On June 8, 1999, The Rolling Stones returned to their old London stomping grounds for a hometown club show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire ahead of two sold-out dates at 70,000-capacity Wembley Stadium. Twenty-five years later, that secret gig has been immortalized via the new concert film and live album Welcome To Shepherd’s Bush, out Dec. 6 in a range of formats.
In front of 1,800 onlookers—including fellow celebrities such as Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, the Who’s Pete Townshend, Jon Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Lenny Kravitz, Anita Pallenberg, Jerry Hall, Bob Geldof, and more—the Stones played a 90-minute set marked by rare deep cuts. The show featured the only known performance of Voodoo Lounge‘s “Moon Is Up” and one of only seven performances of that album’s “Brand New Car” to date. The Stones also gave the second ever airing to their Black and Blue track “Melody” following its 1977 live debut at El Mocambo in Toronto. Sheryl Crow joined the band onstage for a rousing “Honky Tonk Women.”
Welcome To Shepherd’s Bush is the first Stones release in 4K UHD with a Dolby Atmos audio option. It’s also available as a Blu-ray + two-CD set, a two-CD limited edition package totalling 15,000 copies, a two-LP black vinyl package, and a direct-to-consumer two-LP set in 180-gram white vinyl. The release includes new liner notes from Paul Sexton, who writes that the Shepherd’s Bush gig reclaimed “the nostalgic intensity of a compact Stones show with the exciting echoes of Eel Pie Island and the Crawdaddy Club.”
The Rolling Stones recently completed their stadium tour supporting 2023’s acclaimed Hackney Diamonds. They continue to be one of the most formidable, in-demand live acts in the world, more than six decades into their career.
Order The Rolling Stones’ Welcome To Shepherd’s Bush now.
