I would like to offer a few of my thoughts to the fans that have a “wish list” of what the Stones should be doing instead of what they are achieving.

They know what they are doing. The core band has made decisions for themselves over the years and have more experience in the entertainment industry than almost any other performing artist(s). BV made a good point of why they chose the songs they perform in his review of the Houston show. Even though they are who they are they still have to HOLD the audience. In NY or PHL or other places things are different than in the vast middle of the U.S. I have seen them outside of the east coast and it is a different vibe. I was in Sun Devil AZ stadium in the 90’s for a show and they played Star Star and nobody really know what was going on; it was like ‘what did he just say” LOL.
They tour for a number of reasons. One is that they have a business to run with employees to pay that I would think are on retainers so they are ready and available when the band is. If they ever stop touring and disband this family of techs and roadies and especially the backing players they would have an impossible problem to deal with if they changed their minds. They provide a nice lifestyle for their people but they need revenue to pay them. They have always been professionals and pros get paid.
I admire how emotional the fans get but imagine what it is like for them to wonder if they will ever “pass this way again”. I think they are doing the best they can do with what they do and present it to first timers and 500 timers like our host BV.
Just enjoy it for what it is like I think they are trying to do themselves.

[www.youtube.com]

SFTD with Mick wearing the Raven Coat again in Houston - and it's from Pit 2!!! Really hoping to see it in Seattle and Glendale (when I will be in Pit 2)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-07-29 06:27 by LovingCupola.

Quote
NeverMakeASaintOfMe
I worked hard at my crappy part time job, working extra hours while still going to high school so I could buy this ticket and man i'm so incredibly happy I bought it. Hope you all had as good of a night as I did!

You, sir or madam, are the reason musicians do what they do. I'm incredibly happy for you, and yes, I enjoyed it as much as you did!

Quote
stone4ever

Quote
powerage78
I'm hallucinating to read some things here. Better, better, better...
It's scary.

As the tour progresses the band are bound to get better, its nothing new to the Stones, consider they play an average of 16 gigs a year, of course there is room for improvement after each show. My God Keith came in rusty as he usually does, he's still rusty, Keith gets going as these mini tours finish, just not enough shows to see the Keith you all expect. I doubt he hardly touches his guitar when he's not recording or touring, if he does its probably his acoustic and not Stones material.
Like Charlie said once, you can't play the drums on your own,so he needs to tour to play them.
What they are offering to us now is a bonus, this band has already given us more than we ever dreamed of, if people come away from a show happy and thinking wow best ever, is it hurting anyone, we all know their best is behind them but its still nice to see those moments of magic you get to hear at every show, there is always something to take from one of their concerts.

Posts like this are the reason why I'm here.

Quote
caschimann

Quote
stone4ever

Quote
powerage78
I'm hallucinating to read some things here. Better, better, better...
It's scary.

As the tour progresses the band are bound to get better, its nothing new to the Stones, consider they play an average of 16 gigs a year, of course there is room for improvement after each show. My God Keith came in rusty as he usually does, he's still rusty, Keith gets going as these mini tours finish, just not enough shows to see the Keith you all expect. I doubt he hardly touches his guitar when he's not recording or touring, if he does its probably his acoustic and not Stones material.
Like Charlie said once, you can't play the drums on your own,so he needs to tour to play them.
What they are offering to us now is a bonus, this band has already given us more than we ever dreamed of, if people come away from a show happy and thinking wow best ever, is it hurting anyone, we all know their best is behind them but its still nice to see those moments of magic you get to hear at every show, there is always something to take from one of their concerts.

Posts like this are the reason why I'm here.

I second that!

Mick's singing is great on this tour. In later years his voice has sometimes sounded tired during the later part of the show. One example would be Start Me Up from Glastonbury 2013 when it more sounded like he spoke the lyrics than sang: [www.youtube.com]. Or London 2018 was even worse: [www.youtube.com]. But on this tour his voice sounds good throughout the whole show. Start Me Up from Houston was great: [www.youtube.com].

I think he's a bit more strategic now by singing with the same amount of power through the whole show and not singing too hard during the first few songs.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-07-29 19:46 by TheBlockbuster.

Yes I also noticed that Mick sings very well this tour and actually sings, whereas sometimes in the past he (to some extent and it was also not bad) more shouted than sang.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-07-29 20:21 by jumpingjackflash5.

The Stones have not played in Houston since 2005, 14 years. I've learned to never say 'never' with these guys, but the chances are low that they will ever return. With this in mind, I wanted to focus on the experience and not be concerned with setlists, # of songs, taking perfect pictures, etc.

My daughter and I got there early and staked out our place towards the back of the PIT. I wanted to be able to see the performance on both stages without relying on the screens. There were many great moments, some already mentioned such as Keith wishing Mick a happy birthday and the sharing of a mike during Sweet Virginia. After YCAGWYW, when Mick was ready to walk to the small stage, the other 3 were still behind the screen, leading Mick to wonder where they were. Ron and Charlie soon appeared, but it was another 20-30 seconds before Keith came out - maybe a quick trip to the boys room? The four of them shared a big laugh before the trip to the small stage. All four of them smiled and interacted throughout the show.

I don't understand the comments about Keith. I watched him more than any of the others throughout the show. He does not drive the band the way he once did, or move around as much, but he never looked lost or disengaged to me. He focused on his playing. He did not flub any intros and his solos were efficient. He smiled and interacted with all the others on stage throughout the show.

I've been replaying the show in my head ever since Saturday night. If this is the last time I see them, it is a great memory.

