Mick Jagger has fired back at Paul McCartney's recent comment about The Rolling Stones being "a blues cover band."
During the Stones' concert Thursday night at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Jagger took a few moments between songs to deliver a comedic list of celebrities supposedly in attendance at the concert.
"There’s so many celebrities here tonight, of course, you know, naturally," Jagger said stalking the stage. "Megan Fox is here. She’s lovely. Leonardo DiCaprio. Lady Gaga."
Then he mentioned Kirk Douglas, who passed away in February 2020 and said he must have "misread that one." Jagger then said, "Paul McCartney is here. He’s going to join us in a blues cover later on."
Netflix:Streamer's support of Dave Chappelle is setting a dangerous precedent. Here's why.
Princess Di:Hollywood's obsession with Princess Diana will never end, but it's getting ridiculous
McCartney resurrected the longtime debate about the hierarchy of the rival British bands in a recent interview in The New Yorker. “I’m not sure I should say it, but they’re a blues cover band, that’s sort of what the Stones are,” McCartney told editor David Remnick. “I think our net was cast a bit wider than theirs.”
This likely won't be the last time the two bands trade barbs. More than 40 years ago, John Lennon said the Stones, compared to the Beatles, "are not in the same class, music-wise or power-wise, never were," during a 1970 Rolling Stone interview.
Back in 2015, Keith Richards told Rolling Stone that "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band," which the magazine dubbed the Greatest Album of All Time in its then current list, was "a mishmash of rubbish." (Note: an updated Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list has Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" as No. 1. "Sgt. Pepper" is now at No. 24, behind the Stones' "Exile on Main Street" at No. 14. The Beatles' "Abbey Road" is the band's highest charter in the new list at No. 5.)
McCartney and Jagger traded jibes a year ago, too. First, McCartney told Howard Stern, "There’s a lot of differences, and I love the Stones, but I’m with you. The Beatles were better.”
In response, Jagger said, "That’s so funny,” he said. “He’s a sweetheart. There’s obviously no competition.”
But Jagger went on to point out "the real big difference between these two bands. One band is unbelievably luckily still playing in stadiums, and then the other band doesn’t exist.”
McCartney wasn't the only person Jagger targeted Thursday. He also said, "Governor Newsom is here. You made it through the election. Well done, congratulations. We’re so looking forward to a nice dinner at the whatever it's called, the French Launderette."
Newsom's attendance at a Nov. 6, 2020 dinner at the French Laundry in Yountville, California during spiking coronavirus cases in the state was criticized by political rivals as part of the recall bid, which Newsom survived in September.
Jagger made sure he got the message across beyond SoFi Stadium, posting a video clip of his routine on Twitter.
Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.
