Watch The Classic ‘As Tears Go By’ Ed Sullivan Show Performance Of The Rolling Stones

If they’re one thing that the Rolling Stones became known for apart from being the “Bad Boys in rock,” they can pull off any live performance with such charisma. We’ll recall the time when the Stones visited The Ed Sullivan Show, around the time when they saw the United States.

They were opposites to the band known as The Beatles. The Rolling Stones were remembered for being rowdy, edgy, and somewhat menacing, in contrast to the fab four, who were known for being endearing and popular with teens and their mothers. Whereas The Beatles made an effort to avoid controversy, the Stones appeared to take pleasure in it.

On October 25, 1964, The Rolling Stones made their very first television appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Ed gave the crowd a brief introduction to the band and as soon as he finished speaking, the loving crowd started yelling, and the curtain was drawn back to show The Rolling Stones take their spot on stage. The performance drew negative reviews from parents, who wished not to see these British lads in the American show. That didn’t work as the band went on to perform on the familiar stage several times in the 60s.

On February 13, 1966, The Rolling Stones performed at The Ed Sullivan Show for the third time.  The rockers started the show with a rousing performance of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” their first song to reach number one in any foreign chart. The camera kept cutting to shots of the girls in the audience who were yelling quite loudly the entire time. Mick appeared to be having a good time, and it was evident that he had blossomed into a genuine star by engaging the audience with his facial movements and distinctive dance routines. Later on that evening, Mick serenaded the crowd with their eerie and introspective tune, “As Tears Go By,” with the video found below. Keith Richards was the only other member of the band to accompany Mick on guitar. All five members of the band returned to the stage for the final song of the evening to perform a scream-filled rendition of their most recent hit song, “19th Nervous Breakdown.”

You can watch the performance here.