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Rolling Stones make history with Cuba concert

by Jessie Hellmann - 03/26/16 10:22 AM ET

Days after giving President Obama the rock-star treatment during his visit, Cubans got a taste of the real thing.

The Rolling Stones on Friday became the first major international rock band to play in Cuba, offering a free concert to hundreds of thousands of people, CNN reported.

{mosads}“Years ago it was difficult to hear our music, but here we are,” frontman Mick Jagger told the crowd in Spanish.

“The times are changing,” he added, noting that Cuban state TV and radio had previously banned rock music.

Obama has made repairing the broken relationship with Cuba a goal during his last years in office. His push culminated in a trip to the country this week, the first time a sitting president has visited in nearly a century.

Obama met with Cuban President Raúl Castro and delivered a speech in Havana.

Cuba has been isolated from the U.S. for five decades over Cold War-era divisions.

Last summer, the U.S. and Cuba reopened embassies, and earlier this year, the Obama administration eased travel and trade restrictions between the two countries.

Tags Cuba Rolling Stones