The Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood has returned to the concert stage for the first time in six years, performing two intimate solo shows in Austria and Italy while revisiting music from every major chapter of his career with The Rolling Stones, Faces, the Jeff Beck Group and his solo catalogue.
by Paul Cashmere
Ronnie Wood made his first solo concert appearances since 2019 this week with back to back performances in Klam, Austria on July 16 and Lucca, Italy on July 17, marking a significant return for the 78-year-old guitarist only days after the release of The Rolling Stones’ new album Foreign Tongues. Although the new Stones record was absent from both setlists, Wood instead celebrated more than five decades of music by drawing on his work with The Rolling Stones, Faces, the Jeff Beck Group and his own solo recordings.
Wood’s return carried added significance because it reunited many of the songs that have defined his career across multiple bands rather than serving as a promotional tour. The performances reflected the unique position Wood occupies in British rock history, having been a member of the Jeff Beck Group, Faces and The Rolling Stones, while also maintaining an extensive solo catalogue stretching back to the 1970s.
Opening both concerts with It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It), Wood revisited one of the defining songs connected to his arrival in The Rolling Stones. Although officially credited to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the song was developed by Jagger and Wood before Wood officially joined the band. An early version was recorded at Wood’s Richmond home, The Wick, with David Bowie contributing backing vocals, Kenney Jones on drums and Willie Weeks on bass. The Stones retained much of that original rhythm track when they completed the version released on the 1974 It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll album.
The song has long been viewed as a statement of intent from Jagger, who later explained that it was written in response to constant criticism of the band’s work. Keith Richards also described the title as an instant classic and insisted it should become the album’s lead single.
Wood’s Rolling Stones selections extended beyond songs recorded during his tenure. Can’t You Hear Me Knocking originated on 1971’s Sticky Fingers, several years before he officially joined the group in 1975, while Honky Tonk Women and Country Honk also pre-dated his membership. By contrast, Hey Negrita came from 1976’s Black and Blue, the first Stones studio album to feature Wood as a full member. The song has frequently been linked to Wood’s arrival, with its groove reportedly inspired by his style of playing.
The concerts also celebrated Wood’s earlier years with Faces. Flying, Ooh La La and Stay With Me recalled the band he formed alongside Rod Stewart, Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan and Kenney Jones after the breakup of the Small Faces. Faces became one of Britain’s defining live acts of the early 1970s, with Wood’s guitar work and songwriting becoming central to the band’s sound.
His solo recordings were equally prominent. Songs from his debut I’ve Got My Own Record To Do, including Am I Grooving You, Mystifies Me and I Can Feel the Fire, sat alongside Seven Days from 1979’s Gimme Some Neck, Boogie Disease from Now Look and Show Me from 1992’s Slide On This. The Austrian performance also featured You’re So Fine, a recording later collected on the 2025 retrospective Fearless: The Anthology.
The second show in Lucca expanded the historical journey with Plynth (Water Down The Drain), originally recorded by the Jeff Beck Group on 1969’s Beck-Ola. Wood played bass in that influential line-up alongside Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart before Faces emerged from its aftermath. The inclusion served as a reminder that Wood’s partnership with Stewart pre-dated Faces and helped shape the blues based British rock sound that influenced generations of guitar bands.
While the performances celebrated Wood’s past rather than introducing new material, they also demonstrated the breadth of a career that has crossed multiple landmark bands without relying on a single catalogue. Few musicians can legitimately draw from the repertoires of The Rolling Stones, Faces, the Jeff Beck Group and an enduring solo career in a single concert.
Whether these two appearances signal more solo performances remains to be seen. For now, the Austrian and Italian concerts stand as Ronnie Wood’s first solo shows in six years and a rare opportunity to hear one of rock’s most enduring musicians revisit the songs that have followed him from London’s club scene of the late 1960s to the present day.
Setlist, July 16, Klam, Austria
It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It) (The Rolling Stones, It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll, 1974)
Am I Grooving You (I’ve Got My Own Record To Do, 1974)
Show Me (Slide On This, 1992)
Flying (Faces, First Step, 1970)
Seven Days (Gimme Some Neck, 1979)
Hey Negrita (The Rolling Stones, Black and Blue, 1976)
You’re So Fine (Fearless: The Anthology, 2025)
River Deep, Mountain High (Ellie Greenwich cover)
Mystifies Me (I’ve Got My Own Record To Do, 1974)
Boogie Disease (Now Look, 1975, released as “Caribbean Boogie”)
Can’t You Hear Me Knocking (The Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers, 1971)
Ooh La La (Faces, Ooh La La, 1973)
I Can Feel the Fire (I’ve Got My Own Record To Do, 1974)
Encore
Stay With Me (Faces, A Nod Is As Good As A Wink… To A Blind Horse, 1971)
Honky Tonk Women (The Rolling Stones, single, 1969)
Setlist, July 17, Lucca, Italy
It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It) (The Rolling Stones, It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll, 1974)
Am I Grooving You (I’ve Got My Own Record To Do, 1974)
Show Me (Slide On This, 1992)
Flying (Faces, First Step, 1970)
Seven Days (Gimme Some Neck, 1979)
Hey Negrita (The Rolling Stones, Black and Blue, 1976)
Country Honk (The Rolling Stones, Let It Bleed, 1969)
River Deep, Mountain High (Ellie Greenwich cover)
Mystifies Me (I’ve Got My Own Record To Do, 1974)
Boogie Disease (Now Look, 1975, released as “Caribbean Boogie”)
Can’t You Hear Me Knocking (The Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers, 1971)
Ooh La La (Faces, Ooh La La, 1973)
I Can Feel the Fire (I’ve Got My Own Record To Do, 1974)
Plynth (Water Down The Drain) (Jeff Beck Group, Beck-Ola, 1969)
Stay With Me (Faces, A Nod Is As Good As A Wink… To A Blind Horse, 1971)
Encore
Outlaws (1234, 1981)
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