I've ALWAYS wanted SFTD as an opener ever since they did Not Fade Away opening '94 tour. So glad to see it happen, really think it worked.
Brave move, well done lads!

My only comment would be that Ronnie needs to take the solo, but other than that. - top stuff!

Loved it! Granted not the best solo.

Loved it, even the solos. Great opener, gets the crowd crazy.You should have been there.
Jeroen

Brilliant!

It was superb!!

As an opener? It theoretically works great.

But the execution of the song itself? It simply doesn't work for me anymore. The guitars are weak...it's difficult to listen to. Mick's vocals are great but other than that, it's played out...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-09-10 20:34 by keefriff99.

It built tension, instead of merely blast all over us. I think that worked nicely.

Intro is too long for me.
If I understand well, except people at the first rows who are close to the stage, nobody can see the whole band on an unique screen, only parts with one musician.
It will be ants on stage for the others. Perhaps it's done to avoid making private dvd with closed pictures from the whole band on stage.

Very cool! They fooled us all by using it as the opening number. Perfect change from SMU and JJF and a perfect start on the tour. Sure the execution of the song was not the best, Mick sang great but Keith played weak. I think Keith should focus on smashing the B chord during "Hope you guess my name"-line rather than sliding on the notes on the G string.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-09-10 21:17 by MacLaurens.

You had to be there. It was immense. It took everyone by surprise. They got the rhythm going for a minute or so before Mick came in as per the video I posted earlier. For the hardcore fans you just know from that moment that we were going to be in for a treat.

Mick or one of their inner circle must have been listening to the various sites like IORR. There was an overwhelming concensus that the set had to change. And they delivered. Whether it stays like this remain to be seen but no one knew what to expect next last night.

They kept it fresh and that's how it should be. Well done Stones.

"Sympathy as an opener. The verdict?"

IT WORKS! Imho they should not follow with a soft number like "It's Only R&R" but with a banging tune like JJF. It would set a nice mood for the rest of the show.

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MacLaurens
Very cool! They fooled us all by using it as the opening number. Perfect change from SMU and JJF and a perfect start on the tour. Sure the execution of the song was not the best, Mick sang great but Keith played weak. I think Keith should focus on smashing the B chord during "Hope you guess my name"-line rather than sliding on the notes on the G string.

Yes I agree. Keith should just focus on that b chord - when he hits it properly it is really dramatic. He should focus on chords and laying down the rhythm, and let Ronnie take the solo. I think it does work as an opener and if Keith focussed on chords it would help him warm up.

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Silver Dagger
You had to be there. It was immense. It took everyone by surprise. They got the rhythm going for a minute or so before Mick came in as per the video I posted earlier. For the hardcore fans you just know from that moment that we were going to be in for a treat.

Mick or one of their inner circle must have been listening to the various sites like IORR. There was an overwhelming concensus that the set had to change. And they delivered. Whether it stays like this remain to be seen but no one knew what to expect next last night.

They kept it fresh and that's how it should be. Well done Stones.

Spot on.

It blew my mind. Perfect. May an intro would work too - then silence and darkness - then Sympathy.

for me ? no ! it must be kick !

great opener. and mick sings great! keith should just stop playing leads. it is embarrasing. how can he @#$%& up that royally again and again? even when he still could play it was a desaster. poor keith, love him!

Did not work. The song lacks rhythem guitar.

Idea was great but it just didnt work

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Silver Dagger
You had to be there. It was immense. It took everyone by surprise. They got the rhythm going for a minute or so before Mick came in as per the video I posted earlier. For the hardcore fans you just know from that moment that we were going to be in for a treat.

Mick or one of their inner circle must have been listening to the various sites like IORR. There was an overwhelming concensus that the set had to change. And they delivered. Whether it stays like this remain to be seen but no one knew what to expect next last night.

They kept it fresh and that's how it should be. Well done Stones.

Nice! Thanks for the report.

It's really hard to say it but Keith can't play solo for this song anymore. It's not the first time, it's since 2014 i think. Let's be honest, it's easy to play, mid tempo, few licks to do and he miss fret or playing one or two note. It's a mystery for me beacuse he can still play great solo on IORR which is faster and more complicated than Sympathy. I love Keith but it's always like fingers crossing before antoher Sympathy solo.
As an opener it's great, long intro build the atmosphere.

I was at Hamburg and for me it worked.

My only concern is that if you were seeing the stones for the first time and the first thing you heard Keith play was the sympathy solo, which I think is consistently his worst out of the songs he solos on, then maybe its not the greatest start to your stones experience.

I think sympathy has to stay as the opener for the whole tour now because they don't have an intro video like they have on other tours... I am glad about this, but I think the solo is a little worry

As a song it's bored me for years but since they feel obliged to play it at every show it works great as an opener. It's theatrical, it gets it out of the way and the sheer excitement of the show starting compensates for the banality of the song. (Nothing against the song btw, the Ya Ya's and TOTA versions are terrific, the 89 one decent but it's been a bore for many a year now.)

Perhaps it could work, but this was rubbish!
Keith sounded trerrible!

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frtg55
Perhaps it could work, but this was rubbish!
Keith sounded trerrible!

I'll tell you that it felt far from terrible when Keith thrashed that b-chord in Stadtpark last night. SFTD was excellent. A solo is just the icing on the cake for a total experience.

I doubt that anyone in the park thought SFTD was rubbish.

Great stuff ... from photos and vids the stage looked like a city on fire ... WILD...



ROCKMAN

It worked in some ways, not in others. One of the worst parts of any Stones gig in recent years has been Mick's shrill, immoderate cries of 'woo woo' in the intro to the song. To have this as the crowd's introduction to Jagger, before they have seen him, is not ideal. Could he not simply have kept his lips sealed until the first verse?

Despite that complaint, the pyrotechnics were visually arresting and it's undoubtedly a dramatic song.

I agree with others that a punchier opener works best. Ultimately, the show would have been better had 'Street Fighting Man' and 'Sympathy' switched places in the set list.

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Silver Dagger
You had to be there. It was immense. It took everyone by surprise. They got the rhythm going for a minute or so before Mick came in as per the video I posted earlier. For the hardcore fans you just know from that moment that we were going to be in for a treat.

Mick or one of their inner circle must have been listening to the various sites like IORR. There was an overwhelming concensus that the set had to change. And they delivered. Whether it stays like this remain to be seen but no one knew what to expect next last night.

They kept it fresh and that's how it should be. Well done Stones.

Excellent, thank you. I could 'tell' from my own heartbeat watching a video, but in our amateur video the crowd 'seemed' quiet. But what a tone to set!

The way they play it live these days, seems like a plodding, sloshy, and anticlimactic way to kick off a show with a big bang.
Visuals looked great, but the overall atmosphere of the tune seems better suited towards the middle to the end of a setlist.

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

It sounds like a great idea if they are going to play it anyway.

I hope they keep playing Mr D. It has potential to be truly great live on this tour.

I'd give it a ho followed by a hum as an opener; I think they've beat it to death; as glorious as is the original and several amazing live versions over the years.

It would have been great in 81'-94'....... But not now. It builds tension, unfortunately Keith never can release that tension.... A very long suspenseful intro, then suddenly throw Keith out to pull off a solo he hasn't blasted since 89'. It sets Keith up to lose..... Otherwise, brilliant idea, love getting it out of the way, stage looks great.

Mick and Ronnie need to send Charlie in to tell Keith, Ronnie is getting the solo stuff.....