From A Warzone To The Stage: Ukrainian Choir Performs With The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones were playing the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna, Austria over the weekend and had a very special secret in store for the encore.
Mick Jagger announced to the Austrian crowd that, “They came long way to be here tonight…” then introduced the Dzvinochok boys choir and Vognyk girls choir, who drove a staggering 15 hours from Kyiv to the Austrian capital to be featured in the concert.
Choirmaster Ruben Tolmachov announced to the crowd,“This is a very special night for the two choirs and a chance of a lifetime not to be missed. I’m so glad we made it here to Vienna a night to remember for all of us.”
The choir sang along with the Stones in a special performance of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” as the vocalists were adorned in white t-shirts featuring The Rolling Stones’ tongue and lips logo emblazoned with the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
Most Rolling Stones fans will note, they usually play the song early on in their set, but saved it for the first encore of the Vienna show to make the moment all the more special. As the choir sang the infamous opening lines, they traded the original lyrics for their Ukrainian counterparts before falling back into English. You can watch the performance below.
The Ukrainian choirs are the latest Stones’ surprise for fans attending their ongoing Sixty Tour. Other notable moments for the Austrian crowd on July 15th included a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone,” and their 1966 song “Out of Time,” which had never been touched by the band live, prior to this tour.
The European tour continues on July 19 at Groupama Stadium in Lyon, France, and concludes on August 3rd in Berlin, Germany. It will be exciting to see what else the Stones have up their sleeve (or under their thumb).
