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The Rolling Stones’ 2002-2003 Licks World Tour was one of The World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band’s most innovative.  To celebrate the band’s 40th anniversary (and the release of the career-spanning compilation 40 Licks), venues would come in three different sizes: small theatres, arenas, and stadiums.  Setlists would be scaled to the size of each venue, with the theatre settings giving the band the most freedom to perform lesser-known gems in addition to their major hits.  On March 8, Mercury Studios will release one of those intimate shows when Live at The Wiltern comes to various formats including 2CD/DVD; 2CD/Blu-ray; 2CD; and 3LP (including standard black and Amazon-exclusive Black & Bronze Swirl).  The DVD & Blu-ray have the same tracklisting as both the 3LP and 2CD releases.

The 117 shows of the Licks World Tour grossed over $300 million, with over 80 songs performed from all eras of the band’s storied history.  Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and Charlie Watts were joined on the tour by bassist Darryl Jones, keyboardist Chuck Leavell, saxophonist Bobby Keys, and backing vocalists Lisa Fischer, Bernard Fowler, and Blondie Chaplin.  The band’s appearance at the roughly 2,000-capacity Wiltern – an Art Deco theatre built in 1931 as a vaudeville house – was hotly-anticipated.

The Stones welcomed Solomon Burke to the Wiltern on November 4, 2002.  (The other two L.A.-area dates saw the band play the Staples Center on October 31 and Anaheim’s Edison International Field on November 2.)  The King of Rock and Soul didn’t disappoint when he later joined the Stones for a sizzling run through his classic “Everyone Needs Somebody to Love.”  In front of a star-studded Hollywood audience including Tom Petty, Neil Young, Stephen Stills, and Sheryl Crow (who had opened the Staples Center and Edison International Field concerts), the Stones dusted off the likes of “Stray Cat Blues,” “Neighbours,” “No Expectations,” “Thru and Thru,” and “You Don’t Have to Mean It” to join the more expected “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Beast of Burden,” “Honky Tonk Women,” “Brown Sugar,” and “Start Me Up.”  Still, numerous Stones staples such as “(I Can’t Get No Satisfaction),” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” and “Sympathy for the Devil” were absent from the rarities-oriented show.

Ron Wood comments in Paul Sexton’s liner notes for Live at the Wiltern, “We couldn’t really go through a whole tour doing predictable shows. We’ve got to have songs out of the blue.” Mick Jagger noted that “it makes it interesting for the audience and the band. [I had] to think a lot more about set lists than I’ve ever done.” Keith Richards adds, “Sometimes on the road, the weather’s bad and half the band’s down with something, but apart from those obvious blue days, there’s an amazing freshness about these guys.”

Live at The Wiltern is due from Mercury Studios on March 8.  The Rolling Stones kick off their North American Hackney Diamonds tour on April 28 in Houston, Texas, wrapping it up on July 17 in Santa Clara, California.  You’ll find pre-order links for Live at the Wiltern below.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

The Rolling Stones, Live at The Wiltern (Mercury Studios, 2024)

2CD/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP (Amazon Exclusive Black and Bronze Swirl): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP Black Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

CD 1:

1. Jumpin’ Jack Flash
2. Live With Me
3. Neighbours
4. Hand of Fate
5. No Expectations
6. Beast of Burden
7. Stray Cat Blues
8. Dance, Part 1
9. Everybody Needs Somebody To Love (with Solomon Burke)
10. That’s How Strong My Love Is
11. Going To A Go-Go
12. Band Introductions

CD 2:

1. Thru And Thru
2. You Don’t Have To Mean It
3. Can’t You Hear Me Knocking
4. Rock Me Baby
5. Bitch
6. Honky Tonk Women
7. Start Me Up
8. Brown Sugar
9. Tumbling Dice