Fabulous pics and sounds like a great show - re Keith, didn’t notice much change from Arnhem (late 2017) through to 18 (London, Coventry, Manchester) lot less moving about, lot more actual playing. Sounds like business as usual in chicago - a good thing!

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crawdaddy
Big thanks to BV for all the time he must have spent, getting the reviews, pics etc. of Chicago 1 for all of us to see on IORR.

I know we will see it...... (but I don't expect it from him) ……...all again on each gig of the North America Tour.

Thanks for your kind words. Today I haven't actually been out of my hotel room, it is almost 5pm, working since 8am, quite a bit of work with scaling pictures, wrong formats, reports, and messing with technicalities. But now I have to get some fresh air!

They were all great last night, and they do deserve proper reports!

Bjornulf

ok, here's a shortie.

folks are reporting the Darryl was great; i can't make out the bass too much in
any of the clips I've seen thus far; it's weird for them to do a 'B' stage
thing without an essential rhythm player. It's a key position in every beat.
Even in L&G, they don't bother with the bass player in the final edit;
I don't think anyone's ever gonna upstage Mick; and we all understand the
branding and promoting the Official members as they exist for sale in concert.
I'm a Darryl fan now tho for years I was frustrated that Bill's contributions on bass didn't seem to be honored by Darryl with the same soulful understandings and humility that Ron approached the Taylor parts that are key signature-stamped on the official releases and tours before '75.

And also my own fan's disappointment with presentation issues starting SW especially; but I've listened to a lot of live stuff since then; and grown forgiving and understanding with a more mature perspective and understanding. I didn't realize the extent of the internal dissolution; they tried very hard, and with a lot of success as far as the general public; in keeping those things from the press as best they could.

I'd like to see more interaction with Darryl.
He's in the crew long enough.
All kidding aside about the generic nature of chuck's contributions, with
the bass it's different for a rock and roll, or soul or rhythm and blues outfit. or even a country outfit.
Some of my favorite Stones songs
don't have any keyboards at all; tho i obviously revere Nicky Hopkins Stu.
and love the stuff Jack did on piano early on too...

...the bass is key essential rhythm element. It's the biggest rock act in the world and that's the bass player. imo it would be good to see and hear more
of him. And for Ron and Keith and Mick to involve him in their little bits, as they sometimes do.

I'm not suggesting re-choreographing the presentation.
What did you guys and gals who were there think about the bass sound in the mix; and the performance? I mean, that's a key issue.
I've turned totally around about my feelings toward Darryl.
I liked Voo Doo but then they went blooey sorta....for me anyway...

This is it. The video director of the stage-show could easily cover
Darryl a little more. And the other 3 not sitting down in the back
like Charlie, would do well to have some fun with him on stage
and let that simmer and stew now and again.

Maybe they did that on Rambler. I'm trying to piece together the best
clips of the whole show; i've only seen about a third of it;
and different sections. I think sftd needs to get put away for awhile.
imo. it's too tough and remarkable a song to get the cha cha and the lounge
liza minelli treatment. i like the loud guitars;

i always like a huge
stadium shaking power chord; never mind the two of them crunching it at once....so oddly enough, it's not the guitars that i'm criticizing, tho
Keith's 'creative' leads on this over the years did not match the wonderment
of groove i got when he did it on Liver Than You'll Ever Be before handing the rest of the solo to Mick Taylor...

....it's the 'by rote' kinda machine-like 'sympathy lite' .
it's no big deal or deal crusher. I guess maybe it's a 'night to night'
thing with what 'catches,' so to speak....but i'm sorta sick of that one live.
and it IS one of their most important; and one of THE most important rock and roll records or pop records in history. I don't like to see it done this way too much anymore. it's not that the arrangement is that different from the standard parts; it's just not working for me somehow.
do something different with it if you're gonna do it?
One of the crew guys must play conga, drag him up there for that one.
Do it like Springsteen, drag some dude from Omaha who wants to propose
to his girlfriend on stage AND play bongos!!
I'm an idea man. It's not my idea, I'm just the messenger.
you done feathers, it's time for bongos.

