It's Only Rock'n Roll
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It's Only Rock'n Roll |
The people sitting in your section make quite an impact on the show. Tonight we were lucky to be seated around fans and attentive guests who clapped and danced and were lots of fun to be around.
Mick belted out the lyrics to Respectable and Some Girls with a lot of intensity tonight. Moonlight Mile gets better and better as this tour goes on; Mick's guitar playing was quite good.
Ohio got another extended version of Saint of Me, and the crowd was really into singing along.
During the intros, Mick introduced Charlie as "Charlie Slam-Dunk Watts".
In between Keith's two songs, Keith said "It's good to be here - it's good to be anywhere!" It was nice to hear Thief in the Night again.
At the beginning of Out of Control the lift that brings Mick to the stage came up way too fast and it looked like Mick had almost lost his balance, but he stayed on his feet and sang on que as if nothing happened.
It's Only Rock and Roll, had a very, very rough start in Cleveland, but all was well in Columbus, and Ron was all smiles.
We were all smiles too as we left another great show. The Stones put on one hell of a show - energetic, tight, variety of songs, there's really something for everyone. See ya in Kansas City.
The set list:
The highlights were many: The crowd interaction with the band during "You Got Me Rocking" and "Saint of Me", "Moonlight Mile", "Some Girls", "Paint It Black", the entire small stage set, featuring "Got Off Of My Cloud", and a "Midnight Rambler", that damn near blew the building apart. What ever the future of this band is and, I have now seen a show that proved without a doubt they are still the Rolling Stones, the greatest rock and roll band in the world.
At 9:30 sharp the Stones took the stage, Mick in black slacks, red shirt and black vest, which he quickly discarded. Jumpin' Jack Flash and Live With Me set the tone - what an opening! The big screen changed to full color for You Got Me Rocking. Darryl, looking like Stevie Wonder in dark shades all night, played thunderous bass and danced and sang with Lisa and Bernard.
Respectable had the different bounce to it, as it is on the No Security album, with Mick playing rhythm on his caution-striped Fender. Honky Tonk Woman followed - was Keith in a hurry? No leisurely opening riffs here; he got down to business.
And then - what a treat. Moonlight Mile, and they NAILED IT. Played slightly faster than the album version, and we liked it that way. It was the highlight of Mick's vocal performance. And certainly a high point of the show, despite the drunken "fans" in back of us loudly wondering, "You know this one? It must be new."
Mick worked hard on Saint of Me, even venturing onto the runway to get the crowd going. We got into it, but many in our section found the seats too soft. Then he introduced the best song of the show: "This is the true story of some girls." It was WICKED. It was fast and it was mean. And he didn't let us down. Just when we thought he'd chicken out, we got what we wanted. The roar of approval for "white girls just wanna..." separated the real fans from the others.
Keith's set gave us Thief in the Night and Before You Make Me Run. Leah Wood joined Lisa and Bernard, and Blondie Chaplin played acoustic. Keith observed, "Life is beautiful," and obviously enjoyed every note he played. So did we!
The small stage performance was marred by bad sound. Their awesome speaker system suffered for sure, as Route 66 sounded like it was being played in a garage. But the sound guys had it fixed half way through Get Off Of My Cloud. Midnight Rambler RULED that stage. Those lucky people in the front row! Mick, Keith and Ron shook hands, threw out picks, and collected roses, bras and underwear. At the end, Mick brought out a camera and snapped 4 shots of the crowd.
The usual line-up finished the show: Tumbling Dice, It's Only Rock'n'Roll, then Start Me Up. Keith had us going: he gave it two false starts, then ripped into it. Even our neighbors stood up. They knew that one.
Brown Sugar, great as usual, ended with multi-color streamers floating from the ceiling. Sympathy was the encore, and by that time, all 20,000 of us were on our feet.
Many "woo woos" echoed through the lobby and into the parking lots as we walked into the rainy night. It is taking a while to sink in, what we have just experienced. It IS rock and roll. We were in the presence of the best, the very spirit of rock and roll. And our lives are enriched for it, for it IS our lives.
After they played Jumpin Jack Flash, Mick spoke to the crowd, "It's been about 18 months since we been in Columbus, we loved you then, we'll love you tonight." Second song was You Got Me Rockin, so we knew that the third song would be different, and it was, "Live With Me" and the Stones played it with energy and POWER. Keith was visibly into the show from the Get Go! His right arm whaled on the guitar strings and he posed several times with one leg on the floor and the other in the air or at a right angle.
Saint of Me was a big hit in Columbus tonight. The crowd sang "oh yea" oh yea" "oh yea" without the encouragement from Mick. Compared to Philly and Hartford, Columbus was much stronger with the "European" style chant. Mick turned to Keith and smiled with a look of excitement and looked back at the crowd and said "oh yea" ONE MORE TIME.
