”
- “Sympathy for the Devil”
- “Honky Tonk Women”
- “Miss You”
- “Gimme Shelter”
- “Paint It Black”
- “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
Encore
- “Sweet Sound of Heaven”
- “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
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