Dana White rocks with Rolling Stones, Robert Kraft at VIP party
Dana White is accustomed to octo-fighting men. Monday night, it was “Street Fighting Man” for the UFC president.
White was among a seriously high-level list of dignitaries attending a Rolling Stones’ private shindig hosted by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
The party was held for 300 invited guests in a tent, or should we say tented structure, at the Patriots’ Gillette Stadium.
“It was incredible. It didn’t feel like a tent. It felt like I was in a ballroom at Encore,” White texted Tuesday during his flight back to Vegas. “The Krafts are the classiest, most down to earth, amazing family.”
Kraft also hosted a private Stones show in 2016.
According to on-the-scene coverage from the Boston Globe, the guest list included Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and his first lady, Lauren; J. Geils Band front man, Peter Wolf; Moderna cofounder Noubar Afeyan; Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck and his wife, Cincoro Tequila CEO Emilia Fazzalari; Fanatics CEO and Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute CEO Laurie Glimcher; Providence Capital’s Jonathan Nelson; Big Night Entertainment’s Ed Kane; Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca; David Abrams of Abrams Capital; Fidelity’s Abby Johnson; Davio’s owner Steve DiFillippo; developers Jeremy Sklar and Joe Fallon; Bank of America’s Brian Moynihan; Bain Capital’s Paul Edgerley; and former Patriots linebacker Andre Tippett.
The Stones’ 15-song set opened with “Let’s Spend the Night Together” and also featured such classics as “Tumbling Dice,” “Under My Thumb,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Start Me Up,” “Miss You,” and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” The encore was the two-song burst of “Street Fighting Man” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”
White said he believed he was the only Las Vegas rep in the event. The show was in advance of the Stones’ U.S. tour, which plays Allegiant Stadium on Nov. 6.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.