Rough Justice as opener
Date: August 25, 2005 19:39
I seriously think the Stones should consider opening the stadium and arena shows with "Rough Justice". "Start Me Up" is over-done and a bit too obvious.
The new material gets a lukewarm reception in the middle of the set as it's largely unfamiliar. People are waiting to hear the classics, and it's a bit of a mood killer to throw in the new tunes. At Fenway, you could see a marked difference in the crowd's enthusiasm.
I think if they opened with "Rough Justice", they'd get one of the new songs out of the way off the bat, clearing the way for more hits later on. The audience is always excited when the band hits the stage and the opening tune always gets a good reaction.
Obviously the first song is a high profile slot for a song, and if they really want to promote the tune, what better way? People will remember it more, they'll associate that song with the excitement, and the local news channels who are usually allowed to videotape the first song would air footage of that song rather than one people have heard a billion times.