NAMES & FACES
We all need a Stone who can move on...
There'll be more sympathy for these old devils when they whip up
excitement
and change things up a bit.

Jon Bream and Chris Riemenschneider | Minneapolis Star Tribune
Posted October 17, 2005
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Oct 17, 2005
PHOTOS

Rolling Stones. (JEFF CHRISTENSEN/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Oct 17, 2005
So, they're the biggest, richest band in the world. So what? We're
finding
it hard to get pumped up about the Rolling Stones' tour [which makes a
stop
Wednesday at Tampa's St. Pete Times Forum].

Even if the new CD, A Bigger Bang, really is their best thing since
1981's
Tattoo You, as Rolling Stone magazine claims, that won't be enough to
have
us storming the gates.

Here are things that could get us excited about seeing the Stones
again:

Skip the spectacle and play a theater. The arena/stadium routine has
become
routine. Take a chance and play naked, so to speak, and focus on the
music,
not the running around.

Play one classic album straight through. If the Who can keep its crowd
enthused for the duration of Tommy, the Stones would have die-hard fans
enraptured with full performances of Exile on Main Street, Let It
Bleed,
Sticky Fingers, Aftermath or Some Girls.

Bring back Mick Taylor. The Roger Moore of Stones guitarists
(sandwiched
chronologically between Brian Jones and Ron Wood), he's actually the
Sean
Connery of the lot, some fans say. He fueled early-'70s albums Exile
and
Sticky Fingers before quitting the band in 1975, after which the Stones
were
never as great.

Let Charlie Watts be the boss. The Stones' quietest and
least-egotistical
member could steer the ship in new and interesting directions.

Scale back the prices. Seats start at $61.75. Dylan charges $50 with
Willie
Nelson. U2 asks $50 for the main floor.

Don't do "Jumpin' Jack Flash" or "Brown Sugar." They haven't played
these
songs well since they recorded them.

Add bandmates or touring partners with clout. Can you imagine the rabid
reaction if, say, someone such as Bob Dylan or Eric Clapton toured with
the
Stones? How about Bruce Hornsby, Steve Winwood or even Elton John on
keyboards with the Stones? Or maybe a big-name third guitarist such as
Jeff
Beck, Jimmy Page, Buddy Guy, Rich Robinson or Clapton.

On the other hand, lose some of the extra players. Does the band really
need
a fleet of anonymous backup musicians and singers? Trim that fattened
lineup. Besides making the shows more personal, it might cut into their
vices: Ron Wood and Keith Richards would have to play more and
chain-smoke
less, and Mick Jagger wouldn't have female singers around.

Play the blues, for real. The Stones started as a faux-blues band and
have
toyed with it for decades. How about a set full of their best trips to
the
crossroads, including "Little Red Rooster," "I Just Want to Make Love
to
You," "Walking the Dog," "Shake Your Hips," "Stray Cat Blues" and
"Ventilator Blues."

Find a new hairdresser. Nitpicking, maybe, but what a distraction:
Jagger
should switch to a new color of Clairol so his too-dark dye job doesn't
put
the focus on his deepening dimples.



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