The Rolling Stones Surprise New York With Underplay & Special Guest Lady Gaga

The Rolling Stones released their first album of original music in 18 years, Hackney Diamonds, last week, and surprised New York with a secret show at The Racket in the city’s Meatpacking District Thursday night. In front of an audience filled with celebrities, the intimate venue saw the Stones bringing their new songs to the stage for the first time and included a special guest on stage — Lady Gaga.

The crowd packed in 650 attendees, with Questlove opening the night with a DJ set. The audience was invite-only, with guests including Trevor Noah. The show wasn’t officially announced beforehand, with rumors swirling on social media and The Racket changing their marquee to the Hackney Diamonds font the only hints that the Stones would be taking the stage.

Once Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ron Wood came on, they performed seven songs. Four of the tracks came from Hackney Diamonds, including a duet with Lady Gaga, “Sweet Sounds of Heaven.”

They performed seven songs overall, including “Shattered,” “Angry,” “Whole Wide World,” “Tumbling Dice,” “Bit My Head Off” and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” with Lady Gaga appearing for the encore. Gaga and Jagger both cameoed on the Bad Bunny-hosted “Saturday Night Live” episode, as well.

The Stones last toured in 2022 with their “No Filter Tour” across North America and Europe. The trek topped Pollstar’s Year End Worldwide Top 100 Tours chart in 2021, with the band bringing in $115.5 million. Even more mind-boggling was the band’s average gross of $10 million per show. Their European dates in 2022 also boasted high grosses.

Joyce Smyth has worked as the band’s longtime manager.