The concert at the Friends arena

was the penultimate stop on the Sixty tour which marks the band's 60th anniversary.

Six decades have thus passed since a bunch of cocky youngsters played their very first gig at the Marquee club in London.

Two of them, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, are still in the band, but now they've become uncles playing giant arenas to audiences made up of grandparents and their children and grandchildren.

Uncle status notwithstanding, 79-year-old Jagger has plenty of rebellious teenage spirit left.

Both in her voice, which is powerful and inviting, and in her way of moving with confident poses, sexy hip rolls and feet that don't stand still for a second.

Although it was a lively and energetic Stones

that met the Stockholm audience, an important piece of the puzzle was missing – drummer Charlie Watts, who passed away last year.

His replacement Steve Jordan certainly did a really good job behind the drums, and had even managed to copy Watts' particular playing style, where he leaves out a hit-hat when he hits the snare.

Watts was very much present despite his absence and the whole concert opened with a collage of pictures of him that reminded what a nice contrast his distinguished gentlemanly style was to the rock pirate Keith Richards and the fiddler Jagger.

And I think most people agreed with Jagger when he said in Swedish "We miss him a lot".

There has been a lot of talk that the gig

in Berlin on the third of August will be the band's last and there are some things that point to that.

Although Mick Jagger has both his voice intact and an extremely large amount of swagger left in his legs and would certainly be able to tour for another 60 years, God damn it if Keith Richards would do it.

He is, of course, cool, but he doesn't have Jagger's completely insane vivacity and is sometimes a little fumbled on the strings.

The great asset

, beyond Jagger's incredible energy, is the unique sense of authenticity.

Nothing is managed by pre-recorded backing tracks, but everything is performed by musicians who are in place on stage.

The brass are there, the choir singers are there and everyone, both original members and other musicians, radiates an enormous joy of playing.

When Jagger and choir singer Sasha Allen stand at the front of the ego ramp in the middle of the audience and recite the lyrics to "Gimme shelter" in a manic duet, both the goosebumps and the tear in the eye are a fact.

The Stones'

importance to rock history cannot be overstated.

They may not be the most innovative or experimental band ever, but they have managed the black, American blues tradition and created a sound all their own.

They represent the kind of rock that can only be jammed out of the meeting of musicians who love to play, and there probably isn't a single rock band that hasn't been inspired by them in some way.

That the joy of playing is so intact perhaps indicates that, rumors notwithstanding, they won't be calling it quits after this tour.

But it would be a very worthy way to end a matchless career.