The Rolling Stones managed to stay dry through through most of their tour-closing show at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium Friday evening, even as Hurricane Dorian continued to gain strength in the Atlantic. But when the band came out for the encore of “Gimme Shelter” and Mick Jagger sang the opening lines “A storm is threat’ning/My very life today,” the clouds opened up as if on cue and rain began pouring down in sheets. As evidenced in video from the gig, Jagger and backup singer Sasha Allen were pros and blazed through the song as if nothing was happening.
The Miami concert was originally supposed to open up the tour on April 29th, but Mick Jagger’s heart surgery forced a postponement of every show until later in the summer. Miami ultimately became the final stop with a show booked for August 31st, but once it became clear that Hurricane Dorian was barreling towards Florida they moved it forward one day with just about 24 hours notice.
The last minute shift seemed to have little impact on attendance as nearly every seat appeared to be full Friday night, even though a little rainstorm delayed the start about an hour. Appropriately enough, they opened up with “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (“I was born in a cross-fire hurricane/And I howled at the morning driving rain”), but they were fortunate that the rain held off until “Gimme Shelter” 17 songs later. Nobody would have complained if that song ended the night, but they still powered through an extended “Satisfaction” in the pouring rain to wrap up the night and the tour.
The Rolling Stones’ future plans are unclear at the moment, but Jagger did tell the crowd “See you next time!” before walking offstage. They have toured every single year since ending their extended hiatus in 2012, and there’s no reason to think next year will be any different. After all, this is a band that doesn’t even let an impending category 4 hurricane stop them.
