The concert was held at the Ciudad Deportiva, a huge sports complex in the Cuban capital, with 450,000 attendees, with numerous fans standing on the rooftops of surrounding buildings.
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Half a century later, both the Rolling Stones and Cuba’s leadership share a longevity, performing well beyond what most people would consider retirement age. The only person who wasn’t on board with the concert was Pope Francis; the Vatican sent a letter to the band urging them not to perform on Good Friday. “Much as they didn’t want to upset the Pope, they had a contract to play and were going to honour it”.
One Cuban fan, who gave his name as Rocky, took no chances, planning to sleep out in the sports park overnight.
“They have made a promise to the Cuban people and won’t let them down”.
Fans wait for the start of the Rolling Stones concert in Havana, Cuba, Friday March 25, 2016. “Although the group’s members have always been vacationing in Cuba, The Rolling Stones” music had previously been deemed “ideological deviation'”. Waving Cuban, Mexican, and Argentinean flags along with the Union Jack, the concert attendees also had the stars and stripes on some tongues, likely in keeping with the historic visit by U.S. President Barack Obama.
These Rolling Stones have gathered some recognition moss, namely, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, and the U.K. Music Hall of Fame in 2004.
“It’s a dream that has arrived for the Cuban people”, radio host and rock music specialist Juanito Camacho. The rumors weren’t verified until a few weeks ago, however, when they finally announced that they would end their Latin American “Ole” tour at the Ciudad Deportiva in Havana.
But Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood went ahead with what the singer called: “A great historical moment”.
Cubans from different generations attended the show and many believed it has been the most important cultural event in the island in the last 50 years.
The massive crowd was filled not only with Cubans but with Stones fans from around the world.
“We have performed in many special places during our long career, but this show in Havana will be a milestone for us, and, we hope, for all our friends in Cuba, too”, the band said in a statement released before the arrival. “Thank you for welcoming us to your handsome country”. “I also think the times are changing”, Mick Jagger said in Spanish from the stage, drawing a roar of approval from the crowd.
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“I never would have guessed both things would have happened the same week”, said Ernesto Estevez, an English teacher who lives across the street from the sprawling field where the Stones staged the concert.
