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DandelionPowderman

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Cooltoplady

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jlowe

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Big Al
Keith suffers from heberden’s nodes, no? At least, that’s what the swelling in his finger joints look like. It isn’t arthritis.

I thought it was a form of Osteoarthritis?

Did anyone think that’s its brain and not his hands? You don’t go through all that abuse without some permanent damage

So how come he's so quick and sharp in interviews

But can he count to 10? So why is his leads so bad. You don’t play on the wrong key because your fingers are swollen. That’s your brain doing that

I was in Jacksonville, and it was my first live show since North American LICKS in 2002, which, in my opinion, was a GREAT tour with no bad shows.

I paid more attention to Keith and his eyes and his playing or lack thereof, and I also watched Charlie, who is no longer keying off Keith, but now, he's keying off Ronnie. Here's excerpts from what I wrote about Keith in my review on the Jacksonville homepage:

This is a different band and a very, very different show. This is a spectacle that could probably be best described as "The Rolling Stones' Show." It is truly hard to conceive of 4 men in their mid-70s putting on a finer performance of rock and roll for 2 hours, and for that, we must be very thankful. These guys represent the Rolling Stones very, very well.

However, one's expectations for this need to be tempered if one thinks that one will see the band that played the Fox in 1978 or Hampton 1981 or even Turner Field in 2002. They are not that band, and how could they be? They are in their mid-70s and now parts of a much more precisely orchestrated and carefully choreographed performance art - giving all 60,000 of us who paid $2MM or more to see them an evening with the Rolling stones' show.

A word on Keith - he's trying sometimes, and those moments can be wonderful when the chords struck match the sound that should be there. However, and here's the part no one likes to say or think about - too many times one looks into his eyes on the big, tall screens, and he's not even there or with a look of knowing why he's there. There are moments where he's fine, but if there was one word I would use to describe Keith Richards last night, and it pains me to my soul to write this, it would be ........ tired.

This was a fine show with wonderful moments and worth the $250 or whatever the ticket cost. No one in this day and age can pack a tour's worth of stadiums and deliver the Show like these guys. That they are not quite all they used to be 50, 30, or even 20 years ago should not be held against them. After all, you aren't what you used to be 20 years ago either, right?

I know that some among y'all are going to be p!ssed about what I say about Keith, but watch the videos. It's all there.

Kick me like you kicked before
I can't even feel the pain no more

"Rocks Off", Exile on Main Street
Rolling Stones, 1972



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-07-23 17:00 by bv.

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Cooltoplady

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DandelionPowderman

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Cooltoplady

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jlowe

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Big Al
Keith suffers from heberden’s nodes, no? At least, that’s what the swelling in his finger joints look like. It isn’t arthritis.

I thought it was a form of Osteoarthritis?

Did anyone think that’s its brain and not his hands? You don’t go through all that abuse without some permanent damage

So how come he's so quick and sharp in interviews

But can he count to 10? So why is his leads so bad. You don’t play on the wrong key because your fingers are swollen. That’s your brain doing that

He might have the coolest licks in his head but his fingers won't realize them. Vice versa his psyche could be influences by the condition of his fingers and lead to a blockade in his creativity during the solos because he fears his fingers won't do the licks he wants to play. Must be frustrating for him too.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-07-23 04:31 by StonedRambler.

I can’t wait to see him! And, hear him!!

Some posts in this thread are strange.
Keith is not lost, he enjoys playing.
Yes he is a bit slower and he plays style suitable for old, experienced guitarist.
He is concentrated on music if he run on stage like Mick he could not play.
He still has unique timing and riffs.
And he has still great, fantastic moments at nearly every show .
Happy to have him rocking around!

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Cooltoplady

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DandelionPowderman

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Cooltoplady

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jlowe

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Big Al
Keith suffers from heberden’s nodes, no? At least, that’s what the swelling in his finger joints look like. It isn’t arthritis.

I thought it was a form of Osteoarthritis?