Even Ronnie jumped up and down several times on his toes during You Got Me Rockin and Respectable. Later in the show Leah Wood sang with Keith on Thief in the Night. The crowd yelled "Keith, Keith, Keith, Keith" and Keith couldn't get started for a minute - he just Smiled and Laughed.
During Out of Control, when Mick shot up from the floor, the boost was almost too much, and Mick lost control of his body, went forward, almost fell down, but regained his balance and stared the song, wow, he really did almost fall on the boost from the floor.
On the B-stage, the songs were great. Get off my Cloud was super and Midnight Rambler was just great!
I will always remember this concert as one of the Stones best in an arena format!
"Life Is Beautiful"! (KR)
It sure is and another great show too! The boys were rockin' tonight. Thank God, I had no one behind me, (directly) that is, and I was able to stand and rock, all night long. I had a great time too! I was in another front row seat in my section, therefore, no one told me to sit down.
Mick was all over the stage, great energy. Ronnie and Charlie seemed to get the same amount of applause tonight, they were both wonderful, Ronnie intent on his guitar playin', along with some funnin' around and Charlie drivin' those drums home, WOW,...(I wanna catch a drum stick, and a guitar pick too)! Mick needs to be introduced one time as well, I bet the roof would go off the arena by the applause that he would get!
Keith was welcomed wholeheartedly as always. Keith said something like, "Life is beautiful," and after his songs he told the crowd, "your all great," or something similar. Keith pulled a fast one and after he sang "TITN," Leah left the stage, so I knew he'd be singin' "BTMMR," which is fine. Keith's sets go like this, (usually) it could change though, who knows?: "YGTS," and "BTMMR," or "TITN," and "BTMMR," or "YGTS," with "YDHTMI," or "TITN," with "YDHTMI." And of course if Leah is up on stage, you can usually figure Keith's set, out.
The back-up band was havin' a good time and they were really good tonight.
The horn section dudes were snazzy and Bobby got a whole lotta applause, right on! (Happy belated birthday Kent, I been meanin' to Tell ya since Mick mentioned it that one night).
"SOM," and "OOC," were well received. The B-stage was rockin' as well with, "Rt. 66," and "GOOMC," and I really enjoyed "MR," tonight. It seemed to me though that the fans down by the B-stage, (from where I was sitting anyway) took a while to get into the screams and lines which echo Mick during "MR," but it was still fantastic!
The band was havin' as much fun as we were in the audience, so there was a good time had for all. Thanks again Stones and Company, for a really great concert! "Like A Rollin' Stone." Never, never, never stop! Can't say it enuf! Luv the STONES! "Honest I Do"!/Flynn
<<Dear Editor,
I attended the Stones concert Sat. at the Schott and sat in sect. 302, which
unfortunately was filled with people who think that one should should sit
passively and "observe" a rock concert. Elsewhere in the arena, people were
standing throughout the show, clapping, singing along, or dancing to the
music. This is exactly how a band such as the Stones hopes their audience
will behave. (If you don't believe this, pick up a book on the Stones
sometime, read a magazine article or interview with Mick Jagger or Keith
Richards, or participate in an on-line chat with members of the band.) I
can appreciate differences in musical tastes, but if one doesn't get into
Stones songs, then why go to a concert? I've been to several Stones concerts
since '94 and before Sat. night, I'd never seen people not even get off their
rear ends for such "hits" as Brown Sugar and Start Me Up. The problem with
this situation was that some of these individuals expected everyone in the
section not to stand, just because they weren't. This would be like my going
to a Garth Brooks concert (I'm not a big fan of his) and expecting his true,
die-hard followers to sit down and not have a good time dancing, just because
I didn't chose to. It would also be like sitting in the middle of the
student section at an OSU football game and thinking that the kids should
remain seated! In closing, I'd like to quote Glenn Camboa from the Akron
Beacon Journal in his review of the Stones concert at the Gund Arena on
April 1st: " Sitting through ballads like Memory Motel and You Got the
Silver was understandable. But if you can sit through It's Only Rock and
Roll, or when Mick Jagger is waving his hands in the air and stomping his
feet like a flamenco dancer in an attempt to get you revved up, maybe you
should have kept the cash in your mutual fund and rented the tour video
instead.">>
Now, I know this standing vs. sitting situation has been rehashed repeatedly, but I can only say that in the heat of the moment, I abandoned my "principles" of courtesy, if you will, and defied the masses, along with 2 other women in my row, and stood anyway! I was verbally hassled a few times (nothing really terrible) and tapped on the shoulder once during Get Off My Cloud, for God's sake, and asked to sit down so that the others could "see" the show. I turned around and very nicely suggested to the guy who did the tapping, "Why don't you try standing up and having some fun?" Well, since they didn't pelt us with anything or go get security, we "stood" our ground. I know deep-down that I might have been being rude, but I just kept returning to this thought: Just because I happened to have the bad luck of sitting with a bunch of dead-beats (they stood for 2 songs only: JJ Flash and Honky Tonk Woman) shouldn't mean that I couldn't dance with the rest of the arena! Plus, I also selfishly figured that all they had to do was stand, too, and they would probably have a better time! I know there are arguments against my "stance" on this issue that evening, but for once in my life, I was a rebel and chose to defiantly support the Stones, even if it meant ticking off a few people behind me who weren't into the concert at all. BTW, these weren't "corporate" types, either. Go figure!
