Tonight (October 10th) on the world famous Classic Album At Midnight on Radio Nova we’re playing The Rolling Stones’ Havana Moon in full on vinyl, courtesy of The Record Hub.
The album is presented in full with no commercials or interruptions.
On March 25th, 2016, The Rolling Stones played a free concert in Havana, Cuba to an audience of over 500,000 fans. The concert was recorded for posterity and released as a film under the title Havana Moon.
In 2015, as Cuba was opening itself up to the West, The Rolling Stones received a tempting offer from lawyer Gregory Elias. He would pay for the band to play a concert for a Cuban audience with no admission costs for fans, using his charity Fundashon Bon Intenshon to fund the venture.
At the time Cuba’s government strictly controlled the music its people were allowed listen to. Extensive talks were held between the Cuban government and The Rolling Stones’ manager Joyce Smyth and promoters Concerts West. Eventually approval was granted for what would be a historic event, with the Stones becoming the first major rock group to play in the communist island nation.
The concert was preceded by another historic event. President Barack Obama became the first sitting US president to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. Concerned over security issues, the decision was made to delay the concert until five days after Obama’s visit. With the concert now falling on Good Friday, Pope Francis asked the band to reschedule once again but the Stones denied his request.
Prior to the concert the Stones organised a charity initiative that saw musical instruments donated to Cuban musicians, many of whom attended a meet and greet event with the band the night before the concert.
500,000 fans arrived to the concert on Good Friday, smashing Cuba’s previous record of 70,000 attendees at a concert by Italian rocker Zucchero in 2012.
The Rolling Stones played 18 of their classic tracks during the show – Jumpin’ Jack Flash; It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (But I Like It); Tumbling Dice; Out of Control; All Down the Line; Angie; Paint it Black; Honky Tonk Women; You Got the Silver; Before They Make Me Run; Midnight Rambler; Miss You; Gimme Shelter; Start Me Up; Sympathy for the Devil; Brown Sugar; You Can’t Always Get What You Want; and (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.
The concert featured the classic Rolling Stones lineup of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts.
The film of Havana Moon played in cinemas across the globe for one night only on September 23rd,2016. The soundtrack was released on November 11th, 2016 while the film received a release on DVD, blu-ray, VOD, along with special editions accompanied by two CDs and three LPs.
The concert film won rave reviews. “The Rolling Stones gave a stunning performance,” said The New York Times in their review. Rolling Stone described the event as “no ordinary concert” while The Guardian called it “spectacular and historic.”
We can’t bring you the Cuban weather but we will be playing Havana Moon at midnight tonight on Radio Nova.
