In 1978 "Let It Rock" was IMO the WORST opening song for a concert. It does not have that opening "thump" or "riff" to energize a crowd. The song has no punch to start with, just a jam. I think it is a letdown to the most important song of a show.

Which does not imply that it is a horrible song, only that it belonged somewhere else in the set. Of the Berry covers, it is not high on my favorites list though.

1969 - Jumping Jack Flash
1972 - Brown Sugar
1975 - Honky Tonk Women
1978 - Let It Rock
1981 - Under My Thumb
1989 - Start Me Up
1994 - Not Fade Away
1997 - Satisfaction
1999 - Jumping Jack Flash

Y'know...I remember being completely blown away at my first Stones show when they opened with Satisfaction at Foxboro. I thought, Man, if they opened with their biggest hit, WTF am I in for that they can open with that and still pull off a great show with that already outta the way?!?!!?

I was NOT disappointed. Hell, my addiction was solidified that night.

let it rock was my fave opener; not fade away was my least fave.

Had I been able to go to a Bridges show I would have been pleased as hell that they got Satisfaction out of the way. If they could open with that and go right into JJF and Brown Sugar the rest of the show would be great. Get all those old tired songs out of the way....ha ha...do the warhorses FIRST. Then get to the real meat and potatoes...

I didn't think opening with Not Fade Away was a great idea, didn't work for me at any rate.

Best - Under My Thumb 81
Worst - NFA 94

Most inexplicable - Satisfaction 97

Not Fade Away was perhaps their most inventive approach for any opening song. The intro track and Charlie joining in on it making it seamless was brilliant.

Start Me Up...Of course Start Me Up sucks no matter when they play it.

"It's just some friends of mine and they're busting down the door"

start me up i'd say the most appropriate, it works very well
not fade away is the less appropriate to me, but still an original choice.

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skipstone
Had I been able to go to a Bridges show I would have been pleased as hell that they got Satisfaction out of the way. If they could open with that and go right into JJF and Brown Sugar the rest of the show would be great. Get all those old tired songs out of the way....ha ha...do the warhorses FIRST. Then get to the real meat and potatoes...

That is exactly what I was thinking. I was there right alongside the "B" Stage.

oooo - do all the warhorses first? cool...could then continue the tailgate party for awhile longer and join the show for the final 10 minutes and really not miss much. excellent!

Start Me Up during A Bigger Bang simply because they bloody overused it.
How hard can it be to change a least the opening song once in a while.

Ha ha...they could alter what warhorse opens their next greatest hits tour and just alter their order for the show after that. Why, imagine how it could be Jumpin' Jack, Sympathy, Satisfaction, Miss You, Start Me Up, Honky Tonk, Brown Sugar, Tumbling Dice, IOR'N'R, You Got Me Rocking ha ha ha ha ha ha...

That would leave the last 3 or 4 songs of the show to be fantastically different! Go out on a good note, etc...and if you stay out tailgating during the warhorses you save money on beer drinking yer own instead of standing in line with all the others who have heard the warhorses previously at least 3000 times ha ha ha ha ha.

I really liked Satisfaction in 98, and SMU less in 2007 then in 1989..

On personal experience (since 89) Satisfaction was the weakest of the lot.

Before that, possibly HTW of the 75/76 tour. The idea was great, and probably to be there and see the action was TRULY great, but on boot it drags a little. But again, as I say when these topics come up, "worst" is not appropriate: let say not as good as the others!

Re: Let it Rock, i find the most elegant starter ever!


C

HTW is probably my least favorite opener. I don't know if it's just too slow, or what.

I think a really aggressive version of Rip This Joint would be a cool opening song.

One Hit (To The Body)-best song for opening

Midnight Rambler in Australia

......Let It Rock was a GREAT opening...stripped down and raunchy.....

I find Let It Rock in '78 and Brown Sugar in '72 the best openers. I never understood Not Fade Away, it sussed the audience asleep right at the opener.

Mathijs

to me its the best opener...dont insult this tune it hurts!

Not only would it be great to have all the warhorses at the beginning...it would force them to shorten the length of these songs. JJF during the '99 tour was brilliant...always fast and always exciting...and SHORT. You gotta keep the opening song fast, powerful and SHORT. You do not want to overstay your welcome right with that first song. "Rambler" as a first song is adventurous, yes, but totally off-putting for the proceedings.

I actually think they've always done a good job picking an opening song, I don't think there's ever been a bad one. Except on the ABB tour there was a lack of origionality (Sp?). they rotated opening songs but it was all stuff they'd opened with on previous tours. Then they tried to mix it up by openeing with PIB for a while but it didn't last long. I never heard one of those shows So I can't say if That worked well or not.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2009-03-16 23:35 by ryanpow.

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Justin
Not only would it be great to have all the warhorses at the beginning...it would force them to shorten the length of these songs. JJF during the '99 tour was brilliant...always fast and always exciting...and SHORT. You gotta keep the opening song fast, powerful and SHORT. You do not want to overstay your welcome right with that first song. "Rambler" as a first song is adventurous, yes, but totally off-putting for the proceedings.

a long BS version...is not what the farm is waitin for

I mean its not fuc-in free bird.....long JJF i can deal with so much more!

Not Fade Away opening for the VL tour. Guitars were often too low in the mix. Would have made a decent second slot though.

I gotta go with Not Fade Away.......not that it was'nt good just my least favorite opening number.

A bit OT but when Keith opened his Paris 92 show with 999 (instead of the usual "Take It So Hard") I was in awe

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sweetcharmedlife
Start Me Up...Of course Start Me Up sucks no matter when they play it.

Couldn't agree more!

Best - Street Fighting Man 2002
Worst - Not Fade Away 1994