The Rolling Stones' Licks Tour: 40 Years and a Rotating Setlist

Most anniversary tours are just a greatest-hits victory lap, but the Stones’ 2002–2003 Licks tour was different. Named after the phrase “licks” (riffs, guitar phrases, or a quick fix of music), the tour marked 40 years since their 1962 debut. They deliberately played smaller venues—theaters and clubs—alongside arenas, which forced a tighter, more intense show.

The setlist was built around the simple idea of picking one or two songs from each of their 40-plus albums. But that still left hundreds of songs. So the band created a rotating “pool” of about 80 songs, swapping in deep cuts like “Hand of Fate” or “Moon Is Up” from night to night. Keith Richards said they literally put song titles on pieces of paper and drew them out of a hat before soundcheck, then rehearsed them on the spot. It kept them sharp and gave every show a different character—no two nights had the exact same list. The result was a tour that felt less like a museum exhibit and more like a living archive.