Jagger: ‘You’ve got to feel the energy’
Mick Jagger was speaking by phone from New Orleans.
Two days earlier, on May 2, the Rolling Stones did “Time Is On My Side” with local soul queen Irma Thomas, whose 1964 recording of that classic inspired the British Invaders to cut their own rendition that same year, resulting in the Stones’ first Top 10 entry on the Billboard Hot 100.
Jagger and Thomas revisiting the song together as a deeply soulful duet turned out to be an aptly titled highlight of a set that was, remarkably enough, the Stones’ first time to take the stage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Two days later, Jagger says he may go out and catch more music while he’s there — which he does, popping in on the festival’s Gospel Tent on Saturday afternoon — before he makes his way to Arizona for the Stones’ first metro Phoenix concert since the death of founding member Charlie Watts in 2021.
The Stones played State Farm Stadium on Tuesday. It was the third date on the Hackney Diamonds Tour, named for the Stones’ first album of original material in nearly 20 years.
Boasting guest appearances by Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Elton John and founding bassist Bill Wyman, who left the group in 1993, the album has been hailed as their best work since “Tattoo You” or “Some Girls,” depending on the individual music critic’s level of enthusiasm.
Before the interview gets underway, the singer has a question for the interviewer.
“How hot is it there?” he asks. “I remember the last time, it was warning you not to go out. Of course we did.”
Jagger laughs, as he does easily and often in the course of a 15-minute conversation that despite the actual presence of a phone never feels like he’s phoning it in.
Here’s what else he had to say.
Mick Jagger on introducing ‘Hackney Diamonds’
The videos I’ve seen on social media from Jazz Fest and opening night have been amazing. Is the feeling you get from doing what you do on stage any different today than it was in the ’60s or ’70s?
Well, yeah, I mean, of course (laughs). You were younger and more crazy, more excited. And you were new. You weren’t like treated like legends and all this. But you’re the same person doing the same thing, even doing some of the same songs, so in some ways, it’s the same. But it’s a different time in the world, so there’s a different vibe.
How does it feel to have new music in the set?
Actually, really great. I love playing the old songs and all that. But it’s great to be able to have something new, because you haven’t done it before. It’s a challenge to you to get it over to the audience and see if they like it, to see if they want to hear it.
It’s easier in a smaller place to play new songs. It’s more difficult with a stadium crowd because they want to hear you know…. “Oh, I’ve come here to hear ‘Paint It, Black’” “When are they gonna play ‘Honky Tonk Women’?”
Are they gonna really like these songs? Are we gonna play them well enough? We haven’t played them that many times. We’ve only done “Angry,” like, three times, compared to “Paint It, Black.” (laughs) You go, ‘Ugh, I made a mistake! Oh God.’ So yeah, it’s challenging, but I enjoy it.
I would love to do more. We’re doing three. I’m sort of changing them around, playing the three or four that are the most well-known. I’d love to put some others in, but there’s only so much you can do, as I said, in a stadium. Red Hot Chili Peppers have got a new album. They’re on tour and they’re doing four songs. And I think we’re on the same page here, when you’re playing a big show. It’s about all the audience can really take. (laughs)
Mick Jagger on being back in the studio with the Rolling Stones
How did it feel to get back in the studio and work on new material?
Oh, I loved it. It was great. I mean, I had a lot of songs I’d done during lockdown. I had a lot of time to write. So I had a lot of different kinds of songs and was glad to get them finally down. I thought, “When are we gonna get these songs down?” And it actually was really quick and fun and quite enjoyable. I like being back in the studio doing new things.
How do you decide “All right, it’s time. Let’s get in there and make an album”?
I told this story when the album came out so I don’t want to repeat myself too much. But I said to Keith, you know, “We’ve just gotta go make an album.” I didn’t say, “I don’t want to tour unless we have a new album.” But I said, “It would be better to go out with a new album when we next go on tour. So let’s go do an album.” Keith said “Yeah, absolutely.”
We always used to have a deadline, you know? Like you guys at newspapers. You gotta write that story. And it’s gotta be in here by this time. So I said, “We have to have a deadline.” Because otherwise we just keep going in the studio but we don’t finish anything. So everyone was down for that. And then we did it and we made the deadline.
That’s great. Were there specific goals you wanted to achieve artistically with this record?
Well, I wanted it to sound like a record made in 2024. The temptation with an old band is to go in and rehash something you’ve done before. And of course, the band is still the band. That’s why I always say, “It’s still gonna sound like the Rolling Stones, no matter what happens.”
But I said, “When you hear it, it’s gotta sound like a record that’s made by a rock band in this era,” you know? That crispness. If you listen to, say, a 1970s Rolling Stones record compared to this, you might love it because you’ve listened to it hundreds of times and that’s the sound you like. But it’s different, you know what I mean? It’s a different period of sound.
It’s much crisper and you can hear everything more clearly. But it’s still got the energy level. To me, the energy level in a rock band is the most important thing. You’ve got to have that. You’ve got to feel the energy. That’s a big part of it. And you’ve got to hear what everyone’s playing.
Mick Jagger on working with Paul McCartney on ‘Hackney Diamonds’
It’s definitely got that energy. What was it like to work with Paul McCartney on this record?
Oh, it was great fun. We’ve all known Paul a long time. We worked in the ’60s a little bit. He sang vocals with us and stuff. I’ve played with him in his house. Ronnie (Wood) has played with him a lot. And Andy Watt, the producer, was doing some work with him. So it was very fortuitous.