The Rolling Stones show no signs of slowing down as they begin their latest tour with Texas show

HOUSTON (AP) — Time marches on and all good things must come to an end. But don’t tell that to The Rolling Stones.

What many believe to be the greatest rock ’n’ roll band in the world showed no signs of slowing down anytime soon as they kicked off their latest tour Sunday night at Houston’s NRG Stadium.

The Stones have been touring for more than 60 years. Frontman Mick Jagger and lead guitarist Keith Richards are both 80, with guitarist Ronnie Wood not far behind at 76. Their tour is being sponsored in part by AARP.

But during a vibrant two-hour show, the Stones played with the energy of band that was on tour for the first time.

“It’s great to be back in the Lone Star State,” Jagger told the packed stadium, filled with longtime fans, many wearing faded concert shirts from previous tours.

Jagger often strutted up and down the stage with seemingly boundless energy while Richards and Wood played many familiar guitar riffs beloved by fans. Jagger often led the audience in sing-alongs.

“The energy level is up and it’s always up with them. The age doesn’t show,” Dale Skjerseth, the Stones’ production director, said Friday before the concert.

The Stones have hit the road to support the release of their latest album, “Hackney Diamonds,” the band’s first record of original music since 2005.

Houston was the first stop on the band’s 16-city tour across the U.S. and Canada. Other cities on the tour include New Orleans, Philadelphia and Vancouver, British Columbia. The tour ends on July 17 in Santa Clara, California.

During Sunday's 18-song concert set list, the Stones played several tracks off the new record, including lead single “Angry.” They also played classics including “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Gimme Shelter,” Honky Tonk Women” and “Start Me Up.”

After playing “Beast of Burden,” Jagger said that concertgoers in Houston had voted to include it on the set list.

“You can’t go wrong with that,” one man in the audience could be heard screaming.

The Stones also played some unexpected choices, including “Rocks Off,” from their 1972 double album “Exile on Main St.” and “Out of Time,” a 1966 song that Jagger said during the concert had not ever been played by the band in the U.S.

With the 2021 death of drummer Charlie Watts, the Stones are now comprised of the core trio of Jagger, Richards and Wood. On Sunday, they were backed by various musicians including two keyboardists, a new drummer, backup singers and a brass section.

While the stage was surrounded by a large collection of video screens projecting images throughout the show, the main focus of the concert was the band and their songs

Before Sunday’s concert, Jagger spent time on Friday touring NASA’s Johnson Space Center in suburban Houston, posting photos on his Instagram account of him with astronauts inside Mission Control.

“I had an amazing trip to the space center,” Jagger said.

When asked if the band might be thinking about retiring, Skjerseth said he doubts that will happen.

“This is not the end. They’re very enthused,” he said.

This story has been updated to correct a song title to “Gimme Shelter,” not “Gimmer Shelter.”

Follow Juan A. Lozano on X, formerly Twitter.

Gary Clark Jr. performs during the first night of the U.S. leg of The Rolling Stones "Hackney Diamonds" tour on Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Houston. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

Gary Clark Jr. performs during the first night of the U.S. leg of The Rolling Stones "Hackney Diamonds" tour on Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Houston. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

Keith Richards, left, Darryl Jones, and Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones perform during the first night of the U.S. leg of their "Hackney Diamonds" tour on Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Houston. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones performs during the first night of the U.S. leg of their "Hackney Diamonds" tour on Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Houston. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones performs during the first night of the US leg of their "Hackney Diamonds" tour on Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Houston. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones performs during the first night of the U.S. leg of their "Hackney Diamonds" tour on Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Houston. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

Mick Jagger, left, and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones perform during the first night of the U.S. leg of their "Hackney Diamonds" tour on Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Houston. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones performs during the first night of the U.S. leg of their "Hackney Diamonds" tour on Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Houston. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones performs during the first night of the U.S. leg of their "Hackney Diamonds" tour on Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Houston. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — The Caitlin Clark era in the WNBA has officially begun, although it got off to a slow start.

Clark went scoreless for nearly the first 15 minutes, before getting more comfortable and finishing with 20 points in the Indiana Fever's 92-71 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night.

She knows she'll have to play better and has a lot to work on, but also understands that it's only the first game in her career.

“It was physical and obviously it wasn’t like the best start,” Clark said. “It was just a lot of things to learn from.”

Clark said before the game that she wouldn't get too caught up on her play in her first game.