Did anyone think that’s its brain and not his hands? You don’t go through all that abuse without some permanent damage

So how come he's so quick and sharp in interviews

But can he count to 10? So why is his leads so bad. You don’t play on the wrong key because your fingers are swollen. That’s your brain doing that

If you don't look at the fretboard you'll do those mistakes...

For goodness sake !

Are we still having this conversation ?

Keith isn't 30 or even 60 any more ...he's 75 .

He isn't the same guitar player he was 30 years ago ...but neither is he an arthritis riddled old wreck, addled by dementia, who doesn't know what freekin' day it is !


[...and anybody who thinks that Keith's occasional tendency to launch into a solo in the wrong key is a recent thing , hasn't been watching him for very long ]

Cut Keith some slack

Yes, yes, yes!

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Spud
For goodness sake !

Are we still having this conversation ?

Keith isn't 30 or even 60 any more ...he's 75 .

He isn't the same guitar player he was 30 years ago ...but neither is he an arthritis riddled old wreck, addled by dementia, who doesn't know what freekin' day it is !


[...and anybody who thinks that Keith's occasional tendency to launch into a solo in the wrong key is a recent thing , hasn't been watching him for very long ]

Keith is 76, he is the probably the one who is acting more 'normal' than anyone else. At that age he has every right to space on a few chord changes. I am actually glad he forgets a few because maybe that means he too is thinking "why am I playing these same damn songs over and over?"
The real question should be "Is something up with Mick?" He is the one who is completely off the grid.

Why? Mick is also fine.

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Palace Revolution 2000
Keith is 76, he is the probably the one who is acting more 'normal' than anyone else. At that age he has every right to space on a few chord changes. I am actually glad he forgets a few because maybe that means he too is thinking "why am I playing these same damn songs over and over?"
The real question should be "Is something up with Mick?" He is the one who is completely off the grid.

You mean in terms of Mick being a perfectionist, Type-A control freak?

Ha, I like the way you spun this...you almost could make the case that Keith is acting the more normal of the two given their ages.

You can’t say he’s lost and judge whats going on in someone’s mind from the video screens, that’s kinda an ignorant comment. Unless you’re a mind reader: which you’re not.

On the bright side....

At least Keith doesn’t have a kid younger than 5 years running around. Ask yourself was you dad 91 years old at your high school graduation? Fuuck no he wasn’t!!



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2019-07-23 15:39 by JDSAM1994.

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JDSAM1994
You can’t say he’s lost and judge whats going on in someone’s mind from the video screens, that’s kinda an ignorant comment. Unless you’re a mind reader: which you’re not.

On the bright side....

At least Keith doesn’t have a kid younger than 5 years running around. Ask yourself was you dad 91 years old at your high school graduation? Fuuck no he wasn’t!!

What's your point?

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PR 2000
I am actually glad he forgets a few because maybe that means he too is thinking "why am I playing these same damn songs over and over?"

I don't think that question has ever crossed his mind. I mean, he's the guy playing the same 2-3 songs over and over in his own set.
It's very fair to state that The Rolling Stones is a band that loves playing the same songs over and over again. Why would they else do it?

Ps. Actually I think Ronnie is the guy who is most fed up with same old, same old. But he would never say so. Out of courtesy. Ds.

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torontostoner

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JDSAM1994
You can’t say he’s lost and judge whats going on in someone’s mind from the video screens, that’s kinda an ignorant comment. Unless you’re a mind reader: which you’re not.

On the bright side....

At least Keith doesn’t have a kid younger than 5 years running around. Ask yourself was you dad 91 years old at your high school graduation? Fuuck no he wasn’t!!

What's your point?

Make what you want of it...

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Stoneage
It's very fair to state that The Rolling Stones is a band that loves playing the same songs over and over again. Why would they else do it?

I don't think they love it...I think they're pretty ambivalent about playing the same set every night at best.

They know they have to, so they go out and do them every night.

The band doesn't have the collective physical and mental dexterity required to play Licks-style setlists anymore.