Anyway, I'd also like to say that Jonny Lang was incredible and that I went out and bought his 2 CD's on Mon. because I liked him so much. He sings with so much feeling! He played one really pretty ballad and Don't Lie to Me rocked, as did many others. His blues are extremely soulful and I thought "the kid" was awesome!
Just a few comments about the show: There was a sign up on the video screen at one point that said "Woody- Gimme some neck" and I saw Ronnie acknowledge it, which I thought was very cool. Moonlight Mile was hypnotically beautiful (I was in heaven on that one, as I hadn't heard it live yet and was hoping for it in Cols.) and Some Girls was wonderful, better than in Milwaukee, partly because the sound quality in the Schott was much improved over the Bradley Center. I was happy to hear Keith's TITN- it was a TRULY GREAT version! Leah Wood looked adorable up on the video screen with her black dress and long blonde ponytail. Mick told the crowd at the beginning that it was "good to be back" and they were here"18 months ago," at which the crowd cheered, me really loudly! (They played Ohio Stadium during B2B in Sept. '97.) MJ was looking especially fine (I think the phrase I'm looking for, ladies, is "hard body"!) Keith got a huge roar before his set and really appreciated it. I just want to heap gratitude on that guy. What a blessing for us to be able to see and hear him play live during these last 2 tours.
On to Chicago for the April 12th show! Hey, guys, how about Fool to Cry or I Got the Blues? Thanks for coming back to Columbus!
As for the No security show we were seated in the front row of the third level. A great birdseye veiw. Nobody in front of us. The main disappointment was that nobody around us wanted to stand up and dance. A disappointment for me , but not for other luck fans was that my buddies, and I assume other were able to scalp 12th row center for only $90. While I paid $95 to sit way back. Oh well it was nice to sit back and take in the show. I though it was great to see the stones so stripped down. Two words that come to mind when remembering the show are Great amd Loud. I think keiths guitar was tuned up to eleven. The band has still got it. I wish the show had been longer, but you get what you can. Great set list. I thought that Ron looked out of it and that Keith had to carry him a little. It looked like he was drunk or too fucked up. Mick forgot some words to a couple songs. I know paint it black but I forget what the other song was, but after he forgot the words, or sang the same verse twice as was the case, they showed on the big screen Keith look back at Charlie, and they had a good laugh. All and all the show was great. I wish I could go to all of them!
We were in the Value City Arena, section 123; even better seats than the show in Cleveland. There was something in the air: the audience was more enthousiastic and we had the feeling this could be something special. After the usual intro there was Keith again and from the first chords of Jumpin' jack flash we knew we were right: this evening is gonna be great! You got me rocking was awesome: Keith wasn't paying attention to the crowd he just played this song like he never played it before: just like only he can do this! Ronnie was doing an excellent job with this song as well.
The next song was Live with me followed by Respectable; played as they did in '78: raw and mean; this is how we want to see the Stones! After Honky tonk women we got the song we were waiting for: Moonlight mile; no words! With Saint of me the crowd was more enthousiastic than in Cleveland but not that enthousiastic as in Europe. Some girls sounded great and white girls still wanna get fucked all night.
After Paint it black Keith did Thief in the night with Leah Wood on backing vocals; great version but nothing can top You got the silver. The second Keith song was the same as in Cleveland: Before they make me run.
Rocket Jagger almost lost his balace by moving up at the beginning of Out of control but he played this song like nothing happened: running, jumping and dancing all over the stage.
The small set was identical as the one as in Cleveland, the sound was fortunately better but still not as good as the sound on the main stage. The rest of the set are the well known songs but it seems that with these songs they were off the automatic-pilot; maybe it's because of the great audience?
When we drove back to the hotel we agreed that this was indeed better than the Cleveland show. It was, beside the paradiso shows I saw, the best show I've ever seen! This is gonna be a historical tour and my advise: See it when you still can!
