"This is the first club gig we’ve played in a long time in New York." Watch The Rolling Stones and Lady Gaga perform new single Sweet Sounds Of Heaven at a star-studded surprise set in NYC last night, celebrating their new album, Hackney Diamonds.

By
( )
published

The Rolling Stones played a surprise seven-song set to a host of A-listers at last night's album release party for Hackney Diamonds

Mick Jagger and Lady Gaga sing together
(Image credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for RS)

At a special, intimate album release party held in New York City for new LP Hackney Diamonds last night (Thursday October 19), The Rolling Stones delighted a star-studded, A-list crowd with a surprise, seven-song live set that included one very special cameo. Following a DJ set by The Roots' Questlove and American singer-songwriter Samantha Urbani, the rock 'n' roll icons took to the stage at the 600-capacity Racket venue in front of a crowd that included the likes of, according to a report by Rolling Stone, Elvis Costello, Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, and Chris Rock.

Alongside a trio of Stones classics in the form of Shattered, Jumpin' Jack Flash and Tumbling Dice, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Darryl Jones and Steve Jordan also debuted four new songs from Hackney Diamonds, including recent single Sweet Sounds Of Heaven, which brought Lady Gaga to the stage for an explosive encore. 

"This is the first club gig we’ve played in a long time in New York,” Jagger noted before the band played Bite My Head Off, a track whose recorded version features none other than Beatles legend Paul McCartney on bass. The icons certainly made the most of such an unusually up-close and personal show, their performance with Gaga putting the cherry on an historic evening.

Watch footage of the Stones and Lady Gaga playing Sweet Sounds Of Heaven below. Hackney Diamonds, released today, was given a glowing 9/10 review by Classic Rock, whose writer Ian Fortnam noted: "Hackney Diamonds is no museum piece. It’s a 21st-century record for a 21st-century audience that, with an old-school 48-minute duration, only ever leaves the listener hungry for more."

The band are expected to announce a new world tour to support the album soon.

The Rolling Stones New York Racket setlist Thursday October 19

1. Shattered
2. Angry (live debut)
3. Whole Wide World (live debut)
4. Tumbling Dice
5. Bite My Head Off (live debut)
6. Jumping Jack Flash
7. Sweet Sounds Of Heaven (live debut, featuring Lady Gaga)

Merlin Alderslade
Merlin Alderslade
Executive Editor, Louder

Merlin moved into his role as Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has previously written for the likes of Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N' Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He has also presented and produced the Metal Hammer Podcast, presented the Metal Hammer Radio Show and is probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site.