Rolling Stones leave fans rocking in Peru

The first Rolling Stones concert in Peru rocked an audience of close to 50,000 at Lima’s Monumental Stadium, where the group passed in review a sizeable selection from its more than halfcentury career.

With typical British punctuality, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood and Charlie Watts kicked off their repertoire on Sunday night with “Start Me Up” and “It’s Only Rock’n’Roll” surrounded by a battery of camera flashes around the stadium.

Jagger, garbed severely in black like most of the audience, established an instant rapport with his fans with the words “Hola, mis causitas (Hi, my friends).”

In doing the rounds of their greatest hits, the Stones showed their soul side with “Tumbling Dice” and “Out of Control,” and confirmed once more that the Keith RichardsRonnie Wood duo never disappoints.

Almost half a century later and as a recall of the group’s first trip to Latin America, they went country with “Honky Tonk Women,” written in Brazil in 1968.

The first riff of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” got the whole audience on its feet dancing and was the farewell number of the band Peru had awaited most eagerly in many a year.

Next stops for the Stones’ “Ole Tour” through Latin America will be in Bogota on March 10, in Mexico City on March 14 and 17, and wraps up in Havana on March 25 with a free concert.