Expert: Elizabeth - 9/30/2010

Question
Hi Elizabeth, hope everything is OK.

My question is very simple :

Did The Beatles and The Rolling Stones ever played together ???.
I mean did they both were billed in the same show or they shared the same stage together ???
I know The Beatles wrote "I Wanna Be Your Man" for The Stones, and all that, but I want to know if there were, at any time in history, a shared Beatles and Stones concert performed before an audience in the same venue.

Thanks for your time,

Rob


Answer
Short answer: No.

There was never a shared bill between the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.  But that doesn't mean they never collaborated.

Members of the Stones were present at many Beatles sessions:

1) Brian Jones plays the sax solo on "You Know My Name, Look Up the Number"
2) Mick (and I think Keith too) were at the live taping of "All You Need Is Love" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4p8qxGbpOk (Closeup of Mick at 2:38)
3) Mick is probably singing along with the chorus to "Yellow Submarine"

Did the Beatles ever return the favor?  Yes.  John and Paul sing the background vocals on "We Love You."

The closest the Stones and the Beatles came to performing together was this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNnsoPyEP-A

It's an event that the Stones put together in 1968 called the Rock and Roll Circus.  Filmed for the BBC, the Stones didn't release it until 1996.  And even in this performance of "Yer Blues," we don't have the whole groups: it's John Lennon, Keith Richards (on bass, I think), Eric Clapton, and Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience.  Quite the lineup, huh?