I am posting two of the same threads because I couldn’t decide what title to use.

First off, to the great fans out there, the Stones have never sounded so good. I will state up front that the setlist these two nights was really weak, but I will let another thread address that topic. How they played Sunday and Tuesday was fantastic. That from a man who has no use for You Got Me Rocking, Out of Control, Miss You, and Its Only Rock n Roll. Even these overplayed songs sounded good in Boston. I may even choose to play them on CD some day in remembrance.

I am not a musician but I think I can safely state that the band is playing tighter than I have ever seen. My only hope is that the band continues the energy they had in Boston across the US and into Europe. If they do, everyone is in for a real treat, despite the suspect setlist. I sat down low on Sunday near the infield on the third base side and last night I sat in the roof section directly in front of the stage. Although the roof was further away, it was much better as I was directly in front of the stage. Here are my random thoughts:

1. This band values their reputation and is made up of true professionals. There will be no throwaway shows this tour as long as Charlie Watts, Daryl Jones, and Mick Jagger are involved. Jagger’s vocals are better than I have ever heard and the backbeat/rhythm is hard and consistent.
2. Keith Richards upstaged Mick Jagger tonight. This Legend was all over the place and it dawned on me midway through the night that I was more entranced with what Keith was doing over Mick. Quite frankly, Richards was like a tiger in a zoo. He was prowling all over the stage. He was possessed. At times, he was face to face with D Jones playing rythym guitar, other times he was facing Charlie oblivious to the 36,000 people behind him, other times he was on his own on the outskirts of the stage like in 81/82. Of course he was looking over Ronnie’s shoulder to make sure Ronnie was keeping up. In the end, the most memorable licks came from Richards not Wood. Richards took the bull by the horns tonight, with a permanent smirk/snarl on his face. Classic.
3. I am not going to bash Ron Wood because he had some special moments tonight, but one year on the road may be more than he can handle. He was real energetic tonight but not sure if it was the booze or the music. At times, I was afraid that a stiff wind might blow him over.
4. Blondie played guitar on 3-4 songs. Not sure if it was because a stiff wind theatened to blow Ron Wood over all night. ?!? At the very least, Blondie has cut his hair and will no longer be confused with Dr. J.
5. Although I would rather the Stones play an Air Supply song, Out of Control sounded like it was circa 1973. The Ronnie Wood highlight of the night was his solo that sounded like it could have been off Goats Head Sound or IORR. There was something very mid 1970s to it. For those of us looking for something from those albums, it was as close as it gets.
6. I was in the back of the stadium, and at times, I pictured the 81 tour. A drummer, two guitarist, a bassist off to the side and a singer working the crowd. For hard core Stones fans, that is good news.
7. Do you want the Stones doing a Ray Charles cover? Probably not. Did they bring down the house doing it? Absolutely. Jagger and Fisher vocals were fantastic. Richards guitar playing was enlightening.
8. My hope for all the IORR/Shidoobee fans out there is that the band puts out like it did in Boston through the rest of the tour. I imagine that 95% of you are sitting at a computer around the US or Europe ticked off at the setlist, but trust me on this one. The band sounds great and the songs they play work live. I consider myself a pretty tough Stones critic but the sounds on this tour makes up for the lack of set list imagination.

May the good Lord shine a light on you……

SpanishTony…..