Kept in the vaults for nearly three decades, the Rolling Stones’ Rock and Roll Circus was one of the most elusive of rock artifacts. This spectacular TV special includes songs like “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” and “Yer Blues.”
Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus premieres Thursday, July 10, 2025 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.
In 1968, the Stones headlined “Rock and Roll Circus,” a planned TV special that mated aerialists, fire-eaters, and acrobats with the day’s top rock talent. Serving as both the show’s hosts and featured attraction, the Stones performed a six-song set which climaxed with singer Mick Jagger writhing like a man possessed through “Sympathy For the Devil.” The program also includes performances by The Who, Jethro Tull, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, Yoko Ono, and The Dirty Mac, a supergroup featuring John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Mitch Mitchell of The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
Photo: Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones.
Credit: American Public Television.