ARCO Arena
Sacramento, CA, USA
Saturday Feb. 6, 1999

I could forgive them on both scores if they'd just be a bit more rebellious with the set list: apart from dumping Miss You and Satisfaction, they've made no effort to differentiate the music on this special tour from any other stadium jaunt. One of the Sacramento reviewers said Keith and Ronnie were looking bored towards the end of the show. Well of course! that homestretch of tired old songs culminating in the archaic Sympathy for the Devil is nothing if not tiresome by now.

My worries really started to unfold Saturday when they played three "new" songs, "Ruby Tuesday," "Dead Flowers" and "When the Whip Comes Down." But hey! I heard all those on B2B. It's kinda pathetic when we rave about a handful of such additions to the set list when really we should be bitching loudly about how they're throwing away a great opportunity on this tour to roll out some really esoteric stuff.

"Undercover" may not be a Stones classic, but it offered a very different Stones vibe, and the song's resurrection was laudable. Now it seems they dumped it, maybe because the high rollers didn't know it. I think Mick is too obsessed with trying to please the crowd with every song. Just a glimmer of befuddlement seems to throw him completely. I can only hope he's playing the tried and tested stuff in the regions where the Stones don't play much, and when they come to LA, Chicago, Philly, they'll be more adventurous. (By the way I never thought I'd say it but "Memory Motel" is becoming a little old, partly because I'm still in therapy over the Dave Matthews debacle in Amsterdam.)

Still, Sacramento #2 had its moments, building on the momentum of their Salt Lake City gig, which is probably my favorite so far (though Mick says a good concert is more than just the music, it's the people, the vibe etc). For me, SLC was a buzz because I found myself in an expensive section next to the main stage with some rowdy, hardcore fans -- a rare mix these days. Kudos to that city for showing "Time is On My Side" at one of the local movie theaters.

I'll always remember Sacramento #1 because an usher told me to sit down since people had complained about me. That show, Mick's attempts to lead the crowd into a chant for "Saint of Me" were disastrous, and I wondered whether the audience was just plain dead when Charlie threw one of his sticks into the crowd and no one lunged for it. And then there was Mick's cold. Did anyone notice in SLC though, how Mick blew his nose and later sprayed his throat: the traces of his illness are still there.

The second show, the crowd was more boisterous, and Mick was obviously very pleased. After "Saint of Me," he rushed to the crowd on Keith's side and started high-fiving some of the fans. He hardly does that so early in the program. (I wonder if this is why he gets sick all the time: the hoi polloi aren't washing their hands before touching him?) The "I like it" chant on It's Only Rock'n'Roll enlivened an otherwise overworked song.

It seems the ridiculous cage has been junked. Only the Stones could spend a zillion dollars on a stage prop like that and decide after two times to throw it out. I'll buy it off you, Mick. The Keith/Chuck interplay on Honky Tonk Women drives me nutty too, and I make a conscious effort to focus on Mick while this charade is played out. Well, I'm still committed to another 10 shows, but I've decided not to go to 3 or 4 I'd penciled in. I just don't think the Stones are playing for the real fans.

Review by James Constantine

Shakedown in the Capital City
Rolling Stones Back On Track in Sacramento

Northern California has long been a hotbed of Rolling Stones triumphs and disasters beginning with Keith Richards near electrocution at the groups 1966 Sacramento show, followed by the bands disastrous debacle at Altamont Motor Speedway in 1969. So it was certainly not without historical precedence that the Stones, who spent the better part of three weeks in San Francisco rehearsing for the No Security tour, would only perform one show in the Bay Area proper. This was a fact not lost on Northern Californian Rolling Stones freaks who braved the hellacious stormy weather to converge on the state capital to sate their palette on the 60s icons. And they were not to be disappointed.

Despite the fact that the Arco Arena show was sold out since November when tickets went on sale, the Will Call area near the Arco Arena box office was bustling with deals offering tickets for far less than face value, a godsend to fans turned off by the tours lofty ticket prices. Inside the arena, venders hawked all matter of Stones related paraphernalia from varsity jackets at $250 a pop to plate signed lithographs that fetched $100.00. These venders also were selling actual hand signed framed lithos for $1500 to $2000, not exactly chump change for the decidedly middle aged audience, some of whom forked over $250 bucks a ducat.

Compared to the Rolling Stones opening night in Oakland, the band played tight and assured from Keefs opening guitar riffs of Jumpin Jack Flash, Jagger bore no signs whatsoever of the illness which plagued him just a few days earlier. Jagger prowled the stage in black shades and a black leather jacket, prancing and shaking like a man 30 years younger. The Rolling Stones mined their 60s catalog to reprise Live with Me, Ruby Tuesday, Paint It Black, and Honky Tonk Woman. Honky Tonk Woman, was featured early in the shows first half, unlike during the bands opening show in Oakland, where it was performed on the smaller stage. Despite the criticisms, the crowd never fails to erupt when Keith nuzzles up to keyboardist Chuck Leavell, and takes the piano solo himself during Honky Tonk Woman.

