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DEmerson
So here's my story I had to share with you IORRers.

And a wonderful story it is. Thanks.

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Keep On Rolling

My first-ever Stones concert. After more than 3 decades of being a fan, I finally took the plunge and bought a ticket, tempted as I was at the prospect of hearing the band as they really sound, that is, without the excess backup players, in an arena, and with Mick Taylor on a couple of songs. I will explain in my review why this will not be the last time the Stones roll through town, as some posters have been projecting their fears of old age onto the future of the band.

First, my only criticism is not for the show, but for the merchandise vendors in the hallway outside the arena, who ran out of the best T-shirts well before the show started. There was quite a crowd around the T-shirt stall and I stood there a good 20 minutes sweating it out as I slowly inched my way toward the counter, eyeing a black tee with a mid-60s band portrait--but which someone well ahead of me got the last of, and this was a full half-hour before show time. So I got a mustard yellow shirt with a Steel Wheels era photo, but where Charlie was blocked out by Mick. Nice to see that Bill Wyman's image still appears on Stones concert merchandise--I'm sure he must get a cut?

The show itself sounded fantastic, and it wasn't really until the second song, IORR, that you could tell how loud Keith's guitar was in the mix. He played that one really well. In fact, Keith played great--and super loud--the whole night. He was all snarl, swagger, and smiles, clearly enjoying himself and really holding the band together. Mick looked over at Keith as the opening chords came in.

Charlie was also great--which became clearly apparent on the third song, Paint It, Black, when you were struck by the "thwack" and pop coming off the snare drum, making the song every bit as dynamic and exciting as it was when it was first recorded.

The only place where Keith might not have shone was Gimme Shelter. Though he didn't play any bum notes, it just seems that the intro and the solo are played a bit ragged, compared to the original version, but played nonetheless with a ragged glory. The extended instrumental playout toward the end of the song was engagingly hypnotic. You can still lose yourself in a Stones live jam. Big cheers from the crowd when Lisa took her soaring solos in the middle.

Then came the delightful surprises. All Down The Line was a full-tilt powerhouse, and Ron Wood's lead flourishes were superb. Mick interacted with Keith during this number toward the end for the only time in the show aside from their scripted mutual nod during Keith's initial sojourn around the ramp during Sympathy For The Devil. As the song was playing out to the end, Mick strolled over to Keith, crouched down, and pumped his arm toward Keith's guitar as a show of support to propel him onward.

Memory Motel was certainly a treat. I was expecting the fan vote to select this one, and during the day before the show I was fearful that there might be a not so special guest, thinking that there was no way that Keith would sing his part. For my concert attire, I wore black jeans and blue socks--I was Black and Blue for Memory Motel. A huge, rousing cheer erupted when Keith stepped up to the mic for his first vocal part, which was delivered with clarity and soul, and an even huger cheer at the end of that first part. They love Keef here.

As When The Whip Comes down was announced, you were in heaven, thinking how much better could it get. I was sort of hoping for CYHMK with Taylor, but by this point I knew it wasn't going to happen, as the rarities mini-set was wrapping up. Whip is better for the Boston audience, whereas the laid-back jazzy Mike Bloomfield/Carlos Santana-type vibe of CYHMK was more suited to the sunny California audience. Boston never produced a Carlos Santana. They prefer their rock n roll stripped down and to the point. When you think of Boston bands from the 60s, you think The Remains, and when you think of Boston bands from the 70s, you think Aerosmith--you get the idea.

Emotional Rescue is great live because the concert version brings out something the studio version does not accentuate--a thumping boom from the bass drum that is great for leaning on one foot and doing a one-hip shake throughout.

Having followed each show of the tour on this board, I knew what the rest of the set list would be--but that didn't curtail my enjoyment one bit. The announcement of Doom and Gloom brought no reaction from the crowd, but a warm hand was given after, likewise for OMS.

Midnight Rambler was quite compelling and it was great to have Mick Taylor on board, adding a bit of extra flesh on the bone. The best part was when the song slowed down in the middle for that series of crunch chords: "Weh-hell, you heard about the Boston"....bam! Suddenly the Ya-Yas record had sprung to life.

Then came the greatest hits--I prefer this term to "warhorses".

It has been asked by some posters whether The Stones ever get tired of playing their greatest hits at every show--I can tell you from watching them as they play, for instance, Brown Sugar, that the answer is unequivocally no. You see Ronnie and Keith interacting, Ronnie squinting and grimacing as he makes the effort to play the best possible solo--ditto that in Tumbling Dice--you see Keith grinning with joy as he strums away, you see Charlie remaining dedicated and focused throughout, and you see Mick delighting in working the crowd in his best music hall tradition. Sympathy was played well and Keith's opening crash chords were triumphantly loud--Jumping Jack Flash was a joyful highlight for the same reason.

Now, in closing, I would like to speak to all this talk of "the last time"--not the song, but the career of The Stones. People forget the words that follow: "this could be the last time, maybe the last time, I don't know....

