After The Rolling Stones’ highly anticipated ’14 On Fire’ tour of Australia was postponed earlier this year following the tragic death of frontman Mick Jagger’s longtime partner, the spirits of the legendary rock group’s legions of Aussie fans were understandably dampened.

Though no one could begrudge the band for postponing their Australia-New Zealand tour, the fans, some of whom had travelled interstate just to catch a glimpse of the rock icons in action, were forced to take solace in the fact that the band had never let them down before and were sure to return with a bigger bang.

By all accounts, that’s exactly what they did on Saturday night. Following a well-received warm-up from our own rock icon, Jimmy Barnes, who boasted on Twitter that his opening set means he is in fact the first act to have played at the newly refurbished Adelaide Oval.

After a symphony of epic soundscapes, smoke, fireworks, and flashing red visuals, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and Charlie Watts strutted onto the stage before a roaring crowd, launching into a rendition of their 1968 classic ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’.

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“We’re sorry we kept you waiting so long,” Jagger, the consummate rock and roll showman, who donned his now-iconic green sequined jacket, joked with the crowd, according to Fairfax. “At least the concrete’s had time to set in your new stadium.” The band then launched into 1967’s ‘Let’s Spend The Night Together’.

A sold out crowd of 53,300 had descended on the arena to witness a 19-song set of non-stop Stones classics, including ‘Wild Horses’, ‘Tumbling Dice’, ‘Honky Tonk Women’, ‘Midnight Rambler’, ‘Sympathy For The Devil’, ‘Gimme Shelter’, and a cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Like A Rolling Stone’.

“Thank you Bob Dylan for writing that for us,” quipped Jagger. “He’s such a sweetheart when you get to know him.” In the days leading up to the show, Twitter-active fans were able to vote for one of five songs from the band’s half-century-long back catalogue to be added to the setlist.

The band indulged in numerous extended arrangements, with the performance of 1969’s ‘Midnight Rambler’, for which they were joined by their former bandmate Mick Taylor on guitar, reportedly clocking in at around 15 minutes, including a blistering solo from Taylor.

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The encore consisted of a rendition of ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ that saw the band joined by the Young Adelaide Voices and the Adelaide Chamber Singers, and arguably the band’s signature tune, ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’, for which they were once again joined by Taylor.

During the encore, one overzealous fan dressed in a fluoro high-vis vest rushed the stage, apparently hoping to get some one-on-one time with the band. However, he was promptly tackled by vigilant security guards and escorted off the premises.

Ever the professionals, the band did not miss a beat during the performance of ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’, with Jagger later telling the crowd, jokingly, “All part of the act, some Aussies Rules tackling!”

According to Sky News, the show concluded in much the same way it commenced. The grande finale of the evening taking place amid the Adelaide twilight with a “brief but spectacular fireworks display”. The word on social media was that fans in the South Australian capital left their new arena feeling very, very satisfied.

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The band are now bound for the Perth Arena, where they are set to rock crowds again over two nights. They are then destined for Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, Victoria’s Hanging Rock, Allphones Arena in Sydney, the Hope Estate in the Hunter Valley, before concluding with a night at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

Judging by the immense spectacle that the band put on in Adelaide, the rest of their shows are sure to be something fans old and new alike will remember for years to come.

Readers can check below for the full setlist of The Rolling Stones’ Saturday, 25th October performance at the Adelaide Oval, as well as a selection of video highlights, including the infamous stage-rush.

Setlist:
Jumpin’ Jack Flash
Let’s Spend The Night Together
It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (But I Like It)
Tumbling Dice
Wild Horses
Doom & Gloom
Like A Rolling Stone (song vote winner)
Out Of Control
Honky Tonk Women
Happy (with Keith on lead vocals)
Can’t Be Seen (with Keith on lead vocals)
Midnight Rambler (with Mick Taylor)
Miss You
Gimme Shelter
Start Me Up
Sympathy For The Devil
Brown Sugar

Encore:
You Can’t Always Get What You Want (with the Young Adelaide Voices and the Adelaide Chamber Singers)
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (with Mick Taylor)

The Rolling Stones Australian Tour 2015

Saturday 25 October – Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Wednesday 29 October – Perth Arena, Perth
Saturday 01 November – Perth Arena, Perth
Wednesday 5 November – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Saturday 8 November – Hanging Rock, Macedon VIC
Wednesday 12 November – Allphones Arena, Sydney
Saturday 15 November – Hope Estate, Hunter Valley
Tuesday 18 November – Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane

Tickets and info via Frontier Touring.

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