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Friday was the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones, so the Ron and Don Show had local music historian Charles Cross visit the show to talk about the long Stones’ long career.

“They went on too long and kind of diminished some of the great records,” says Charles.

Ron acknowledges that the Rolling Stones have their place in rock history, but he takes issue with so many tours based on hits they wrote in the ’60s and ’70s.

“They haven’t had a hit – in my mind – since, you go back to maybe Waiting on a Friend, which was 30 years ago,” says Ron.

Many agree that Waiting on a Friend was their last great hit.

“They’ve tried, they’ve desperately done a bunch of stuff. Mick has put solo records out, they’ve thrown every promotional budget they could. They can’t do anything that can match the period of stuff that they did,” says Charles.

Charles compares the Rolling Stones to the Beatles: because the Beatles broke up, their albums are coveted.

In contrast, after 50 years the Rolling Stones are more like a machine, touring and putting on shows.

“Mick was sitting there [at sound check] and he’s writing checks and signing checks – you thought he was the CEO,” says Don.

Charles thinks they could do more than just play the same songs over and over again, even though they were so great at the time. With 50 years of experience, the group has so much talent that they could do more than play the classics.

“They could do an acoustic segment where Keith sits down, brings up Buddy Guy, they play together, they do something where there’s spark and there’s magic and there’s improvisation every night,” says Charles.

Regardless, it’s still important to recognize the quality of original hits like Sympathy for the Devil, Satisfaction, and many others, as well as the magic that happens during the shows.

“Mick is the CEO of The Rolling Stones, he’s the Chief Financial Officer. Keith Richards is the heart of The Rolling Stones. If Keith Richards dies, the Rolling Stones are over,” concludes Charles.

In honor of their 50th anniversary, the Experience Music Project is hosting a special exhibit called .

The exhibit will feature photos from celebrity photographer Jim Marshall’s work with the Stones, some of which have never been published before. The EMP will also display original cover art from The Rolling Stones album Exile on Mainstreet.

You may also enjoy: EMP offers unprecedented glimpse inside groundbreaking Rolling Stones tour.

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