"Ticket agent" Gerry and I communicated on the way, and my ticket for this show could be picked up at the will call window at the Value City Arena. It was directly next to the B-stage 12 rows up from the floor - a much different but excellent vantage for me.
Since this is "probably" my last show of this tour, I decided to sneak in my camera, something I should have done before, but hesitated. The reason for the hesitation was not fear of security. Remember this is the No Security Tour! When you take a camera into a concert, the photography becomes a job and takes away from the enjoyment of the show. My seats have been so good, and I've enjoyed the shows so much. But tonite I had the urge to pilfer some personal souvenirs so the camera went in.
I've brought cameras to every tour since 1989, but this is the first time I have never been frisked. Let's face it Stones crowds are getting older and older - in many cases older than the Stones. Also, maybe a $300 a ducat, security doesn't feel that humiliation should be part of the price.
At any rate, I took my Canon EOS with the 300 zoom lens stuffed down my pants right to the 1st row next to the stage to get a couple of shots of boy wonder Jonny Lang. Nobody even checked my ticket when I entered the section.
I went back to my real seat for the rest of Jonny and then waited patiently for the Stones to come on. I got into a conversation with the guy sitting next to me and he asked where I was staying in Columbus. When I told him I was staying at the Clarion, in Worthington, Ohio, he informed me that Bill Clinton stayed there during his 1996 re-election campaign. When I asked him why (the rooms are $60 a night!) he said it was probably because of the proximity to the freeway. More about Clinton later.
I took a picture of the giant screen with the video as the Stones were coming on and then of the band bursting into "Jumping Jack Flash."
The band was great as usual. My favorites are still "Respectable" and ("The true story of)" "Some Girls."
"Live With Me" was crisp, clear and rocking. It was also good to hear "Moonlight Mile" again. I could just listen to the instrumentals on that one.
Mick really got the crowd into "Saint of Me". I know he's been trying to achieve the European reaction (football chant) throughout this tour with little success. Well, he came close tonite. A lot had to do with the fact that it was Saturday Night. Outside of the Philly shows, this was the drunkest crowd I have seen during my 5 shows on this tour.
I took 24 pictures of the band on the little stage. It was a tough choice, but when I see the pictures, I'll be glad I did it. "Get Off of My Cloud" was the best. I know the crowd likes "Midnight Rambler", but I've seen that a lot. "Cloud" is a real treat.
As the boys finished off the show and took their bows, I snapped my last picture of Keith, Mick, Ronnie and Charlie as they stood before the crowd. Another great night!
When I got back to Worthington, I found out that Bill Clinton did indeed stay at the Clarion in 1996. His room was 26 rooms down the hall from mine (Room 295). On the door is a sign that says "William Jefferson Clinton Slept Here on August 28, 1996". By the way, in case you didn't subtract, the president stayed in Room 269. Go figure!
We made the 7 hour drive hoping to get tickets down there and, fortunately, Ticketmaster released more tickets on the day of the show. We got seats in the wing on Keith's side, second row (not bad for $125).
As an opener Jonny Lang really got the crowd rocking and received a standing ovation at the end of his set. As the lights went down and the video came on the screen to mark the start of the show the crowd erupted, yelling and screaming, and remained this way throughout the whole evening. The guys looked great as usual, although Ron came across as being 'wasted'.
It was great to hear MOONLIGHT MILE (again), as Mick's excellent guitar work is featured here. Keith seemed to have a lot of fun throughout which really showed during THEIF IN THE NIGHT. On the 'B' stage it was good to hear GET OFF MY CLOUD and an extended version of MIDNIGHT RAMBLER.
After making their way back to the main stage the band ran through the final five songs which the crowd really seemed to enjoy. Although I'm a long time Stones fan some of the highlights for me are the newer songs from BRIDGES TO BABYLON, and YOU GOT ME ROCKING.
Once again we took our camera in and got excellent shots of the guys. Each time we have checked with security and they have no problem with a regular 35mm camera being used, which certainly helps to recall a great night.
The sound, in my opinion, wasn't quite as good as in previous shows, but that could have been because of the position of our seats, but the crowd was much more receptive which made for a much better show than we had experienced in Toronto. It was a great evening and certainly worth the trek down there.
After doing this many shows you'd think the guys would be getting tired but they certainly aren't showing any signs of it. They just seem to be gettin better as they go along, and we hope to catch them later on in the tour!
Thanks to Olaf Reuthebuch and each and every one of you for supplying links to online newspapers, and reviews, of course!
Read all about the "No Security" and "Bridges To Babylon" tours of 1999 in the It's Only Rock'n Roll magazines. New issue IORR 35 out Jan 20, 1999, and the complete No Security guide in IORR 36 is out April 23, 1999.
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It's Only Rock'n Roll 1999 -
© The Rolling Stones Fan Club Of Europe |