I don't expect something super serious or political or somber necessarily.
I mean, this is the Red Feather jacket song; and it's been pulled of
theatrically with huge, great dynamic sets and all that; i don't expect
the MC5 or anything. but I've enormous respect for that song.
Every time it comes on the radio i feel it's like more important than most of 'the news.' I guess history and the power of the recording itself will carry it's own power and impact in the coming years and decades.
no big deal but they could do without this one and add two shorties,
loosen up; have some fun.

it's like 'ok let's turn on the Casio keyboard rhythm section, and do the jazz-dance hip moves where you can just stand in one spot, catch your breath a little; and wiggle and shimmy like a slithering snake. hey, go mick go. do it on rambler.
Sir Michael, why not walk over to Darryl occasionally, uh, he's the guy next to Keith with the big amp. Where the other guy used to be lol. it was so cool that Bill stayed away from the rest of them; lol, i really DID, and Do dig Bill's stage 'presence,' if you can call trying not to yawn while occasionally taking one step forward or back not looking at the others at all. haa....
but. that was then.

it's rock and roll; drums bass and guitar please. do they need to turn it up live? those of you who had the 'sweet spot' seats, and there seems to be entire sections, wattup with bass last night in the mix? Good, hearty, loud? Prominent in the frequencies where it should be?

i share everyone's excitement that their still in the game.
Last night was a thrill and all that; it was really so cool for an old
guy like me who fell in love with them completely October 25th, 1964, i think the 25th. When they did Ed Sullivan about 8 or 9 months after The Liverpool 4 had appeared. btw, i've since heard excellent mixes of their live performances, The Beatles, that night, and was as charmed as everyone else, (including Jimi Hendrix according to the Isley Brothers who watched it with him at their home at the time).
When all was said and done last night I watched The Rolling Stones debut performance on American TV, (this was before the Dean Martin Show, correct? im not totally sure, but think so; hard to remember; but The Stones WERE anticipated with great relish; they had already scored enormous hits.
i dropped the needle on side one cut one and that was it.
tho i needed to grow up from 12 to really appreciate the adult situations in the lyrics....
...whole lot of beautiful feelings came up last night; i guess that's why
they are still marketable at this level; people want a piece of that.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2019-06-23 01:23 by hopkins.

Well, "best show ever", "awesome" in the reviews though...
As always...

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StonedRambler

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powerage78
It's magic.
The Stones are always better during the current Tour than during the previous one...

I don't think in 2017 anybody said they were playing better than in 2016. Especially the first 2017 gigs were way worse that any 2016 concert and I remember people (including myself) really worriying about Keith. 2018 was on a whole different level and (only judging from the videos) this time it is even better than 2018

***
I'm just a Bad Boy Boogie

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sundevil
let me throw in an alternative 2 cents from section 335. could have been sitting in a section that had bad sound. for most of the night they were an unholy mess. that is more from the house mix than the band. too often you "saw" guitar playing but did not hear it. strong opening and sad, sad, sad rocked, with nasty guitars. you got me rocking was nasty, too. but the acoustic songs did not work. undercover and out of control would work better there. keith "fell down" on sympathy but funnily enough gave a good solo on honky tonk. also, bless his heart, after his songs keith recognized things weren't going too well and just stood there (like the first NJ show /NJ was good keith though) trying to make things right. zero crowd reaction for mick during midnight rambler (thought that was funny, they had it coming). the zero reaction seemed to be a good kick in the pants. had sasha turned off for gimmie shelter (?) and mick at the end of satisfaction (?). if they got a new sound guy he's gotta up his game by about a million. he's just gotta up his game period. opening night boo-boo's are not that big a deal, but they gotta get a lot better than last night for the $1000 tickets they are charging.

I think your assessment about the the sound being in snd out echoed my experience. It’s the frustrating aspect of concerts often times. The pity is that when the mixing board gets it right and keeps that level consistent the concert experience is then elevated. Like I mentioned before it will be interesting to see if a different seat location makes a big difference. Sometimes that is all it takes. I always wish for a heavy forward guitar sound because when you get that the rest just falls into place. I’m curious as to what other concert goers thought Darryl Jones bass sound from last night. From my vantage point it was as good as I have ever heard him sound.

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powerage78
Well, "best show ever", "awesome" in the reviews though...
As always...

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StonedRambler

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powerage78
It's magic.
The Stones are always better during the current Tour than during the previous one...

I don't think in 2017 anybody said they were playing better than in 2016. Especially the first 2017 gigs were way worse that any 2016 concert and I remember people (including myself) really worriying about Keith. 2018 was on a whole different level and (only judging from the videos) this time it is even better than 2018

Judging from the videos I honestly think it could have been the best concert since the start of the No Filter tour in 2017. I did 5 No Filter shows and the best one was Paris 2 and but think this opening night tops them all.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-06-23 01:12 by StonedRambler.

From my neck of the woods on the west coast of the US in my living room sitting in a recliner while reading IORR and listening to varoius feeds, the show was fantastic!
In fact I woke up in such a good mood this morning I tossed about $120 to the Rolling Stones via their online store!!!