That's right, you don't know, and neither do The Stones. Furthermore, like The Stones, you shouldn't worry about it, for if you let it trouble you, you will only cheat yourself out of a good time. And that's what a Stones concert is: a party, a good time. Why should a party be depressing? When you go to a party, you tell jokes, you laugh, and you carry on. You don't go to a party to sulk and read obituaries out loud, and leave depressed.

And that's why The Stones will never intentionally do a farewell tour--it would sully a good time, making the fun bittersweet. And the vibe they convey from the stage is one of pure joy and fun just living in the moment, and as long as this celebratory atmosphere continues, there will be more Rolling Stones shows. At the level they are playing at now, they give the impression that they could carry on for several years to come.

Viva La Rolling Stones. My first show shall not be my last. See you next time in Boston.

Thank you.

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Stoneage
Will the concert collide with Stanley Cup tonite too?

Boston is in Chicago anyway.

Great review stonehearted, sounds like you had a perfect night...thank you to everyone for all the great Boston stories.

I'm getting so pumped up for Philly and DC!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-06-16 01:29 by latebloomer.

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latebloomer
Great review stonehearted, sounds like you had a perfect night...thank you to everyone for all the great Boston stories.

I'm getting so pumped up for Philly and DC!

You're lucky to be getting a couple of shows in. I was tempted to go to the Wednesday show as well, but was quite busy with work. One thing you can say about a Stones show, it leaves you wanting more. I'll see them next time around.

I'm sure you'll have a great time. With a few shows under their belts already, the band is really tight. There couldn't be a better time to see them than now.

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stonehearted

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latebloomer
Great review stonehearted, sounds like you had a perfect night...thank you to everyone for all the great Boston stories.

I'm getting so pumped up for Philly and DC!

You're lucky to be getting a couple of shows in. I was tempted to go to the Wednesday show as well, but was quite busy with work. One thing you can say about a Stones show, it leaves you wanting more. I'll see them next time around.

I'm sure you'll have a great time. With a few shows under their belts already, the band is really tight. There couldn't be a better time to see them than now.

Thanks stonehearted, that's what I'm hoping for, but it doesn't really matter to me, I'm just thrilled I'm going to get to see my favorite band three times. I hope we all get to see them next time around!

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jazzbass

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drbryant
When Keith sang the middle eight and the cheers went up, I felt teary eyed.

I actually felt the same way just watching the video. He certainly is beloved.

me too- Mick gets the respect - but Keith gets the love

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hbwriter

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jazzbass

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drbryant
When Keith sang the middle eight and the cheers went up, I felt teary eyed.

I actually felt the same way just watching the video. He certainly is beloved.

me too- Mick gets the respect - but Keith gets the love

i didn't realize you were allowed to post on threads you didn't start.

Do you know what it is about Keith that brings on "the love"...that's he's a survivor or ?

stonehearted, I'm happy for you that you saw your first show now!! you describe each number
with such deep affection and knowledge.

er, someone help me with a rationale for the band playing CYHMK in Philly Tuesday night!!!

~"Love is Strong"~

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oldschool
Least appealing? I was at Wednesdays show which was decent but the boys seemed a little disjointed and out of sync. Last night they were as tight as I have seen them since the BtB tour IMHO.

Just a fantastic show last night performance wise.

Agreed. Why no special guest, not that I missed having one?

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oldschool
Least appealing? I was at Wednesdays show which was decent but the boys seemed a little disjointed and out of sync. Last night they were as tight as I have seen them since the BtB tour IMHO.

Just a fantastic show last night performance wise.

Strongly disagree here. Both Whip and Memory Motel suffered from horrible missed changes at points that help define both songs. Also missed changes in Miss You which is a sleepwalk to begin with. Inexcusable for a band with their pedigree.

One More Shot was also a horrible mess - Mick's voice seemed to be going in this one. Is he getting sick?

All Down The Line is still taken at too slow a tempo and several points where Keith was not playing and the guitar sound was simply void.

I was offended again by the band's choice to use backup singers offstage on the opening numbers. This is such a bush league, cheap move. Hearing vocals -female!-while Mick is not singing just appears so ridiculous to me. I also noticed a few spots where he was giving the impression of singing while the backups were clearly doing the work.

Taylor is still not playing anything dynamic or fitting in his first solo in Rambler, it's just a mish mash of mostly in-key licks. But there's no flow or build. He comes on fine in the second half of the song - one of the few highlights of the night.

I have no idea what he contributes to Satisfaction. Couldn't hear a thing he was playing. All he was doing was meandering around, complaining about his sound/volume, trying embarrassingly poorly to sing back ups with Darryl - he always went to his mic at the wrong time. And he keeps looking at Keith or Mick like he doesn't know when or what to play. The U.S. leg of this tour is almost over. I'd have thought he'd have a part down by now.

They do absolutely nothing with Emotional Rescue. Starts and finishes on the same level. The groove, riff, vocals are all half-hearted IMHO. They really don't work this song like they could. And I don't know why Mick alters the "pet Pekingese" lyric. Speaking of which - far too much looking down at the TelePrompter on Mick's behalf. Seriously?

