Home » Features

Which Hits Will the Stones be Rolling Out at the O2 Arena?

When you've got 50 years of classic hit songs behind you, how do you go about whittling them down to a spectacular, celebratory two-hour show?

It's a poser  those who've been lucky enough to buy Rolling Stones tickets for next month’s O2 Arena shows are excitedly considering this week – and a problem the band will no doubt be tackling with a typical air of unaffected rock'n'roll nonchalance.

So which tracks can fans expect to hear Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts rolling out at the November 25th and 29th concerts?

After the band themselves gave some clues away on a handwritten note on their Twitter page following the announcement of the shows – which also include two dates in New Jersey in the US – it's useful to look back through the years to try to work out what's what is likely to be on their running order.

1960s

The band's breakthrough decade – where they emerged as a sexy, dangerous alternative to The Beatles - saw them rack up a string of classic hits, starting with 1964's 'It's All Over Now' and encompassing classic tracks such as 'The Last Time', 'Get Off My Cloud', 'Sympathy For The Devil', 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' and 'Honky Tonk Women'. Given the gigs are a celebration of their inception, expect the setlist to lean heavily on this creative purple patch – complete with impressive set pieces and lavish backdrops based on their iconic lips and tongue logo.

1970s

The decade where the Stones started to make stadiums truly their home, the '70s saw the band release classic albums such as Exile on Main Street and Sticky Fingers, as well as putting out a further run of peerless singles. 'Brown Sugar', 'Tumbling Dice' and 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' are all long-established favourites among audiences, while 'Loving Cup' and 'Miss You' are occasional glimpses at the strength of the four-piece's '70s canon.

1980s – Present Day

Still right at the top of the concert tour tree, for the past 30 years the band's recorded output has been less well received by critics. However, that doesn't mean there haven't been some nuggets from 1980 onwards. For example, the strutting stadium-rock of 1981's 'Start Me Up' has long acted as a suitable set-opener for the band, often followed by 1994's return to form 'You Got My Rocking'. Meanwhile, new single 'Doom And Gloom' and 'One Last Shot' – both featured on the group's new greatest hits compilation GRRR! – could also be in the running to bring the setlist right up to the present day.

Whatever the band opt to include on their running order – and they typically tweak their setlists as tours progress – fans will be expecting to see the greatest rock'n'roll show on earth. If previous form is anything to go by, that's exactly what they'll be delivering.

Fans looking to buy tickets for these historic shows can check StubHub UK for the latest listings and availability. As part of the world's biggest fan-to-fan ticket marketplace, it's the place to buy tickets with full confidence that the transaction is covered by StubHub UK's FanProtect Guarantee.