The chemistry between Mick Jagger and Sheryl Crow is out of this world! The two hitmakers teamed up for The Rolling Stones’ rollicking cut of “Honky Tonk Women” at Madison Square Garden on the Licks Tour. Jagger opened the song, working the crowd like the rock god he is while Keith Richards and Charlie Watts laid down a shambolic rhythm. Crow made her appearance shortly after the one-minute mark, dropping a soulful vocal with a delicious country twang.
Crow and Jagger got up close and personal on the 1969 classic, really giving the crowd a show and creating an electric energy in the arena. You can tell Crow was having a lot of fun with it, and rather than being intimidated by being onstage with one of the biggest rock bands of all time, she went out there and stole the show! The Music Man has to say that it’s rare to see two performers with so much star power onstage together, and with the Stones firing on all cylinders, it makes for an unforgettable performance!
Crow and the Stones teamed up at Madison Square Garden on January 18, 2003, while supporting the band’s 40th anniversary release Forty Licks. Fans watching at home were digging the collab, and added comments such as “Sheryl Crow!!! One of the best singers anywhere in the world. Here in a Stones masterpiece. I love it!” and “I have only ever seen Sheryl Crow knock it out of the park: whether it’s a group in Crossroads, Willie Nelson’s birthday, with the Stones, etc. She is outstanding!”
The Rolling Stones have hosted many a legend on their tours over the years. One of The Music Man’s fav Stones duets is when Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder sat in with the band for a rendition of “Wild Horses.” The song is one of the English rockers’ most touching and distinctive ballads. To hear such an incredible vocalist as Vedder duet with Jagger on it really is a vibe. Vedder performs a yearning vocal on the country-tinged tune, and I’ve never heard him use his voice quite like this before.
The Rolling Stones released “Honky Tonk Women” as a non-album single in July 1969. Jagger and Richards wrote the song in late 1968 and early 1969 while they were holidaying in Brazil. The pair witnessed caipiras (an ethnic group that settled rural and mountain areas) working a ranch in Matão, São Paulo, which served as inspiration for the song.