Some high points during Shelter, Whip sounded good and had energy, but the missed change really suffered. Happy and Rambler cooked in their later stages. Doom and Gloom showed energy as well. Keith actually nailed the intro to Brown Sugar and Jumping Jack Flash was sensational from beginning to end.

Ronnie, Charlie and Darryl are playing their asses off. Thankfully I could hear very little of Chuck. And Keith is taking a lot of songs off(seriously, why does he bother holding that guitar during You Got The Silver??? Times Ike that highlight the absence of Blondie on this tour).

One of the highlights for me was their use of the local choir. What an amazing moment for those people. And they sound great, though Lisa seems to overpower them during the body of the song which is unfortunate. I only hope the Stones are decent enough to show up for the rehearsal for this nightly number as opposed to sending Bernard or Chuck or Matt Clifford. They deserve a special audience with the band and the recognition.

I've seen the Stones close to 30 times since 1989. This was definitely one of the lesser performances.

JMarko, were you at the gig or did you watch the videos?

I'm confused as to was this a geat show?...people crying tears for Keith etc.

I like to believe the good stuff but it's difficult to know who to believe.

It was a great show. By far much better than Boston-1.

Bjornulf

I was at the show.

One highlight I forgot to mention was the vamp/reprise they did at the end of You Can't Always Get What You Want. That could have gone on for awhile in my book. And they looked genuinely into it.

J

Everybody has an opinion. Some people like to complain, others just enjoy the "experience" of seeing 60-something year-olds do something which is unprecedented at this level and will most likely never be duplicated in the future. The crowd who were at the show seemed to really enjoy the show. They sound great to me from the balcony. Boston Strong!

I could almost touch the stage for this show....which was incredible BUT the stage lights messed with my photos! Did anyone else get lots of blurs with the colors? Those huge stage lights changing colors killed a lot of my shots. I am not complaining though because as someone said, Memory Motel was exquisite! A masterful job, and hearing Keith sing alternate lines was as close as we're gonna get to a duet! The energy level was through the roof, band and audience on fire. Mick even grinned at the crowd reaction on a few occasions! Loved i t! Sorry no guest like Peter Wolf, would even have enjoyed Gary Clark Jr again, but hey, I was on cloud 9 all night!

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sabata
Memory Motel

For me personally this performance was the highlight of the tour, all the MT contributions notwithstanding. MM has always been one of my favorite songs and I think they nailed it last night, just beautiful!

Lose your dreams and you will lose your mind...

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jazzbass

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drbryant
When Keith sang the middle eight and the cheers went up, I felt teary eyed.

I actually felt the same way just watching the video. He certainly is beloved.

+1

Lose your dreams and you will lose your mind...

JMARKO - I strongly disagree with your assessment of last nights show it was great from beginning to end.

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Thru and Thru

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jazzbass

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drbryant
When Keith sang the middle eight and the cheers went up, I felt teary eyed.

I actually felt the same way just watching the video. He certainly is beloved.

+1

Same here. Absolutely beautiful performance. Perfect way to start sunday morning

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stonesrule
Do you know what it is about Keith that brings on "the love"...that's he's a survivor or ?

It's that in celebrating the good-time vibe of rock n roll, Keith is the Toastmaster General. Some musicians seem to epitomize the definition of rock n roll, and Keith is certainly one of those. In a word, Keef is eternally cool.

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stonehearted
My first-ever Stones concert.

Congratulations. I'm glad you had such a good time.

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Keep On Rolling

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stonesrule
Do you know what it is about Keith that brings on "the love"...that's he's a survivor or ?

The music he makes. Like an extension of the person Keith. It's real.

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hbwriter

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jazzbass

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drbryant
When Keith sang the middle eight and the cheers went up, I felt teary eyed.

I actually felt the same way just watching the video. He certainly is beloved.

me too- Mick gets the respect - but Keith gets the love

I don't agree,hbwriter. there are plenty and plenty people who love Mick , it's just people who love KR do it more aggressively, with the push like they want to prove something. I think these different approaches depend on the personality of the "object of love" himself

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proudmary

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hbwriter

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jazzbass

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drbryant
When Keith sang the middle eight and the cheers went up, I felt teary eyed.

I actually felt the same way just watching the video. He certainly is beloved.

me too- Mick gets the respect - but Keith gets the love

I don't agree,hbwriter. there are plenty and plenty people who love Mick , it's just people who love KR do it more aggressively, with the push like they want to prove something. I think these different approaches depend on the personality of the "object of love" himself

Common sense.

Silent applause isn't quite the same, though

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DandelionPowderman
Silent applause isn't quite the same, though

I knew it.

just a joke this time.

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proudmary

I don't agree,hbwriter. there are plenty and plenty people who love Mick , it's just people who love KR do it more aggressively, with the push like they want to prove something. I think these different approaches depend on the personality of the "object of love" himself

...Awerightie!! "Blame Keith", round gazillion.

Who exàctly is "pushing to prove something", I sometimes wonder.