Yes, Keefriff 99. The Licks Tour was a treat. I'm glad I was part of the Stockholm 2003 triology. Three venues, three different setlists. Nothing to complain about there...

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keefriff99

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Stoneage
It's very fair to state that The Rolling Stones is a band that loves playing the same songs over and over again. Why would they else do it?

The band doesn't have the collective physical and mental dexterity required to play Licks-style setlists anymore.

Technical also (guitar playing).

***
I'm just a Bad Boy Boogie

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Stoneage
Yes, Keefriff 99. The Licks Tour was a treat. I'm glad I was part of the Stockholm 2003 triology. Three venues, three different setlists. Nothing to complain about there...

I saw three shows in September/October 2002 (including 2nd row opening night in Boston), and then two more in January 2003 (including the HBO show at MSG)...it was the best collective concert experience I've ever had.

It was such a joy and privilege going every night and being surprised by a different collection of songs. The variety of songs they played may have been their greatest achievement as a live band post '89.

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JDSAM1994

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torontostoner

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JDSAM1994
You can’t say he’s lost and judge whats going on in someone’s mind from the video screens, that’s kinda an ignorant comment. Unless you’re a mind reader: which you’re not.

On the bright side....

At least Keith doesn’t have a kid younger than 5 years running around. Ask yourself was you dad 91 years old at your high school graduation? Fuuck no he wasn’t!!

What's your point?

Make what you want of it...

OK, but Keith wasn't straight when he had his kids...is that any better?

They are who they are, and we love them because of or in spite of all that.

Stand for 2 hours with a guitar strapped around you at almost any age, it's work. At 75 it's serious work if you don't keep in shape. Keith focusing and not moving much is best for the songs, maybe not best for the show. If Keith has arthritis that bad in his hands he has it in most joints especially the knees. There isn't going to be spread eagle and crouch Keith moves any longer at 75. If he was in mick's shape he likely could still.

It's almost inconsivable any rock band could do this at 75+. Be thankful.

Keith moved around A LOT more in Jacksonville than in Chicago 1. Those are the only 2 shows I attended so the only 2 I can use for reference. In Chicago 1, he basically stood still the whole night next to Charlie with some minor movement here and there. He was much more mobile in Jacksonville, comparatively speaking. He moved around a bit and did a little bit of fun rock star posturing. Certainly more than Chicago 1.

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stonesstein
I was in Jacksonville, and it was my first live show since North American LICKS in 2002, which, in my opinion, was a GREAT tour with no bad shows.

I paid more attention to Keith and his eyes and his playing or lack thereof, and I also watched Charlie, who is no longer keying off Keith, but now, he's keying off Ronnie. Here's excerpts from what I wrote about Keith in my review on the Jacksonville homepage:

This is a different band and a very, very different show. This is a spectacle that could probably be best described as "The Rolling Stones' Show." It is truly hard to conceive of 4 men in their mid-70s putting on a finer performance of rock and roll for 2 hours, and for that, we must be very thankful. These guys represent the Rolling Stones very, very well.

However, one's expectations for this need to be tempered if one thinks that one will see the band that played the Fox in 1978 or Hampton 1981 or even Turner Field in 2002. They are not that band, and how could they be? They are in their mid-70s and now parts of a much more precisely orchestrated and carefully choreographed performance art - giving all 60,000 of us who paid $2MM or more to see them an evening with the Rolling stones' show.

A word on Keith - he's trying sometimes, and those moments can be wonderful when the chords struck match the sound that should be there. However, and here's the part no one likes to say or think about - too many times one looks into his eyes on the big, tall screens, and he's not even there or with a look of knowing why he's there. There are moments where he's fine, but if there was one word I would use to describe Keith Richards last night, and it pains me to my soul to write this, it would be ........ tired.

This was a fine show with wonderful moments and worth the $250 or whatever the ticket cost. No one in this day and age can pack a tour's worth of stadiums and deliver the Show like these guys. That they are not quite all they used to be 50, 30, or even 20 years ago should not be held against them. After all, you aren't what you used to be 20 years ago either, right?

