The English rock band dipped into its deep catalog of hits, performing “Gimme Shelter”, “Start Me Up”, “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Brown Sugar” before Jagger bid farewell at the two-hour mark with a “Thank you very much, Havana”.
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“We know that years back it was hard to hear our music in Cuba, but here we are playing for you in your lovely country. It’s good to see you guys!” frontman Mick Jagger told the crowd, the Associated Press reported.
The Stones previously received a letter from the Pope telling the band not to play the concert on Good Friday, presumably out of respect to the Church – and not because he was always more of a Beatles fan.
Fans started gathering 18 hours ahead of time at Havana’s Sports City football and baseball fields, including Cubans who travelled from across the Caribbean’s largest island and foreigners who flew in for the occasion. The Stones are performing a free concert in Havana on Friday, becoming the most famous act to play Cuba since its 1959 revolution.
Hundreds of thousands of those fans poured into the Ciudad Deportiva stadium to watch the veteran rockers. Castro’s son Alejandro, one of the driving forces behind Cuba’s declaration of detente with the United States, greeted friends and relatives after the show.
Until about 15 years ago Cuba’s communist government banned most Western rock and pop music, which was deemed decadent and subversive.
“They have made a promise to the Cuban people and won’t let them down”. The band’s Cuba stop ends its “Ole” Latin America tour, which also included concerts in Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Argentina and Mexico.
Mick Jagger declared on stage during the concert that it was “a great historic moment”.
“The Rolling Stones being in Cuba at this time is like several steps up the ladder”, said Jennifer Corchado, a 23-year-old biologist.
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As most Cubans only earn a paltry $20 a month, there was no charge to see the show.
