How the Stones’ 1971 Tax-Exile Tour Ended With a Blues Set and a Roundhouse Riot

The Rolling Stones’ “Good-Bye Britain” tour in early 1971 was a farewell lap before they fled the country’s 93% top tax rate. The setlist was a deliberate throwback: they dusted off early R&B covers like Jimmy Reed’s “Honest I Do,” Chuck Berry’s “Little Queenie,” and a rare live airing of the B-side “Who’s Driving Your Plane?” – songs they hadn’t played since their sweaty R&B club days. It was as if the band was reconnecting with their own origin story while packing up to leave.

The final show at London’s Roundhouse on March 13, 1971, was supposed to be a triumphant send-off. Instead, it became a chaotic riot