Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a venue steeped in rich auto racing history. Today, it is the site of the Indy 500 and the Verizon 200 in the NASCAR Cup Series, but in the past, it also hosted Formula One's United States Grand Prix, MotoGP's Indianapolis Motorcycle Grand Prix, and NASCAR's now-defunct Brickyard 400. But, during Fourth of July weekend in 2015, IMS took a break from motorsports when it hosted the Rolling Stones for an incredible infield concert. Performing for nearly 50,000 fans, the iconic rock band absolutely rocked the stage for the first non-race weekend concert in Indy's over 100-year history.
Legendary musicians Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, and Ronnie Wood all showed up to put on an epic show, and as you can see in the below clip, it was all capped up with an amazing 19-minute fireworks display that included more than 10,000 fireworks. When it comes to celebrating the Fourth of July, IMS clearly doesn't mess around.
The 2015 show was the first time that the Stones had been back to Indianapolis since 1994, but they certainly made up for lost time with the incredible 17-song setlist, which included such classics as It's Only Rock 'n' Roll, Sympathy for the Devil, Brown Sugar, and Wild Horses.
Even in their 70s, these guys clearly still give it their all on stage. At one point, guitarist Keith Richards even fell head first while running the catwalk during his section of Miss You. That didn't slow him down though, and he quickly hopped back up, had a good laugh about it despite hurting his wrist, and continued on with the show. Ronnie Wood also got into it, jumping into the air while the band played Midnight Rambler. You love to see it!
Unsurprisingly, the Rolling Stones T-shirts and merchandise were sold out before the show even started, so you would've been one of the lucky ones if you got your hands on any of it. Even for those folks in the back, the massive video screens really seemed to enhance the experience. The band even treated the Indiana crowd to an encore, during which they played You Can't Always Get What You Want and I Can't Get No (Satisfaction).
To finish off the awesome show, everyone in attendance was treated to a nearly 20-minute fireworks display. Because you can't have of 4th of July concert without way too many fireworks. Needless to say, the folks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway proved they could do more than just put on a racing event that night back in 2015.
