Mick Jagger performs at NRG Stadium on April 28. (photo from @mickjagger on Instagram)
THE ROLLING STONES may have brought the house down at NRG last night, but not before front man Mick Jagger took time to take in some H-Town culture during the preceding days.
Jagger, 80, got some satisfaction posting pics from around Houston on his Instagram page for the benefit of his 3.2 million followers. On Friday he posted five shots from his tour of a most “welcoming” NASA, calling out astronauts Josh Cassada, Bob Hines and Jessica Meir.
And then yesterday, he posted eight more shots from around Houston, including several at the Graffiti Park near Downtown, and a few outside of interesting dives and other establishments around the area. The one near the mirror-ball-style armadillo outside Armadillo Palace is fun.
The Instagram carousel of images also included shots of the rock superstar’s stop-by at a rehearsal of the Houston Ballet. Principal Dancer Connor Walsh reposted a shot with Jagger, other dancers and himself, with the caption, “The one and only Mick Jagger stopped by the Houston Ballet studios to watch some rehearsals of Mayerling today.”
Walsh said the dancers were tipped off that Jagger would stop by. "His visit had the dancers buzzing on Saturday," said the ballet star.We were all excited to have such an accomplished artist and icon watch us work. Especially in a ballet like Mayerling that’s choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan and was premiered at the Royal Ballet where Mick has had a long history supporting.
"He was so kind and warm to everyone he met and extremely attentive during the rehearsal," Walsh added. "I’d love to say we taught him some moves, but we all know he’s got the dancing covered!"
The Ballet describes Mayerling as a psychological thriller rife with scandal and political intrigue, adding that the ballet “tells the dark tale of Crown Prince Rudolf, the sole heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the 1880s.” The performance runs May 23-June 2.
Jagger also posted a short video of him singing “Start Me Up” at the concert, and also two still photos from the show last night. In all, the NASA post has received nearly 100,000 likes so far, with the around-town images racking up about 45,000 and counting. The concert post has 115,000 likes at press time.
The two-hour concert was the first stop in a new tour promoting the Stone’s Hackney Diamondsrecord. Rolling Stone magazine online called the show “thrilling.”
photo from @mickjagger on Instagram
photo from @mickjagger on Instagram
photo from @mickjagger on Instagram
photo from @mickjagger on Instagram
Todd Waite as Irving and Zachary Fine as Larry Sultan