Surprise Guests and Paul McCartney on the 2012–2013 '50 & Counting' Tour

The most surreal moment of the Rolling Stones’ 50th anniversary tour came when Paul McCartney joined them on stage at London’s O2 Arena in November 2012. McCartney, who had written the Stones’ early hit “I Wanna Be Your Man” with John Lennon back in 1963, played bass and sang lead on that very song. It was a full-circle moment: the Beatles gave the Stones one of their first top‑20 singles, and nearly fifty years later McCartney was sharing a mic with Mick Jagger.

But McCartney wasn’t the only surprise. During the same American leg, Bob Dylan appeared at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to play “Like a Rolling Stone” (a cheeky title match) and Muddy Waters’ “I’m a King Bee.” Bruce Springsteen showed up in Newark to tear through “Tumbling Dice” and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” Even the surviving members of the Faces — Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood’s old bandmates — joined for “Stay With Me” at the O2. Each guest felt less like a stunt and more like a living history lesson, connecting the Stones to the wider lineage of rock that they helped define.

For a tour celebrating half a century, these appearances underscored how the Stones have always been part of a bigger conversation. McCartney’s cameo was especially loaded: it