MatR: The Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen: Tumbling Dice

It sounds so loose and effortless that you’d be forgiven for believing it so.

In reality, though, it took weeks of recording in 120 degree heat and brutal humidity and reportedly as many as 150 takes to finally capture the basic track to the band’s satisfaction. (Based on interviews decades later, it’s not clear they ever did.)

If you ask their fans, though, the work paid off. “Tumbling Dice” was a hit for The Rolling Stones, peaking at #7 in the U.S. and #5 in the U.K. when it was released in 1972. It quickly became a live fan favorite for its deceptively laid-back groove and clever gambling-themed lyrics, and just last year Rolling Stone ranked it #86 on their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.

It apparently became one of Bruce Springsteen’s favorite Rolling Stones songs, too. When the Stones assembled a cavalcade of guest-stars for their pay-per-view performance from Newark in 2012, Bruce was the local guest of the evening,

Performing alongside perhaps the only rock frontman who could upstage him (on Jagger’s own stage no less), Bruce brought his A game moves, strayed far from the teleprompter, and held his own picking up a guitar solo handoff from Ronnie Wood.

It was such a great performance that they had to do it again–a year and a half later, at Rock in Rio in Lisbon. Bruce appeared even more comfortable and confident than the first time he’d performed “Tumbling Dice” with the Stones, and the moment he and Mick stride down the runway to the mid-floor stage is thrilling.

These weren’t the first times Bruce joined The Stones on stage, and “Tumbling Dice” isn’t the only song he’s played with them. However, his other appearances were part of an all-star Hall of Fame jam band playing abbreviated run-throughs of the band’s hits.

These “Tumbling Dice” performances represent the only times Bruce and Mick have commanded the stage together in true duet fashion, and those fortunate enough to witness it in person were present for a truly great moment in rock history.

Tumbling Dice
First performed: December 15, 2012 (Newark, NJ)
Last performed: May 29, 2014 (Lisbon, Portugal)