Richards was all over the place too. His solos were full of his awesome power, stage presence and posturing which make him one of the most imitated rock stars ever. Ruby Tuesday was a complete surprise and came in the slot that the band had played Moonlight Mile, and Memory Motel. in previous shows. The Stones continued to add more songs during this evening as Dead Flowers, and When The Whip Comes Down, (played on the small stage), also made their No Security debuts. Other changes from opening night included the bands scrapping of the cage that came down during Out of Control, Keiths deleting I Got The Silver, in favor of Thief in The Night, and the addition of Tumblin Dice that was performed when the band returned to the main stage.

Arco Arena is one of the smaller venues on this tour. So when the band came out through the crowd to play on the smaller stage in the rear of the area floor, they provided the patrons in the back an intimate club like setting. Old chestnuts like Route 66, When The Whip Come Down, and a roadhouse rendition of Midnight Rambler, that could have come straight off of Get Yer Ya Yas, ignited a crowd frenzy. The short set took on the aura of a smoky bar, as a foggy trail of sweet smelling Northern California grown marijuana enveloped the stage in a surreal haze as Jagger wailed on his harmonica. The final main stage songs: Tumblin Dice, Its Only Rock n Roll, Start Me Up, and Brown Sugar, were as exciting as the cyclone ride at Coney Island with the band celebrating its treasured song canon with stunning results. The encore of Sympathy For The Devil, contained all the spooky voodoo imagery and power that made the original version so enduring.

The Arco show was superior to opening night in almost every way, however, Northern California Rolling Stones freaks left the Arena asking themselves whether this would be the final shows, because, as of this writing, the band had not confirmed that they will reschedule the two San Jose dates. At the rate the band is playing and getting better, if the Rolling Stones do reschedule at the end of the tour as some suspect, the final shows of the 1999 No Security tour will go down as one of the best the legendary band has ever performed.

Review by Forrest Smith

On the B-Stage, during Route 66, some girl had taken off her bra and tossed it on stage, it hooked on Woody's guitar. He finished Route 66 and the When The Whip Comes Down, with that bra hanging from his guitar. What a show.

There toward the end, as I knew the show was fixing to end, I thought to myself, this may be the last time I get to see the Stone's and it's a shame. Right now they have never played better in their life. I think they could stay on tour forever.

I can't wait to see them in Anaheim, and I hope you faithful Stone fans get to see them. They are worth the price of whatever you had to pay.

Review by Denise - Sacramento, CA

Review by Bill Denler, San Rafael, CA

I was wrong.

Although the Stones can rock better than any other band, why do they continuously play tunes that were already played in the B2B tour? My friends already think I'm obsessed with the Stones, so this is very difficult for me to say about the greatest rock and roll band in the world. If someone is willing to pay these huge ticket prices, then hears Honky Tonk Women, then the natural reaction would seem to be disappointment.

If the Stones could open up, and start to mix up the set list (more than they are now), and start playing more tunes that they don't play, I think these high paying fans will get greater satisfaction.

Here is my point... Let's assume that everyone that sees the Stones on this tour has a) seen them before, or b) a huge fan and just want see them in a smaller venue, or c) both! Now, if you have seen them before, you've certainly heard Brown Sugar, Start Me Up, Honky Tonk Women, Tumbling Dice, Sympathy For The Devil, Jumping Jack Flash, It's Only Rock n Roll etc... How many more times are they going to play these?? This is the greatest rock n roll band in the world!! Are they selling themselves short? Where is the creativity? Where is the obscurity? Where is the improvisation? How about playing tunes they've never played before, or changing it around?

Did the Stones really think that their fans favorite songs are the ones you hear on the radio everyday?

Mick, I have high hopes for the rescheduled dates in San Jose.

Review by Mark Stevens

Based on what i've heard on Jan 25th and then Feb 6th, i'd have to say that the band IS giving attention to the idea of changing the set as much as is possible given the technical demands of a show like they are doing. A lot of improv and interplay is going on between Keith and Ronny, which can really get lost in the mix in halls like the arco arena, but that improv is coming within the context of an established set of songs. Computerized mixing has made it easier for the soundmen and women, but they had to work their asses of in sacramento to get a good mix, and it didn't start to "blow clear" until 5 or 6 songs in to the set.

There are many factors affecting shows this size that the audience isn't typically aware of, sound being one of them,lighting designers being another. As far as ticket prices, the obsession with being as close as possible is ruining the experience for many people. I've been behind the stage, and in the back out front, and have seen two shows for about $110.00 - and this allowed me not to get hung up on how much i spent - and not to have higher expectations as a result. It might be more fun for some of you to spend less, yet see more shows, and watch how the performances change between gigs - that's where the fun is!

Review by Mark Seidman