Rolling Stones rock Abu Dhabi in first Middle East show

Abu Dhabi: Vintage hell-raisers, the Rolling Stones played their first ever concert in the Middle east on Friday - a gig to 30,000, mostly Western fans in culturally conservative Abu Dhabi.

A swaggering Mick Jagger, dressed in black sequins and red satin - later donning a red feather boa - strutted across the stage, showing little sign of his advancing years as he sang hits including "It`s Only Rock `n Roll", "Honky Tonk Women", "Brown Sugar" and "Sympathy for the Devil". But unlike an appearance by Madonna in the Gulf Arab state in 2012 - which featured erotic dancing, provocative outfits and bare-chested monks - the concert passed off without controversy. The band - all in their late 60s and early 70s - delighted fans who had travelled from around the United Arab Emirates for the only Middle East show at the start of a tour that moves on to Japan, Macau, Australia and New Zealand. "For their first gig in the Middle East, it was magic. It`s history," said British expat Lisa Ball-Lechgar after the two-hour concert during which Jagger, guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood and drummer Charlie Watts performed 19 songs.