When the Rolling Stones consider their set list, some tough decisions have to be made. Of their 400-plus songs, only a handful will make the cut.
As the Stones make their way across North America on their Hackney Diamonds Tour, they’ve been sticking to a pretty consistent set of 18-19 songs, though there have been a few curveballs and tour debuts thrown in. For one thing, there’s new material to be played from the band’s 2023 album Hackney Diamonds. There’s also the Stones’ regular strategy of allowing their audiences one fan-voted song.
READ MORE: How Have the Rolling Stones’ Set Lists Changed Over 60 Years?
The reality is that some beloved classics have taken a back seat on this tour. There’s still time for them — the 2024 tour doesn’t end until July 21 — but in the meantime, we’re taking a look at the top 10 songs the Rolling Stones have not played.
1. “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking”
From: Sticky Fingers (1971)
This list will start off strong with the seven plus minute “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” from 1971’s Sticky Fingers. The Stones had been including this song in their sets quite routinely through the 2000s, with its last appearance being on July 7, 2022 during their Sixty anniversary concert tour. But so far in 2024, we haven’t heard them knocking with this one.
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2. “Street Fighting Man”
From: Beggars Banquet(1968)
“Street Fighting Man” may be the most surprising exclusion on this list considering it’s presently the Stones’ 13th most played song of their career (via setlist.fm) with over 600 performances since its release in 1968. The last time the band played it was in August of 2022 in Germany. “Street Fighting Man” was once shunned by U.S. radio stations for its dissident lyrics — ironic, then, that decades later it’s the Stones keeping the song from North American audiences.
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3. “Before They Make Me Run”
From: Some Girls (1978)
To be fair, the 2024 tour already has a handful of moments — “Tell Me Straight” from Hackney Diamonds, “Little T&A” and “Happy” — for Keith Richards to sing lead. But one famously Richards-sung number that hasn’t been played is “Before They Make Me Run” from 1978’s Some Girls, which last appeared in a set list during the Stones’ 2021 No Filter Tour.
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4. “Angie”
From: Goats Head Soup (1973)
One thing that’s important to consider when crafting a set list is the balance between high-energy numbers and slower ballads. But on this 2024 tour, the Stones appear to be prioritizing the former and not including very many of the latter. If they decide to change that, one popular option could be “Angie” — the Stones’ 21st most played song — which hasn’t been played since the 2022 tour.
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5. “Ruby Tuesday”
From: Between the Buttons (1967)
Goodbye “Ruby Tuesday,” we haven’t heard you live since 2022. To make up for that, the Stones have played a few other songs from their earlier years, like “She’s a Rainbow,” “Out of Time” and, from the same album as “Ruby Tuesday, “Let’s Spend the Night Together.”
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6. “Live With Me”
From: Let It Bleed (1969)
For a while in the 2000s, “Live With Me” from 1969’s Let It Bleed was a pretty regular inclusion on the Stones’ set list, making many appearances during their 2002-2003 Licks Tour and their 2005-2007 A Bigger Bang Tour. Then it started to fall away, and its most recent play was at the band’s 2016 Desert Trip concert.
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7. “Rip This Joint”
From: Exile on Main St. (1972)
“Rip This Joint” is a bit of a longer shot in terms of potential for inclusion on the 2024 tour, mainly because it’s been over two decades since the Stones played it last in 2003. Also, it would have been a good choice for their New Orleans show with its lyric about the Dixie Queen, but so far, it’s stayed on the back burner.
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8. “19th Nervous Breakdown”
From: 1966 Single
During the Stones’ 2021 No Filter Tour and their 2022 Sixty Tour, “19th Nervous Breakdown” was on practically every set list. And before that, it was played heavily during their 1997-98 Bridges to Babylon Tour. But it appears to have been dropped for this trek in favor of other songs…
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9. “Waiting on a Friend”
From: Tattoo You (1981)
“Waiting on a Friend” from 1981’s Tattoo You presents a similar problem to the one “Angie” does: inserting a slower number into a set jam-packed with energy. This one has not been heard live since a 2014 concert in Berlin, Germany, so it’s been a full decade. For those Tattoo You lovers, the 2024 set does still include “Start Me Up” and “Little T&A.”
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10. “Fool to Cry”
From: Black and Blue (1976)
Not to keep pushing the ballads, but “Fool to Cry” could make an excellent addition to the set list with its easy-to-sing-along-to chorus. This song was played exactly once on both the 2021 and 2022 tours, why not play it once in 2024?
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