A few observations of Mick these past few shows
Date: September 12, 2005 20:09
After three shows this past week I am happy to report that Mick has really loosened up on stage considerably. There was a time, especially during the outdoor Babylon and Licks shows where his moves were too choreographed and robotic. In St. Paul and Milwaukee he was fluid as can be, which tends to be the case in the arena shows, but he was the same way at Soldier Field despite having to work a stage floor at least twice as large.
His singing was great all three nights, maybe even better than during Licks and No Security which was greatly improved over Vodoo Lounge and Steel Wheels. And just when I'm tempted to credit technology with some of the improvement, I am thrilled to point out that he threw in a lot of the little "well alrights" and "yeah yeahs" throughout all three shows.
Best of all, he's really smiling a lot on stage as opposed to the overly serious painful look we've seen in the past. Toward the end of Saturday's show in Chicago, he went back and faced Charlie, pulled his shirt up mid-song...Charlie laughed, Mick spun around, laughed and kept the grin.
These were all improvements I had been hoping for. To top it off, I have always hoped for a long, maybe 6-8 minute version of a Chuck Berry song...just keep it going with that great, fun back beat. Well, they closed Chicago with an over six minute version of IORR which the way it is played live is one in the same!
For all of you waiting to see them...get ready for a great time!