Get your own Free Home PageI may be a bit biased in this. After all, the Rolling Stones are a favorite of mine and they are considered the world's greatest rock and roll band... a point I have never disputed. But I'll be honest with you... I went into this show with extremely high expectations. After all, the tickets were 66 bucks. That's the most I have ever paid for a show, and I expected a concert to blow my mind! Basically, I wanted to leave that show feeling like I had just had sex with Cindy Crawford and Sharon Stone in the same night! Well, if a night with Cindy and Sharon feels anything like that night with the Stones... then tell those two to meet me in town Saturday night (Yeah, as if!).
It was honestly worth the money! It started off with one of those lights down, loud bongos, flashing lights intros for which the Stones are famous! Then Keith Richards appears alone on the stage, guitar in hands that were blessed by God (it's a shame God didn't bless his face... I swear he looked older than ever, and that's saying a lot when you talk about Keith). He then went on to play the opening riffs to "Satisfaction". The Stones are the only band with the brass ones to play their most well-known song right off the bat. The music fully kicked in with the appearance of the rest of the band. Mick was, well... Mick! That's the only way to describe him!
From there, the band launched into "It's Only Rock and Roll" and a new one from their current album, "Bridges to Babylon", called "Flip the Switch". I was surprised that they only did three new songs from the album... they usually threw a couple more in in the past. Then came "Let's Spend the Night Together". At this point, I was loving the show, although songs like "Satisfaction", "It's Only Rock and Roll", and "Let's Spend the Night Together" I've heard one too many times in my life. Nevertheless, there's something about hearing them live that makes you want to sing along anyway.
One of the defining moments of the show came next... the first few notes of Gimme Shelter sent the already jacked-up crowd into what I can only describe as a near-orgasmic frenzy! This is one of those songs that I wanted to hear live before I died (I had seen the Stones twice before on the "Voodoo Lounge" tour and it was omitted both times). The sights and sounds of Mick singing with backup singer Lisa Fischer made the whole place smell like sex! It was a grinding kind of performance! At this point, I said to myself it was money well spent!
But there was more! Now it was time to go obscure with "Sister Morphine". Seeing Mick grab a guitar for the first time in the show was a moment (see gang, he can play too... some substance behind the gyrations). Then, the release from the new album, "Anybody Seen My Baby" with portions of the video on the jumbotron screen playing along with the music. Mick proved he can rap as well, doing so in the middle of the song with backup singer Bernard Fowler. Following "19th Nervous Breakdown", it was time for another new song called "Out of Control". Hearing the horn solos during portions of this song with the soulful feel reminded me of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" by the Temptations. Coincidence?
Now was the time for a surprise. The Stones had a vote set up on their website for each venue. Fans could vote for a song to be played at that night's show. For this one, the fans picked a song from "Goats Head Soup" called "Star Star (Starfucker)". Good choice, though I saw "Memory Motel" on the potential list and would have rather heard that. The band then launched into an extended version of "Miss You" with Lisa gyrating all over the stage (and making me groan with all the other men in the joint) and Mick hitting falsetto notes I didn't know he had anymore (Who says they're too damn old?).
Then it was Keith's turn to grab the mike and sing. Now, I love Keith Richards. I think he's the backbone of the band. Not the greatest singer in the world, but hearing him makes the rest of us tone-deaf crooners think we have the chance. All that being said, I was a bit disappointed with the choices of his prerequisite two songs, "All About You" and "I Wanna Hold You". Me personally, I was hoping he'd pick one of his three songs off the new album, which are all great. And wouldn't it have been cool to hear "Little T&A", a true Keith anthem?
Now, a big bridge opened from the stage to the center of the floor, mid-crowd, where a smaller, second stage was set up. The band walked across to the sounds of a cool jazz song playing background and did a three song set in the middle of the floor (closest I've ever been to the Stones. I was sitting in the first level, but towards the back). The three song set consisted of a version of "Little Queenie" that would have made Chuck Berry proud, "Crazy Mama", and "The Last Time". It was also about this time that I started dancing with this well-endowed blonde sitting behind me named "Bethanie". We shared a few wonderful moments, and then she was gone... like a thief in the night (hey, that's the title of a Keith song on the new album).
But, I digress! Now came THE highlight... "Sympathy for the Devil". As the stage became bathed in red with smoke seemingly everywhere, suddenly the opening drum hits were heard. The rest of the band had made it back to the stage, but Mick had stayed behind, choosing to prance back to the stage through the little causeway in the crowd shouting the opening screeches. Once he made it back, the band launched into a rendition of "Sympathy" that had a good taste of funk to it. It had Bethanie and me groovin', that's for sure.
From there, it was time to bring the show home with power! "Tumbling Dice", "Honky Tonk Woman", "Start Me Up", "Jumping Jack Flash", and the encore "Brown Sugar" had Mick prancing, Keith hitting those riffs like only Keith can, Ronnie Wood trading off with absolute efficiency, and Charlie Watts, in the background where he's more comfy, keeping time in a flawless manner! At these moments, both Cindy Crawford and Sharon Stone could have been with me whispering in my ears seductively and I wouldn't have cared (O.K... who am I kidding, not only would I have cared, I might have said "Mick who?" But that's beside the point).
By the way... did I mention Sheryl Crow was the opening act? Not bad at all... she could fill up a venue all by herself. I enjoyed her set... especially "All I Wanna Do" which I had been absolutely sick of, but I'll admit it sounded better live. Also... something about a woman who can blow a mean blues harmonica turns my legs to jelly.
All in all, I have to say it was 66 bucks well spent! It was even worth it to plunk down 27 bucks for a Rolling Stones baseball hat (although looking back, that may have been a TAD overpriced). I don't know... something about hearing Mick sing and Keith ripping off bone-crushing riffs makes me want to throw money at them... maybe it's just me.
And if anyone sees Sharon and Cindy, or for that matter my dancing partner Bethanie, tell them they're in my dreams!
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