Calm before the storm right now...my wife and I are flying out to Chicago tomorrow for an anniversary trip, and gonna see if the show is as good in person as what I experienced last night.

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

Hairball-great show! It almost seemed like the 2 hours flew by. Ron Wood continues the same energy he had on Zip Code tour. Keith was much more reserved then in '15 but very focused. He may have been just laying back and letting Mick have his night. Who knows. You Gotta Move as part of Rambler was great. Sad Sad Sad was played with such enthusiasm and energy that you couldn't help but enjoy it. If it is "The Last Time" they went out with a bang for me.

Keith was on fire in Stockholm 2017.

Every time they start a tour I need to hear the first seconds of the first song. They somehow reveals me the state of affairs. Imho it's been the best it could be. Unbelievable.

Unbelievable.

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TumblinDice76
Hairball-great show! It almost seemed like the 2 hours flew by. Ron Wood continues the same energy he had on Zip Code tour. Keith was much more reserved then in '15 but very focused. He may have been just laying back and letting Mick have his night. Who knows. You Gotta Move as part of Rambler was great. Sad Sad Sad was played with such enthusiasm and energy that you couldn't help but enjoy it. If it is "The Last Time" they went out with a bang for me.

The anticipation is at an all time high!

As for Keith, I'd rather see him focused on the task at hand then flailing around like a nincompoop!

Watched a few videos earlier today and can predict that I won't be disappointed in any way...unless they decide to play Emotional Rescue or Streets of Love, but I believe that threat is nonexistent.

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

How do you get pics to work here? It's been a while....

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Big Al

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MidnightGambler
Sad Sad Sad was a killer, even better played than during the Steel Wheels Tour

I can’t ageee, going by the YouTube videos I’ve seen. A positive is that it was a rawer rendition, but a little rusty-sounding, still. It’ll improve if they keep it in rotation. The 1989-90 renditions were polished, of course. I enjoyed Keith’s solo in this performance, however. A little too Chuck Berry-like, perhaps. Is it me, or have a lot of keith’s solos lost some of their individuality and uniqueness. Everything sounds like Chuck Berry, now.

Please.... Critiquing a performance from YouTube phone videos. That is ridiculous

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daspyknows

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Big Al

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MidnightGambler
Sad Sad Sad was a killer, even better played than during the Steel Wheels Tour

I can’t ageee, going by the YouTube videos I’ve seen. A positive is that it was a rawer rendition, but a little rusty-sounding, still. It’ll improve if they keep it in rotation. The 1989-90 renditions were polished, of course. I enjoyed Keith’s solo in this performance, however. A little too Chuck Berry-like, perhaps. Is it me, or have a lot of keith’s solos lost some of their individuality and uniqueness. Everything sounds like Chuck Berry, now.

Please.... Critiquing a performance from YouTube phone videos. That is ridiculous

I agree.

I haven't had time to read through all of the comments, but here are my thoughts that I emailed to a friend.

syrel

I got really sick today so that, combined with the fact I had a seat and stayed seated throughout gave me a bit of a different perspective than normal. I watched/listened really intently rather than becoming completely absorbed in the show. That said, I thought they were really excellent. I can't recall Keith playing that well on any of the NF shows -really, virtually flawless and I thought the key Keith songs were faster than last year. As with last year's opener, there was hardly any crowd engagement from Keith, he was clearly concentrating hard. I thought Mick *sang* really well. He missed a couple of cues, but he was in VG voice, especially Dead Flowers. I don't know if he ran around more or less than normal, as I barely watch him.

The B stage was a surprise but a) DF and Angie, c'mon?! and b) they still let Chuck play. Set list a bit of a disappointment - SSS would be low on my list of rarities I'd choose to hear (but great Keith solo), and disappointed no blues cover for Chicago (was hoping for a Jimmy Reed cover). The only realy negative for me was SFTD; starting the samba loop while they were walking back from the Bstage was anticlimatic, and Keith's solos were so-so but, overall I thought the show was higher quality than anything I saw in 2018.

Great show last night in Chicago!

Been home a few hours, and still lovin' last night in the rearview mirror!

I've seen the word "Solid" used in the thread already, and ironically, that's exactly what I thought last night after the gig... Solid performance!

I can't resist reading the rehearsal notes to see what they were running through the last few weeks, so I was hoping for some of those rare cuts to make it a uniquely special show for me, but they stuck with a setlist closer to the vest and just let rip! Understandable being the first show back with so much to prove, or really, to be seen, by the world's gaze.

Great songs delivered with heart and with no remorse!

