Rolling Stones: Hit NYC Saturday

Saturday night's (December 8th) Rolling Stones concert at Brooklyn, New York's Barclays Center will once again feature a few special guests. Ultimate Classic Rock reported that Mary J. Blige will be making her second appearance at a Stones 50th anniversary gig, no doubt revisiting her duet with Mick Jagger last month in London on the band's 1969 post-apocolypse classic "Gimme Shelter." Also joining the Stones will be up-and-coming blues favaorite Gary Clark, Jr., presumably for the spot filled at the London shows by Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton, respectively.

Keith Richards was asked if after all these years he gets nervous just before jumping on stage: "No -- but there is. . . it depends what you mean by nerves. I mean, some people (get) nerves, or butterflies -- no, that don't come into it. But there is at the same time a sense of excitement. You really, gotta, like, fly. Y'know, that's what you try and do, y'know; and I got some fliers in this band."

Jagger also talked about his pre-concert preparations: "You have to work very hard to make any kind of concert. And when I said that quote, it's quite true. The first one of the tour, or even if it's the 35th there's no resting on your laurels, you know. You just go out there and you do your best and you prepare as well as you can. A lot of it's to do with the prep. You go prepared and you play to your strengths and you try to ignore your weaknesses (laughs)."