Ronnie Wood joined the Hollywood Vampires at The O2 Arena in London for a surprise performance of The Rolling Stones’ “Brown Sugar”, a song the Stones retired from their own live repertoire because of its controversial lyrics.
by Paul Cashmere
Ronnie Wood stepped outside The Rolling Stones’ usual touring framework on August 12, joining Alice Cooper, Joe Perry, Johnny Depp and Tommy Henriksen on stage with the Hollywood Vampires at London’s The O2 Arena. Wood performed two songs with the band, including “Brown Sugar”, giving the Rolling Stones guitarist an unusual connection to a song his own band has not played live since 2019.
Wood was introduced to the London audience by Alice Cooper as “the most deadly British vampire” before joining the Hollywood Vampires for The Train Kept A-Rollin’ and “Brown Sugar” during the encore.
The appearance came as the Hollywood Vampires began their first European tour in more than three years. It was also Wood’s second major guest appearance with the group, following a previous collaboration with the Vampires in London in 2023.
The inclusion of “Brown Sugar” was particularly notable because The Rolling Stones removed the song from their setlist during their 2021 No Filter tour following renewed criticism of its lyrics. The song had been a fixture of the band’s concerts for decades and was among their most frequently performed live tracks.
Released by The Rolling Stones in 1971, “Brown Sugar” became one of the band’s defining rock songs, driven by its distinctive guitar riff and rhythm. Its lyrics, however, have increasingly been examined for their treatment of slavery, sexual violence and the exploitation of Black women.
The song opens with imagery connected to the transatlantic slave trade and later contains references to whipping and sexual exploitation. The title itself has also been interpreted as carrying several meanings, including references to Black women, sex and heroin.
The Rolling Stones’ decision to remove the song from their live show became public during the 2021 No Filter tour. Mick Jagger explained at the time that the band had performed the song consistently for many years and wanted to change the configuration of their stadium sets. He had previously acknowledged that he would approach the writing differently if creating the song in the present day.
Keith Richards offered another perspective, arguing that the song was intended to depict the horrors of slavery rather than celebrate them. He nevertheless accepted the decision to remove it from the performances while suggesting that the song could potentially return.
Wood’s performance with the Hollywood Vampires therefore placed a song retired by The Rolling Stones back into a major London rock concert, with one of the Stones’ own guitarists performing it.
The Hollywood Vampires name dates to the 1970s, when Alice Cooper and a group of prominent musicians gathered at the Rainbow Bar & Grill in West Hollywood. The private upstairs club included figures such as Keith Moon, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson, Micky Dolenz and Bernie Taupin.
Cooper later revived the Hollywood Vampires name in 2015 as a touring rock project with Joe Perry and Johnny Depp. The concept evolved from the original club’s history into a band built around celebrating the music and legacy of departed rock musicians.
The group’s self-titled debut album was released in 2015 and included guest appearances from Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl and Slash. Their second album, Rise, followed in 2019 and placed greater emphasis on original material alongside interpretations of songs from artists including David Bowie and Jim Morrison.
Tommy Henriksen subsequently became an important part of the live lineup, joining Cooper, Perry and Depp as the group developed into an international touring act.
The London performance creates an unusual footnote in the history of “Brown Sugar”. The Rolling Stones have continued to perform an extensive catalogue from their long career, but the song has remained absent since 2019 after the band decided not to include it in the 2021 tour.
Wood’s appearance with the Hollywood Vampires does not represent a return of the song to The Rolling Stones’ repertoire. Instead, it places the composition in a different performance context, with Wood appearing alongside musicians whose own live shows draw extensively from the history of classic rock.
For the Hollywood Vampires, the song also fits their established practice of incorporating major rock standards into their concerts. Their London set included material associated with Aerosmith, The Who, The Doors, AC/DC, David Bowie, The Velvet Underground, Killing Joke and others.
Hollywood Vampires London Setlist
I Want My Now
Raise The Dead
My Dead Drunk Friends
I’m Eighteen (Alice Cooper cover)
The Boogieman Surprise
Venus In Furs (The Velvet Underground cover) (Johnny Depp on lead vocals)
People Who Died (The Jim Carroll Band cover) (Johnny Depp on lead vocals)
You Can’t Put Your Arms Round A Memory (Johnny Thunders cover) (Joe Perry on lead vocals)
Who’s Laughing Now
Livin’ On The Edge (Aerosmith cover) (Hollywood Vampires live debut)
Baba O’Riley (The Who cover)
Bright Light Fright (Aerosmith cover) (Joe Perry on lead vocals)
Beck’s Bolero (Jeff Beck cover)
Roadhouse Blues (The Doors cover)
The Death And Resurrection Show (Killing Joke cover) (Johnny Depp on lead vocals)
Heroes (David Bowie cover) (Johnny Depp on lead vocals)
Highway To Hell (AC/DC cover) (Tommy Henriksen on lead vocals)
Walk This Way (Aerosmith cover)
School’s Out / Another Brick In The Wall
Encore:
The Train Kept A-Rollin’ (Tiny Bradshaw cover) (with Ronnie Wood)
Brown Sugar (The Rolling Stones cover) (with Ronnie Wood)
Hi Ho Silver Lining (Jeff Beck cover)
The Hollywood Vampires’ European tour continues through September, with performances scheduled across the United Kingdom and mainland Europe. Whether Wood makes another appearance remains to be seen, but his London performance has already created one of the more unexpected live connections between The Rolling Stones’ catalogue and the modern Hollywood Vampires project.
Remaining Hollywood Vampires European Tour Dates
19 August, Birmingham, Utilita Arena
21 August, Colchester, Colchester Castle
22 August, Halifax, The Piece Hall
25 August, Nuremberg, PSD Bank Nürnberg Arena
26 August, Paris, Ad
28 August, Cologne, LANXESS Arena
30 August, Hamburg
1 September, Milan
2 September, Este
3 September, Pula
5 September, St. Pölten
6 September, Prague
8 September, Budapest
10 September, Lodz
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