“If something isn’t perfect, my life’s not going to end,” she said. “If, you know, we lose the game tonight, my life’s not going to end. I’m just going to learn from it and come back on Thursday and try to help us win.”

One thing that Clark definitely will want to improve on is her turnovers. She had 10 of Indiana's 25 — many unforced.

“Some uncharacteristic things, like pick the ball up and travel, dribble it off my foot,” she said. “A few things that, you know, you have to be crisper.”

Clark got off to a really slow start as she missed her first four shots before finally getting on the board midway through the second period. The NCAA’s all-time Division I scoring leader stole the ball around the foul line and drove the length of the court before laying the ball in. Clark had said before the game that she thought her first basket would come on a layup since it was a “high-percentage” shot.

Clark later added two free throws and hit a 3-pointer with 29.9 seconds left in the first half to finish the opening 20 minutes with seven points, hitting two of her seven shot attempts.

She carried some of that momentum into the third quarter when she scored five of her points to try to rally the Fever, but it just wasn't enough.

“We got to help her out, better job coming back to the ball,” Fever coach Christie Sides said. “We worked on that several times this week. We have to do a better job getting someone back to the ball.”

Before her first basket, Clark struggled and got into early foul trouble. Her first shot was a drive to the basket that bounced hard off the glass and into Aliyah Boston’s hands for a putback. Clark missed a runner in the lane, and then her 3 from the left wing just rimmed out. She did have an assist on one basket and threw a nifty behind-the-back pass to teammate Boston, but last season's Rookie of the Year was called for a traveling violation.

Meanwhile, Clark was called for two fouls on the defensive end. The second one drew loud boos from the sellout crowd. The crowd gave the No. 1 pick in the draft a loud ovation when she was announced in the pregame introduction.

Before the game, Clark admitted she was eager for her WNBA debut. It was one of four games on the league's opening night to tip-off the WNBA's 28th season. New York, which was runner-up in the WNBA Finals, rallied to beat Washington 85-80 to start the evening.

She sat around most of the day at the hotel and had to wait to get on the court when her team arrived nearly 2 1/2 hours before tipoff.

“I just want to get out there and play,” she said. “I got plenty of time to sit and think about it. Still this is exciting. This is fun. ... There's just a different buzz in the air.”

Even before playing a WNBA game, Clark has left her mark in the pros. The league's draft had record viewership, and her No. 22 Indiana Fever jerseys have been flying off the shelves. There were hundreds of fans walking around the arena in Clark jerseys and T-shirts.

Three WNBA teams have already moved their games to bigger arenas to keep up with the demand for tickets to watch her play. Her debut in Connecticut is sold out — the first sellout for the Sun in a season opener since they played their inaugural game at Mohegan Sun Arena in 2003 after moving from Orlando. There's also a huge media turnout with nearly four times the number of credentials issued for this game than a normal Sun contest.

This was the second sold-out crowd Clark has played in front of in her extremely young WNBA career. Her preseason game in Dallas was sold out, too. More than 13,000 fans also turned up for her only home preseason game.

Clark's home debut will be Thursday, when the Fever host the New York Liberty.

“Our preseason game was tremendous, doing it for real is going to be a lot of fun; it's going to be loud," Clark said. "Use the environment to our advantage.”

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) drives against Connecticut Sun guard Rachel Banham (1) during the fourth quarter of a WNBA basketball game, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Connecticut Sun forward Brionna Jones (42) blocks a shot by Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark ( 22) in the second half of a WNBA basketball game, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts during the first quarter of an WNBA basketball game against the Connecticut Sun, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas (25) looks to shoot against Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) during the first quarter of a WNBA basketball game, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) makes a pass behind her back against the Connecticut Sun during the first quarter of a WNBA basketball game, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington (21) defends against Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) during the first quarter of a WNBA basketball game, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) scores her first basket against the Connecticut Sun during the second quarter of a WNBA basketball game, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark warms up before playing against the Connecticut Sun, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark warms up before playing against the Connecticut Sun, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark (22) is congratulated by Temi Fagbenle (14) after Clark hit a 3-point shot against the Atlanta Dream during the second half of a WNBA preseason basketball game Thursday, May 9, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) is introduced before the team's preseason WNBA basketball game against the Atlanta Dream in Indianapolis, Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) drives on Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray (15) during the first half of a preseason WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Caitlin Clark's ready for her WNBA regular-season debut as Fever take on Connecticut

Caitlin Clark's ready for her WNBA regular-season debut as Fever take on Connecticut