Squeezing two months of a great tour into 32 pages of this magazine isn’t fair! Since IORR 31 was out by Jan. 10, the Rolling Stones have played 16 more shows in North America, plus 6 shows in Japan, now heading for Argentina, as of March 23. A total of 10 out of 13 songs on the new album have been performed live during this tour. Gunface, Always Suffering and Too Tight are the only ones still not played live. See the setlists for details.
They have done 8 arena size shows in 1998, plus the MGM Las Vegas in ‘97. Also, they did two smaller shows, including the final US show so far at the Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel. And what a show! How I wish they can do the same kind of shows in Europe too. A ballroom is simply the perfect place to see the Stones!
It took a lot of nerve to get a ticket for this show. I had struggled with the internet quiz of Mr. Lucky, did the song guessing, really struggled hard. But then there was shining a light on me, thanks to the Stones, and I was in. It was heaven.
Keith the maestro opened with Satisfaction as usual. Then they rocked into You Got Me Rocking. Ronnie's slide was excellent. Charlie kept the beat strong and load. The sound was so crisp and clear. Much of the crowd was VIP and not ready to rock'n’ roll, but enough fans in the crowd was crazy about the show.
Flip The Switch was great too. Gimme Shelter. Keith was leaning on the wall to our right side by Darryl, really enjoying himself. Mick came to visit him. Then Ronnie and Keith was duelling. Lisa. Great song. Even greater tonight.
Saint Of Me was the best version I have heard ever. Ronnie did an outstanding lead guitar. Just the one I have been dreaming to hear for a long time. The weeping guitar lics is still ringing in my ears. Thanks Ronnie.
Already Over Me. A strong version. Then I Just Wanne Make Love To You. Blues stylish. It starts off just like the first riffs of Little Red Rooster. Out Of Control. Little Queenie rocked like crazy. So fast version! Mick had kept the silver jacket from OOC, but stripped it off soon after. Darryl came dancing, and in fact he did it several times during the show. Never seen him like that before!
Miss You. Keith did Thief In The Night. Wanna Hold You rocked it up. Again a great solo by Ronnie. Then a great version of It's Only Rock'n Roll. Tumbling Dice was faster than I've heard it ever. Honky Tonk Women, Mick in duet with Sheryl Crow!
Start Me Up. Jumping Jack Flash great too. Then goodbye all too soon. Like A Rolling Stone, now as an encore! Then they do Brown Sugar. The show was 1 hour 50, but felt like half an hour.
The sound was amazingly crisp and clear. The stage was so small that it crammed Mick, Keith, Ronnie, Charlie and the rest of the band together nicely. To cut a long story short: The show at The Joint in The Hard Rock Hotel was everything I had been dreaming about!
The set list:
It's Only Rock'n Roll no. 32 - March 1998 - © The Rolling Stones Fan Club Of Europe