A little bit late, but here is my review of the show in Stockholm. I attached some of my pictures bellow and there are more here: [
www.flickr.com]
It was my second and the last show on this tour; in a city where I stayed for a year as an exchange student 18 years ago and which I haven't visited in the last 14 years, so I was very much looking forward to this one and everything around.
On the day of the show the weather was quite bad, which I didn't really mind, having another 2 days to enjoy the beautiful city and so in the morning I decided to go to the arena to see how to get there, how the queue would be organized and such. I arrived at about 10:30 only to find out that there was pretty much nothing prepared and nobody knew anything. There were 7 people there who tried to start a queue having a chat with some people trying to organize it. They were actually quite nice and tried to be helpful but the problem was they knew literally nothing. The surroundings of the arena looked like there might be a concert in a day or two, but definitely not that night.
Okay, that was useless, so I left and returned shortly after 5 p.m. when the gates were supposed to be opened. I first went to the Gate 1, which was printed on my ticket and there was quite an enormous queue going along the whole long side of the arena and around a corner. Having read the instructions I received a couple of day before, saying that you could enter the arena via any gate regardless what your ticket said, I went to the Gate 2, where there were just a handful of people and walked pretty much straight in. Once inside I tried to ask which inner entrance I should use with my Pit ticket. I tried once, I tried twice, again - nobody knew anything. The fact that there was not a separate entrance for the pit, but one actually had to go first through the GA and then through the Front Standing (or whatever that sector in the middle was called) was strange, I wouldn't want to push myself through all those people if I came late. But that was no problem after 5 p.m. of course. Okay, I find my way and try to enter the Pit only to find out, that this time they are filling up Ronnie's half first and who wants to be on Keith's side has to queue outside the pit until they fill the other half. Security reasons...as hard as I try, I can't think of any. Sorry, but this whole thing is just a plain mess. Again, the security people are actually nice and try their best, but they know nothing. Absolutely nothing. Okay, I go to Ronnie's side to see how it looks in there. I walk under the catwalk and as soon as I see inside the pit, before actually entering it, I see that I would be in some third or fourth row and want to turn myself and go back to join the queue. I can't. The security guy tells me I am not allowed to. Why? Those are the instructions, I am told. It looks like the only instruction anybody got. For a split second I am afraid that I am stuck there. The security guy tells me that I have to walk around that half of the pit, exit on the other side and through the Front Standing sector I can walk around to join the queue. Can it get any more complicated? Again - why? Those are the instructions... I can see that the guy tries to be as nice as he can and takes no pleasure in bullying me, so I smile back and walk through...and around...and I join the queue on the other side of the pit, consisting of maybe 15 people so far.
After having been in Amsterdam, where they first filled Keith's side, I knew I was in for a long wait - in Amsterdam they opened the other half of the Pit at 8 p.m. - in the middle of the support band set. In the queue I met and started to chat with Fillmore from this forum (cheers, buddy), which actually made the time pleasant and not that long as I feared. In the meantime we had fun watching a security lady talking to literally every single person trying to enter the pit, explaining how it was "organized." So much effort, so much energy. And I will never get to know WHY :-)
Anyway, they open the Keith's side at exactly 7.30, we calmly walk in and I grab the rail. For the first time in my life I am in the first row at The Rolling Stones concert. Well, I was in the second row in Amsterdam, but still... the first row is the first row :-) Hellacopters came in about 5 minutes and unlike De Staat in Amsterdam, I really enjoyed their set, even though I didn't know anything about them beforehand. They were exactly what a support band should be - they warmed us up, especially well received was their nice tribute when played the Bitch riff in one of their songs. Then the 45 min. wait for The Stones, the lights go down, the Sympathy intro starts and it is ON. Other posters complained about rather dead audience, there was no such problem in the front of Keith's pit, it was a great party. After the opening sequence come the 2 blues numbers - 2 lovely little songs, not the big riffs we are all there to hear mainly, but really just 2 lovely laid back perfectly executed numbers. Then come the 2 songs that make each show "different" :-) First Mick announces Under My Thumb. I have never heard this one live and I hoped so much it would be squeezed in tonight. It was lovely. The opening riff was mainly played by keyboards, while I would definitely want to hear guitar, but other than that it was a very nice rendition. Then I see that they bring a mic stand for Keith and at that point it is clear, that the song vote will be Sweet Virginia. I voted for Let's Spend The Night Together, but as I see Keith's mic being installed, I am really happy we would get this one. Beautiful song, beautiful version. Then comes Paint It Black, which is great every night, then my very favorite Honky Tonk Women in which Keith didn't shine quite like in Amsterdam, but still highly enjoyable. Keith's mini set - Happy and Slipping Away - was just perfect. The solo in Slipping Away is so subtle. It is just a couple of notes, very simple, but what a feeling. Miss You, Midnight Rambler and then the final 4 BIG open G songs before the encore. The Street Fighting Man - Start Me Up - Brown Sugar - Jumpin' Jack Flash sequence works so well on this tour. Keith hammers those riffs with such an authority. I must admit, that Start Me Up was probably the absolute highlight for me both in Amsterdam and in Stockholm. Quite surprising, I know, but it is just so. Speaking about Start Me Up - yes, Keith hit the first chord and after Mick said "Take two," he started again. Some people here instantly like to shout "mistake, mistake!" There was nothing wrong with the first chord, just like when he did the same later with JJF. There was probably something a bit wrong with his monitors, since both times he looked around and at the beginning of JJF he pointed somewhere to his left. Satisfaction started with Keith teasing us with some playful slides, and then kicked into a really powerful rendition, closing this marvelous show.
Having seen 2 shows on the tour one can not help comparing them - Amsterdam was a bit bigger excitement for me, mostly because it was my first show after 3 years. Other than that the gigs were very comparable. Keith seemed to be a bit more relaxed and in charge in Amsterdam, on the other hand in Stockholm I noticed many (and I mean really many) smiles and much friendly interaction between Mick and Keith, that I was missing during most of the Amsterdam show. All in all - two great nights with The Greatest Rock'n'Roll Band In The World. See you again soon!
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2017-10-20 10:13 by Happy24.