Mick Jagger is on fire – and we're not just talking about his stage presence! The Rolling Stones frontman has let rip in a candid chat about the role of live music, revealing that his main mission is to give fans an unforgettable experience, rather than a soapbox for politics. In The New York Times' podcast, The Interview, Jagger dished out his take on why concerts should be all about escapism – and we can't help but agree.
With over six decades of rocking under his belt, you'd think he'd have seen it all. But the maestro is still tweaking his approach to keep audiences in awe. At festivals, for instance, he knows that not everyone's a die-hard fan, so he adjusts his strategy on the fly – just like a top sports coach would fine-tune their team's tactics. The result? An unforgettable experience for every single attendee, akin to being part of a sold-out stadium crowd on match day – where worries are temporarily forgotten.
Jagger spelled it out: "Your job is to make them go apeshit … You don't want to lecture them." We couldn't agree more! He's all about harnessing the power of live music to transport fans from their everyday concerns – think mortgages, Brexit, and all that jazz – into a world where the only worry is whether they can remember the lyrics.
But here's the thing: while Jagger's not keen on turning concerts into lecture halls, his latest album 'Foreign Tongues' (out 10 July 2026) isn't afraid to tackle tough topics. He explained that he uses a bit of trickery – weaving politics into songs primarily about love and relationships – allowing him to get the message across without boring audiences with too much heavy stuff.
'Foreign Tongues', incidentally, features some A-list guest stars like Paul McCartney, Robert Smith from The Cure, Steve Winwood, and Chad Smith from Red Hot Chili Peppers. And if that wasn't enough, Charlie Watts (RIP) even puts in a posthumous appearance or two. To complement the album, Jagger and Keith Richards have launched a six-part podcast series – 'Speaking In Tongues' with Norah Jones – where they dish out all the behind-the-scenes gossip.