62 Years Ago Today: Legendary Rock Band Arrived in the US for the First Time

If you happened to be in New York on this very day 62 years ago, you probably had no idea at the time that you were part of a monumental moment in rock history.

On June 1, 1964, an up-and-coming rock band from England called the Rolling Stones landed in the United States for the first time. The group landed at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.

Rolling Stones original bassist Bill Wyman recalled the groundbreaking day in his book, Stone Alone: The Story of a Rock 'n' Roll Band (h/t Ultimate Classic Rock):

"Police started pulling us out, saying, 'Run! It's every man for himself,'" Wyman wrote. "In seconds, the hotel reception became an insane asylum. (Mick Jagger) and I made a mad dash into the lobby, and Hilda Skarfe of Song Hits magazine raced after us, followed by about 70 screaming girls, with police close behind…we ran into a laundry closet by mistake and we were trapped. It was like a scene from a movie!"

The Rolling Stones scheduled 11 shows for their first tour in the United States. The first stop was the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino, California. That would be followed by back-to-back at Joe Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas.

Mick Jagger and the group concluded their first American tour with two shows at New York City's iconic Carnegie Hall venue on June 20. The tour set list included covers of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" and Muddy Waters' "I Just Want to Make Love to You," hit songs.

Rolling Stones Returned for Their Second American Tour in Oct. 1965

After completing their second British tour in London on Oct. 17, the Rolling Stones returned to the United States to begin a North American tour. It started with a concert at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, on Oct. 29, 1965.

The tour list included their future No. 1 hit song "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "Get Off of My Cloud." They wrapped up their second tour on Dec. 5 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 2:33 PM.