The Rolling Stones had a frightening surprise on an American tour – but the terror quickly turned to laughter. Tony Barrell reports

JUNE 2026

One Saturday in the early 1980s, the Rolling Stones were chilling out in traditional rock’n’roll style. It was November 21, 1981, the day Mick Jagger and the band played the city of Saint Paul in Minnesota, treating a full house at the St Paul Civic Center to numbers from their latest album, Tattoo You, as well as old favourites such as ‘Let’s Spend the Night Together’, ‘Honky Tonk Women’ and ‘Brown Sugar’.

At one point, guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood were backstage, indulging in some casual narcotic behaviour, as was almost obligatory for rock bands back in those heady days. Suddenly they received a chilling piece of news, as somebody in authority put their head round the door and announced: “THE POLICE ARE HERE!” 

Poor old Keef and Ronnie must have had visions of being hauled away by the Saint Paul Police Department, incarcerated and charged with possession and use of illegal substances, and they disposed of their intoxicants in lightning-quick fashion. As Richards recalled later, “Oh, man, we panicked. Flushed everything down the john.”

The “john” and the city’s sewage system apparently coped efficiently with the illicit material, but the musicians realised their hasty actions had been in vain when some familiar people entered the room. They were members of the Police, the rock band that comprised Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland – fellow rockers paying a friendly visit. The trio were probably in America to promote their latest album, Ghost in the Machine, and their single ‘Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic’. The event is now rightly remembered as one of the most hilarious misunderstandings in the history of rock’n’roll. ♦

© 2026 Tony Barrell

Tony Barrell is a widely published writer and the author of a series of books on music. His acclaimed book The Beatles on the Roof has sold handsomely in the UK, USA, Australia and Japan.