Sir Mick Jagger gets "anxious" about the mood of his audiences.

The Rolling Stones frontman made a surprise appearance at the Oscars earlier this month to present the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the ceremony's host Conan O'Brien was amazed when the 81-year-old rocker asked about the atmosphere in Los Angeles' Dolby Theater before stepping out on stage.

Speaking on his 'Conan Needs a Friend' podcast, the comic said: "I'm sitting there, stage left, and I'm looking at my monitor. I'm just aware of a presence to my left, and I kind of just look over and it's this guy.

"I immediately see that it's Mick Jagger, who I've never met. Mick Jagger looks at me and he starts nudging me.

"And in kind of a comic American voice, he's like, 'Hey, hey, how's the crowd? How's the crowd?"

The 61-year-old presenter told Mick it was a good crowd - and was amazed to discover that, despite having performed for tens of thousands of fans over the years, the 'Brown Sugar' hitmaker still worries about his audience and will take the time to "give it a little extra" if he feels the energy isn't quite right.

Conan continued: "He said, 'I always worry about the crowd.

"I said, 'Wait a minute. You're with the Rolling Stones and you're in Buenos Aires, and you're getting ready to come out and start the show, and you're going to start off with 'Satisfaction' and you're anxious that the crowd isn't going to be good?'

"He said, 'Oh, no, definitely. I wear an earpiece and I listen to the crowd, and sometimes I can tell the crowd isn't quite there yet, and I have to give it a little extra and upfront.' "

Conan felt reassured by Mick's candid admission because it made him realise his own nerves were commonplace.

He added: "I was so relieved. I realised, obviously, he's 35 levels beyond me, but nothing ever goes away."