Quote
waterrats


Twitter

Bishop Gunn was in the back corner of the pit during the Rolling Stones. Mentioned to the bass player that I enjoyed his playing and that they kicked ass! He shook my hand, the next thing you know the other band members are introducing themselves! I asked what the largest crowd they had played for and was told about 10,000. Thought to myself what it would be like to warm-up The Rolling Stones!!!

A couple of songs later the bass player taps me on the arm and shakes my hand. He said "we have to go now. Nice to meet you".

We thought that's was cool!

The Rolling Stones Storm Houston in Only Texas Date

UK legends haven’t lost a step after frontman’s heart surgery

By Doug Freeman, Jul. 29, 2019


David Brendan Hall

The sold-out NRG Stadium in Houston marked the Stones only stop in Texas during the No Filter tour, which Jagger acknowledged in recruiting applause from fans trekking from Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, and Lubbock.

“I only know five cities in Texas,” he shrugged, thanking the crowd for their patience with rescheduling.

To whatever extent the ever-lithe frontman may have been slowed by his surgery, it wasn’t apparent Saturday night as the legendary foursome delivered a workman-like, two-hour, 19-song set. Opening with “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” and “Tumbling Dice,” Jagger strutted the extended catwalk in a sequined jacket while the band warmed. Keith Richards appeared particularly winded from the outset, only really ripping into his guitar after stepping up mid-set to sing “Before They Make Me Run” and lead “Miss You.”

Ronnie Wood, on the other hand, provided the backing glee and no one seemed to be having more fun onstage, while Charlie Watts remained the unflappable, stoic hand of time behind the kit.

“Out of Control” burned as Jagger tore into the harmonica, but the fan-voted request of “Heartbreaker” proved a hot mess, highlighting the frequently muddled sound in the stadium as it echoed back from the packed rafters. A two-song acoustic reprieve faired better, the band marching to the second stage in the crowd like the four horseman to deliver “Sweet Virginia” and “Dead Flowers,” the latter slathered thick with its co-writer’s affected drawl.

Likewise, “Sympathy for the Devil” and a blistering “Honky Tonk Women” reset the band before Richards took center stage for his double shot spotlight. Most fans took the interlude as an excuse to take a break themselves, but the Day-Glo disco blast of “Miss You” quickly called them back to their seats.

Afterward, “Midnight Rambler” punched a trademark highlight of the evening. The 1969 blues broiler from Let It Bleed wound into an extended jam, even dipping into Robert Johnson’s “Hellhound on My Trail.” That set up the end-run blowout of “Paint It Black,” “Start Me Up,” and “Brown Sugar,” with the closer finally showcasing Karl Denson’s roaring sax and unleashing Bernard Fowler and Sasha Allen’s backing vocals.

Allen also received her close-up on encore opener “Gimme Shelter,” belting out the iconic Merry Clayton part as she and Jagger went toe-to-toe at the lip of the stage. Closing with “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” the Rolling Stones proved themselves still an unstoppable force more than half a century after first storming the USA.

[www.austinchronicle.com]

Hi you all !

Just finished my pictures from Houston - if you like to enjoy, find the fullres album here:

[www.flickr.com]

Used both my Canon M6 (for zoom) and my smaller Sony RX100VI (for panoramas).

Yours, Josef

Great over-view of the show ….
Some wonderful shots ….. thanks so much for sharing Josef …..



ROCKMAN

Thanks, mate !

Really loved it - especially the air conditioning and the complete darkness for my pictures ;-)

Thanks for posting, really cool pics. Love the close up shot of Darryl - Top draw!

Well done...Thank you!

Yeah, Darryl's FB team seeemed to like it, too.

They used on of my pics on his FB page.

thanx for the pix.

Great shots mujomuc. Nailed the composition, timing, focus and exposure.

How did you get that camera in?

Well, it was close to the official specifications (the 55-200 lens is approx 3 inch long).

I only put on the 55-200 lens and I guess most security staff wouldn't have seen it as "professionell" (which it isn't). Though it has a removable lens.

In order to be on the safe side, I showed them my clear bag (with my small Sony) and held the Canon in the other hand. They didn't look (or care) about that.

I just didn't wave it around too much ;-)

After checking my bag, I just dropped everything in the clear bag. Then I walked through the detector. They didn't care then again.

Actually the Canon M6 is so small, it looks like any other personal cam. But its abilities are close to the bigger EOS 80D, so it is a great cam for concerts.

Most of the time I try not to show it too often - you never know how strict the personell is.

But in 95% of all cases they don't care.

Cheers !

Oh - the outside pictures were done with my "big" 5d Mk IV.

But I brought that back to the hotel nearby, that would have been a little to "big" I guess ;-)

As for settings - I use ISO 400 with manual settings (Speed 250, exp. 6.3-7). If it gets darker, then ISO 800.

Shooting RAW gives you great options for Photoshop later.

The autofocus on the M6 is really good, even easier then my 5d (which I still try to master completely shooting wildlife).

I can recommend the M6 to anyone, using the 22mm wideangle as everyday lens.

Wow fantastic, thanks...some of the best I've seen this tour, and not a bad pic in the bunch!

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

Thanks for the great pictures, majomuc!!!

I'm glad this show is so well documented. I wondered why I didn't spot myself and my group in the GA field picture, standing by the sign, but I realized I'm off in the distance by the other tower, lol.

Hi everyone -

Looks like I am the second person to post a large batch of Houston photos today!

I just uploaded 113 pictures taken from Pit 2. Quite a few of Mick and Keith together as well as a handful of Charlie actually smiling.

Go to the following to view them all...

[www.rockinhouston.com]

Enjoy!

Thanks for your bunch, mate !

What cam did you use for those, please ?

Cheers!