The veteran British band became the first major rock act to play in the country since it became Communist in 1959 when they performed in front of more than 1.3 million fans for free at the Ciudad Deportivo venue in the capital Havana on 25 March (16).
Keith was amazed that the fans knew so many of the lyrics to their hits because they were banned from Cuban radio until 15 years ago, and while they were performing, he could feel a "sense of release and freedom" from the residents of the long-isolated nation.
"That was unique, man, even in my book," he tells Britain's The Sun newspaper. "God knows, it was an amazing outpouring of what the Cuban people have stored up inside themselves... There was a great sense of release and freedom and everybody had an incredible time. The band played their a**es off. It was fantastic."
He ranks the gig as on par with their 2013 concerts in London's Hyde Park, adding, "Absolutely, especially given the unique location. I mean what a way to finish off a great tour."
One thing he liked about Cuba was that citizens are not as obsessed with their cell phones as those in the U.S. or Europe.
"What struck me immediately on the drive from the airport into Havana is suddenly you realise that nobody had a phone to their ear or was emailing or texting with their eyes fixed on a little box," he explains. "It reminded me of the old days before phone-mania set in."
The concert marked the end of The Rolling Stones' tour of South and Central America.
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