Some merit, but @#$%& he's a tough crowd - given set list for Tuesday's show however, did the boys take heed with the additional ABB number??


POP MUSIC REVIEW
The stuck-out tongue
The Rolling Stones put on a great show at the Hollywood Bowl but
continue to give current tunes the raspberry.






By Robert Hilburn, Times Staff Writer


The Rolling Stones' concert Sunday night at the Hollywood Bowl remained
so rooted in the past that Mick Jagger even joked about it.

Early in the performance before a wildly enthusiastic crowd, the wry
lead singer pointed out that a lot has changed since the Stones last
played the Bowl in 1966. "Tickets were $4 then," he said, not having to
remind anyone the top price this time around was $450 more. "The only
thing that's the same is the set list."

The crowd, whose diverse celebrity list included Garry Shandling, KISS'
Gene Simmons and Michael Keaton, chuckled, but that set list has become
a point of debate in the new tour.

The Stones have been relying on the same core of great signature songs
for concert appeal for nearly a quarter century because, frankly, they
haven't come up with a noteworthy new album since then.

But this tour is in connection with "A Bigger Bang," the band's
strongest album since the early '70s, and you'd think the group would
welcome the chance to play half a dozen or more of the songs to show, if
nothing else, that they are still relevant musically.

There was some hope early in the set that the band would move beyond the
mere three new songs it included in Friday's set at Angel Stadium in
Anaheim.

In introducing a blues song during the show's first half-hour, Jagger
stressed teasingly that "it's not an old blues song, it's a new blues
song." Picking up a guitar one of the few times in the night, Jagger
played a wonderfully flavorful blues solo before beginning to capture
the apocalyptic tone of the song, "Back of My Hand," with a growing,
intense vocal: "I see love / I see misery / Jammin' side by side."
Rather than expand the set with more new songs, the Stones kept the
"Bigger Bang" representation to three by eliminating "Rough Justice," a
song from the album that was played Friday.

Otherwise, the band did a commendable job of shuffling the set list.
Though it played 11 signature hits, including "Jumpin' Jack Flash,"
"Brown Sugar" and "Start Me Up," both nights, the band dropped five
numbers from Friday's set to make room for some generally richer, more
resonant material.

Dropped in Sunday's show: "She's So Cold," "Ruby Tuesday," "Bitch,"
"Miss You" and "Paint It Black." Added to the set list: "Wild Horses,"
"Dead Flowers," "Live With Me," "Midnight Rambler" and "All Down the
Line."

The playing Sunday was again frequently inspiring, as guitarist Keith
Richards, drummer Charlie Watts, guitarist Ron Wood and the rest dressed
up several of the classic songs with new arrangements that added
freshness without violating the tunes' vintage character. In the
intimacy of the Bowl, the band left behind the elaborate stadium stage
and focused solely on the music.

Another great night, yes. But also another missed opportunity.


Robert Hilburn, pop music critic for The Times, can be reached at
Robert.Hilburn@latimes.com.

surprised that he sees fit to review more than one LA show!

he's warming to them, gradually though. Hopefully he was there last night too - looks like they've been reading the reviews!

"Robert Hilburn, pop music critic for The Times"


2 observations with Hilburn's title: pop music & critic

The Rolling Stones are not "pop music."

Meanwhile, a critic will always analyze something to death looking for the negatives and then expound on them.


Perhaps this is why his "reviews" will always cause debate. Music Writer would seem to be a more appropriate title.

but even after last night's two surprises - the problem Hilburn initially pointed out remains - only a handful of new tunes on a given night (they've yet to crack the "5" barrier).

Mick Jagger: "The only thing that's the same [as in '66] is the set list."

this set list whiner should stay at home

Fellas:

Hilburn was entirely consistent between the two reviews. He went out of his way to repeatedly lavish praise on the Stones' musicianship and execution. (Did anyone notice that he was far more generous to the Stones' performance at Anaheim than were most of the people who posted to this board?) Concluding a review with "Another great night..." is not unduly harsh. Robert Hilburn enjoys it as much as the rest of us when the Stones take "Jack Flash" into the stratosphere. It's just that doing so is not enough...

And he was absolutely right to cite Jagger's attempt to defuse the criticisms of the setlist. Very significant that Mick has been making his jokes about motgaging the house to pay for tickets and now about the setlists. (At Charlottesville, Jagger called "Midnight Rambler" "disshevelled," which was being kind). There's a defensiveness to this one that is certainly unbecoming and possibly even disturbing. I have never ever begrudged the Stones for making top dollar, but I sense that they themselves maybe gagging on the cynicism of it all. And boy, it must pain Jagger to be doing the oldies.

I'm glad that they're working on the show and, bit-by-bit, standing up for new material. That run of the last ten--ten!--songs isn't looking any fresher, though.

They can burn any building in the world right down. BV wrote: "They don't listen. They rule." Amen to that--let's see them bring it on.

... Just want to add my two cents ... I'm from L.A. and am 52 years old ... when I was in High School he was already writing for the LA Times. We found him to be incredibly annoying and out-of-touch thirty five years ago and little has changed ... having said that, I have to agree with his assessment somewhat ... as many here have noted, the five new songs the Stones played during their two gigs at the H. Bowl were , more or less, the most interesting songs they performed. During the last two shows, I heard 29 different songs, including six (counting Infamy) songs from ABB. As I suggested in another thread, looking at the two Hollywood Bowl shows as a single show, the set list was spectacular. Keep rockin' ... I'm now looking forward to my Madison Square Garden and LA Forum shows over the next four months with renewed anticipation.

Frankly guys, Hilburn is saying the same things that we have all been saying, consistently, on this board since ABB came out. He's right -- they could give the new album much more attention, and I disagree with those that think the shows would lose a lot. The novelty of the B-Stage is enough to blow away most casual fans. they could get there and play 2 or 3 new tunes, and people would love it. Then, as long as they finish with SFTD, JJF, BS, IORR, Satisfaction, etc., everyone (and I mean everyone) would go home sated.