I imagine they'll loosen up a touch, probably starting Tuesday night for show #2 in Chicago, where they'll no doubt swap out a few numbers to keep it fresh. Hoping they do that as the tour progresses, too.

Can't wait for Canada! These next few weeks are gonna be epic!

You read it from BV and others... Go see this show if you can, you won't regret it!

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Madcap

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jumpingjackflash5
This is awesome.

[www.youtube.com]

No need to worry about band's performance and power.

They still have it all.

Amazing. It’s truly remarkable how good they sound given their age. I might cry on Tuesday night at the possibility that it could be the last time I see them.

I was close to tears during Angie...astonishing that we all picked the right band to fall in love with, huh?!

I suggest they play a third song out there each night.
Two wasn’t enough.

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Hairball
From my neck of the woods on the west coast of the US in my living room sitting in a recliner while reading IORR and listening to varoius feeds, the show was fantastic!
In fact I woke up in such a good mood this morning I tossed about $120 to the Rolling Stones via their online store!!!

Calm before the storm right now...my wife and I are flying out to Chicago tomorrow for an anniversary trip, and gonna see if the show is as good in person as what I experienced last night.

Nice job combining the Stones and an anniversary trip I couldn't pull that one off!

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gotdablouse
Right, again I thought his playing was fine, better than in Hamburg 2017 by a country mile but I've never seen him look like he did on SFM at 2'48 : [youtu.be]
Guess he was focusing !

Wow! That was one hell of a wonking clam!!!!!!!!

what, pray tell, is a 'wonking clam'?

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GasLightStreet

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gotdablouse
Right, again I thought his playing was fine, better than in Hamburg 2017 by a country mile but I've never seen him look like he did on SFM at 2'48 : [youtu.be]
Guess he was focusing !

Wow! That was one hell of a wonking clam!!!!!!!!

Wha? He’s done way worse than that over the years.

[youtu.be]

Full Rambler from the back of the pit

Here is my first video from Pit 1. More to come.

video: [www.youtube.com]

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Kurt

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Madcap

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jumpingjackflash5
This is awesome.

[www.youtube.com]

No need to worry about band's performance and power.

They still have it all.

Amazing. It’s truly remarkable how good they sound given their age. I might cry on Tuesday night at the possibility that it could be the last time I see them.

I was close to tears during Angie...astonishing that we all picked the right band to fall in love with, huh?!

I suggest they play a third song out there each night.
Two wasn’t enough.

You seemed fine to me Kurt. Good job it wasn't Ruby Tuesday or else I'd have had a meltdown!

I would fully support 3 songs at the end of the catwalk too. Perhaps 2 accoustic and a fast one from their early career. Something similar to on the BtB, Licks or ABB tours. No fancy bridges or cranes needed.

The bus is already approaching Toledo, Ohio and I'm still buzzing. 800 miles on a train to Chicago and the same back again on a bus for a side on view of the opening night of a Stones Tour? 0.000 regrets and I'd do it again without hesitation.

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MelBelli

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GasLightStreet

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gotdablouse
Right, again I thought his playing was fine, better than in Hamburg 2017 by a country mile but I've never seen him look like he did on SFM at 2'48 : [youtu.be]
Guess he was focusing !

Wow! That was one hell of a wonking clam!!!!!!!!

Wha? He’s done way worse than that over the years.

I know that. But I love new ones - and that one was brilliantly obvious. For the LICKS PPV he had one in SFM before going to the chorus. It magically disappeared on FOUR FLICKS.

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fzv98d
Here is my first video from Pit 1. More to come.

video: [www.youtube.com]

Thanks for this. Great video and sound as well.

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Phil Good

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His Majesty

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makemeburnthecandle
On the 7th day God created The Rolling Stones

Brian sends his thanks, but say's he isn't god.

Well said, HM

Though thanks to everyone who remembers what Bill Wyman once said: "...No Brian Jones -No Rolling Stones".
And that's the truth!

So who are those impostors that have been playing for the last 50 years?

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fzv98d
Here is my first video from Pit 1. More to come.

video: [www.youtube.com]

Great video! Looking forward to more! Thx

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The Sicilian

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Phil Good

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His Majesty

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makemeburnthecandle
On the 7th day God created The Rolling Stones

Brian sends his thanks, but say's he isn't god.

Well said, HM

Though thanks to everyone who remembers what Bill Wyman once said: "...No Brian Jones -No Rolling Stones".
And that's the truth!

So who are those impostors that have been playing for the last 50 years?

They are what the band that Brian got together, formed and named evolved into after his death, still an excellent band, but no longer featuring Brian.