Rolling Stones To Play Free Show In Havana

The rockers promise a set full of classic hits as they prepare to become the first Brits to play an open-air show on Cuba….Sir Mick Jagger and co will play for free on 25 March

The Rolling Stones will perform in Havana this month, making them the first British band to play an open air concert in Cuba.

The free performance will be at the Ciudad Deportiva de la Habana on 25 March

“We have performed in many special places during our long career, but this show in Havana is going to be a landmark event for us, and, we hope, for all our friends in Cuba too,” said a statement by the band.

Their music was once banned on the Caribbean island for being an “ideological deviation”.

The rockers are promising a “set packed full of classic Stones hits as well as special gems from their million selling albums”.

Their gig – in a 64-acre sports complex – will come just three days after President Obama wraps up his own visit to Cuba.

The historic trip will see him become the first sitting US President to go to Havana since 1928 and is seen as a crucial step for thawing relations between the former Cold War foes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6d8eKvegLI

Many big musical names of the 1960s, including Elvis Presley and The Beatles, were banned after the island’s communist revolution in 1959.

The country’s figurehead, Fidel Castro, later said he regretted the move and even unveiled a statue to John Lennon in a Havana park in 2000.

The Stones are currently on tour in South America, with dates this month in Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Mexico.

They are also spearheading an initiative that will see instruments and equipment being donated to musicians on the island.

Guitar maker Gibson, keyboard maker Roland and cymbal firm Zildjian are among those involved.

Other British musicians have held shows in Cuba in the past.

The Manic Street Preachers played an indoor show in Havana in 2001 – watched by Fidel Castro himself. SkyNews