I know that some among y'all are going to be p!ssed about what I say about Keith, but watch the videos. It's all there.

Yeah, I was at Jax and thought he sounded pretty good but the look on his face was kind of spaced out, no idea why. That doesn't mean he WAS spaced out, just because he looked a certain way. Ronnie now is the dominant guitar player - this seems pretty clear. During the end of Sweet Virginia Keith just stopped playing and I wasn't sure if it was because he got lost or not. All that being said, he's not embarrassing himself or anything. No reason to stop, but, as Dylan said, "things have changed."

Another thing to keep in mind is that it seems like Keith is smoking a LOT...LOT...of weed lately.

He had a massive spliff in his hand when he took a photo with Peter Wolf before the Boston gig.

In the grand scheme of things, smoking weed is hardly a huge concern for Keith, but it could dull his perceptions on stage and make him more spaced out...as opposed to coke, when he was hyper-charged and stalking the stage like a panther.

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keefriff99
Another thing to keep in mind is that it seems like Keith is smoking a LOT...LOT...of weed lately.

He had a massive spliff in his hand when he took a photo with Peter Wolf before the Boston gig.

In the grand scheme of things, smoking weed is hardly a huge concern for Keith, but it could dull his perceptions on stage and make him more spaced out...as opposed to coke, when he was hyper-charged and stalking the stage like a panther.

Hell yeah I saw that! Nothing wrong with smoking weed. Peter Wolf is great by the way. I have seen him 7 times. If you have the chance to see him, do it, he puts on a great show.

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torontostoner

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JDSAM1994

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torontostoner

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JDSAM1994
You can’t say he’s lost and judge whats going on in someone’s mind from the video screens, that’s kinda an ignorant comment. Unless you’re a mind reader: which you’re not.

On the bright side....

At least Keith doesn’t have a kid younger than 5 years running around. Ask yourself was you dad 91 years old at your high school graduation? Fuuck no he wasn’t!!

What's your point?

Make what you want of it...

OK, but Keith wasn't straight when he had his kids...is that any better?

They are who they are, and we love them because of or in spite of all that.

What ever your opinion is, I respect it. No need to persuade. I'd rather my dad not be straight at the time of my birth opposed to being 90 years old at my High school graduation. Thats just me

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JDSAM1994

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torontostoner

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JDSAM1994

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torontostoner

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JDSAM1994
You can’t say he’s lost and judge whats going on in someone’s mind from the video screens, that’s kinda an ignorant comment. Unless you’re a mind reader: which you’re not.

On the bright side....

At least Keith doesn’t have a kid younger than 5 years running around. Ask yourself was you dad 91 years old at your high school graduation? Fuuck no he wasn’t!!

What's your point?

Make what you want of it...

OK, but Keith wasn't straight when he had his kids...is that any better?

They are who they are, and we love them because of or in spite of all that.

What ever your opinion is, I respect it. No need to persuade. I'd rather my dad not be straight at the time of my birth opposed to being 90 years old at my High school graduation. Thats just me

Of course! That's what makes it interesting...differing viewpoints! All good.

So what can we gather from the facts in relation of what's up with Keith, he smokes weed too much and doesn't move so much on stage , on the plus side, he still sings and plays arguably as good as usual. He certainly plays well enough to give Mick something decent to perform to, and isn't that really Keith's job.Ronnie is playing more to compensate for Keith. The sound coming from Keith's guitar is excellent, he still plays all his signitire intros , solo's,, riffs and rhythm.
He's holding on well at 76, he only looks left wanting because of the physicality of Ronnie and Mick in comparison. But as was mentioned Keith is normal, Mick isn't, look at Mick's physical appearance, its not 76 is it, more like 46.

I don't think Sir Michael's physical appearance is that of a 46 year-old. Gravity has done its job even on him. He's very fit for his age though.