Jagger said the phrase came from “when your windscreen shatters on a Saturday night in Hackney and the whole thing falls down on the road.”
Richards said the band hit on the title after “bouncing ideas around the table, and we went through ‘Hit and Run,’ ‘Smash and Grab’ – and somehow in the middle of it we came up with ‘Hackney Diamonds'”. ”
It was fitting, he said, because the Stones are a London band – although none of the members are from Hackney.
Brazilian fan Tariq Fioravanti from São Paulo was one of the many people who lined up to catch a glimpse of the band.
He said, “I love these people.” “Keith Richards is one of the biggest guitar heroes in the history of rock music.
“[And]they’re 80. Most bands have stopped making new music by that age”, he said.
Formed in 1962, the Stones have shown no signs of planning to retire. The band headlined a 60th anniversary tour of Europe in 2022, and Wood said they have “registered” a US tour for next year.
Wood said retirement would be “impossible”.
“You have to keep playing,” he said.