Unlock the Vault: Rarely Heard Gems from the Rolling Stones’ Live Catalog

When you have six decades’ worth of music, inevitably, some songs are just not going to make the set list very often. With over two dozen albums to their name, equating to some 400 plus songs, the Rolling Stones have plenty of options to choose from, but the reality is that some numbers have only been performed a handful of times over the years. Some, in fact, haven’t been performed ever.

When attending a Rolling Stones concert, it’s safe to assume you’ll hear some tried-and-true classics — things like “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “Start Me Up” — but there’s always a chance the band will decide to pull out something that’s been collecting dust.

Below, with information sourced from setlist.fm, we’re taking a look at 32 Songs the Rolling Stones Have Rarely Played Live (originals, no covers) — all have been performed live a total of 10 times or fewer in their 60-year career. (Songs from 2023’s Hackney Diamonds are not included — those numbers haven’t been out in the world long enough to really count here.) To the right of each song title is the number of times the band has performed it.

“Heart of Stone” (8)
From: The Rolling Stones, Now! (1965)
Following its birth into the world in 1965, the Rolling Stones performed “Heart of Stone” four times that same year. Then it disappeared from the set list for close to 40 years before finally resurfacing for four more shows in 2002. It has since disappeared again.

“I Got the Blues” (8)
From: Sticky Fingers (1971)
The Rolling Stones have always made their blues influences loud and clear — “I Got the Blues” is a textbook example. This song made exactly one live appearance in 1971, the year it appeared on Sticky Fingers, and then didn’t appear again until the band’s 1999 No Security tour. Two more performances occurred on their 2015 Zip Code trek, making for a grand total of eight.

“Off the Hook” (8)
From: The Rolling Stones, Now! (1965)
It’s fair to say that the Rolling Stones were still finding their footing in 1964 and 1965, the only years in which they played “Off the Hook.” Still, it’s a great early example of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards‘ co-writing skills.

“Stupid Girl” (8)
From: Aftermath (1966)
Let’s be real: there’s a handful of songs by the Rolling Stones that include some questionable language in relation to women. “Stupid Girl” is one of them. “Obviously, I was having a bit of trouble,” Jagger told Rolling Stone in 1995, recalling why he’d written the song. “I wasn’t in a good relationship. Or I was in too many bad relationships. I had so many girlfriends at that point. None of them seemed to care they weren’t pleasing me very much. I was obviously in with the wrong group.” Perhaps fortunately, the Stones played this song eight times in 1966 and haven’t played it ever since.

“Brand New Car” (7)
From: Voodoo Lounge (1994)
Voodoo Lounge marked a significant shift in the Rolling Stones’ modus operandi — it was their very first album without bassist Bill Wyman. Interestingly enough, this didn’t hinder the band all that much and they wound up making some of their strongest music in years. It didn’t produce a Top 40 hit though, which is probably why some of its songs have rarely made the set list, like “Brand New Car,” which they played five times in 1994, once in 1999 and once in 2002.

“Dance Pt. 1” (7)
From: Emotional Rescue (`1980)
It’s sort of a shame that “Dance Pt. 1” hasn’t appeared on the set list more often given that it’s one of the most effective of the Stones’ disco and dance era songs. (It’s also one of the first to feature Ronnie Wood as co-writer.) Oddly enough, the Stones didn’t play this one when it came out, but instead played it seven times between September 2002 and August 2003.

“Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?’ (7)
From: 1966 Single

Here’s another early Stones track that didn’t make it past set lists from the year it was released, 1966. “Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?” was actually a resounding success — it was the band’s first single to be released in the U.K. and U.S. at the time time (instead of staggered), and it made it to the Top 10 in both countries. But alas, it hasn’t been heard live for over 50 years.

“Silver Train” (7)
From: Goats Head Soup (1973)

“Silver Train” was performed four times in 1973. Then the Stones retired the track for just over 40 years, reviving it finally in 2014 when they had Mick Taylor, who played on the original recording, join them as a guest on tour for a few months.

“Salt of the Earth” (5)
From: Beggars Banquet (1968)

The Rolling Stones have only performed “Salt of the Earth” five times in total, but one of those times was with Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin of Guns N’ Roses in 1989, so maybe that makes up for it. The last time they played it was in 2003 and it hasn’t been heard since.

“Tops” (4)
From: Tattoo You (1981)

All four live performances of “Tops” took place in 1981, the same year it appeared on Tattoo You. It’s possible that since “Tops” was one of the earliest songs revived for the album — it was first worked on in 1972 — the Stones wanted to focus on more freshly written material.

“Already Over Me” (3)
From: Bridges to Babylon (1997)

It would be fair to say that 1997’s Bridges to Babylon wasn’t the Stones’ strongest offering ever, which might be the reason some of its songs haven’t made the set list in a long time. “Already Over Me” was played exactly three times in 1998, all within the span of one month, and hasn’t been played since.

“Blinded by Love” (3)
From: Steel Wheels (1989)

You don’t see too many Steel Wheels songs on Rolling Stones set lists these days; even “Mixed Emotions” hasn’t been played much since 1990 when the band went on tour to promote the album. “Blinded by Love” made three appearances on that trek, once in Portugal and twice in Spain.

“Dance Little Sister” (3)
From: It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (1974)

There are other selections from 1974’s It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll — tracks like “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” and the LP’s title song — that frankly need to be prioritized over “Dance Little Sister.” Still, it’s a little surprising that such an exuberant song has only been performed three times, twice in 1975 and once in 1977.

“Torn and Frayed ” (3)
From: Exile on Main St. (1972)

“We’ve never done this before, but it’s gonna be just perfect, I’m sure,” Jagger said when he introduced “Torn and Frayed” at a concert in 2002. That actually isn’t accurate — the Stones played it once before in 1972, the same year it was released on Exile on Main St., but hey, that was 30 years ago then, so we’ll forgive Mick. “Torn and Frayed” made exactly one more appearance in 2002, and then it was gone again.

“100 Years Ago” (2)
From: Goats Head Soup (1973)

Though it appeared on 1973’s Goats Head Soup, the song “100 Years Ago” had actually been written by Jagger two years prior to that. It’s an overall strong track, but evidently didn’t seem to fit in well enough in live settings — the song was only performed twice on the first two dates of the band’s European tour in 1973 and then swiftly retired.

“Doncha Bother Me” (2)
From: Aftermath (1966)

Here’s another track from 1966’s Aftermath that didn’t make it past that year, “Doncha Bother Me.” It’s a bit ironic given that the song’s lyrics dealt with the Stones’ suspicions surrounding fame and rock ‘n’ roll stardom — they had decades of that ahead of them then.

“It Won’t Take Long” (2)
From: A Bigger Bang (2005)

In 2005, fans were pretty glad to finally have a new Rolling Stones album after close to a decade, and A Bigger Bang was generally impressive, even if none of the songs became set list staples. “It Won’t Take Long” was performed twice — once on Nov. 8, 2005 and again on Nov. 11, 2005 — and then didn’t make the cut for the rest of the two-year tour, or ever again for that matter.

“Melody” (2)
From: Black and Blue (1976)

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