A fixture in rock circles since the 1960s, the Rolling Stones are scoring a first Tuesday when band members bring their Bridges to Babylon European tour to Moscow.

Despite repeated attempts, the rock group has never before been granted permission to play in Russia. They were denied permission in 1967 and again a decade later.

About 160 rock fans from the heart of Siberia flew to Moscow on Tuesday to see the Stones' first - and only - concert in Russia, an airline spokesman said.

The fans took a four-hour flight from Novosibirsk to see the concert at the 83,000-seat Olympic stadium in Moscow, said Dmitry Manakov of the private carrier Sibir airlines.

"Most of them are old fans of the Stones and now they finally have a chance to see their idols," Manakov said.

He said the fans planned to catch a return flight straight after the concert.