Carl Recine

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Carl Recine

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There was a (negative) change of mood in Pista A in Madrid about half way through…I got the impression that loads of people who had spent the first half drinking in the bar decided they wanted to actually watch the band… it felt a lot busier in the second half with people wanting to get to the front etc Shame but there you go

"There were quite a few young people near me (teenagers and twenty-somethings) who were loving the show and were blown away. Mick was just fantastic - really focussed and really seemed to be enjoying himself. Yes there was a bit of confusion during Street Fighting Man but it wasn’t serious (I have heard bootlegs from the 70s and from 1981/82 with far more serious mistakes),..."


Exactly, John Lomax... 1978 tour (a very energetic and unstable, at the same time, tour) included many mistakes and moments of sloppines. During 1981/82, we had some botched intros of the opening song (UMT). Same happened on 2003, with "Brown Sugar" (the worst of them, perhaps in Stade De France). Noone was considering those weak moments as "disasters". But nowadys , many fans seem to show a kind of anxiety. What anxiety? As for the time which is rolling, I guess... Three missing notes, a "minimalistic" intro of "Gimme Shelter" (Munich), even a sound problem (a technical one, maybe) can drive some people to conclusions, obviously incompatible with the overall level of any gig.


I'm judging by clips and videos so far (Milan 'll be my fisrt and last gig of the tour, I wish I had time for more). Judging by them, the energy is still here and the band sounds as good, as the last time I attended them (2018). The band remains really good, without considering their age. Considering this factor, that's nothing more than phenomenal. More personal conclusions, after Milan's gig...

... nothing LESS than phenomenal, I mean...

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laertisflash
... nothing LESS than phenomenal, I mean...

Absolutely phenomenal i agree, when you consider their ages it moves to the side of fiction and dark magic, if these were fictional characters in a book you would say come on man that's going to far, it's just not credible.

But there they are, Ronnie back from a death sentence, Keith back from a 20 year slump and Mick still doing what he does is impossible, show me a 79 year old on this planet that can move like that and never get injured, it just doesn't happen.

We just have to accept it, the fact we criticise men that age just proves we forget their age, most are barely walking and find it hard to reach the toilets in time.

Add to that the abuse Keith and Ronnie have thrown at their bodies and it just beggars belief.

Financial Times review:

"Not since 1971 have the words “Hello Liverpool!” been uttered in the inimitable mockney drawl of Mick Jagger. That was the last time The Rolling Stones performed in the city of their old rivals, the Other Band — or the “local lads”, as Jagger put it, introducing a one-off cover of The Beatles’ “I Wanna Be Your Man”.

True to character, The Stones gave it a brash, leering emphasis absent from the Fabs’ fresh-faced original. “We should do it every night,” Jagger commented cheerily to his bandmates afterwards. Their rejigged ranks disclosed the evening’s other significance. The Rolling Stones’ first Liverpool show in 51 years was also their first UK gig without Charlie Watts since 1962, following the drummer’s death last year.

The concert opened with screened footage showing Watts over the decades. Jagger dedicated the night to him. Abetted by trusty lieutenant Ronnie Wood on guitar, the original Stones line-up is now down to the core twosome of the singer and Keith Richards, who began their musical partnership in 1961 as teenage blues enthusiasts. Both 78, they are the band’s last men standing — although this punchy and highly entertaining outing at Anfield stadium gave no hint of a swan song from the old stagers yet.

Part of The Stones’ 60th anniversary tour, the set began with “Street Fighting Man”. “What can a poor boy do, except to sing for a rock’n’roll band,” Jagger chorused. Fifty thousand voices joined in with his eternal showman’s credo. The “poor boy” — a great-grandfather these days — stood on a catwalk with Richards and Wood wielding their guitars behind him. Watts’s place at the drum kit was efficiently filled by Steve Jordan, a regular player with Richards in his solo projects. Among the other musicians was keyboardist Chuck Leavell, formerly of The Allmann Brothers Band, who acts as musical director.

The stage was framed by a cut-out facade in the shape of a mouth, a favourite symbol for this most voracious of bands. The catwalk extended from it like a long tongue deep into the audience. It was chiefly used by Jagger, skipping down to a thrust stage at the far end and then running back to the rest of the band on the main stage, a cartoonish bundle of energy. Meanwhile, Wood stepped forward into the spotlight to perform solos, executed with perfectly controlled flashiness.

Richards tended to play a supporting role on guitar, concentrating on vamps and licks, although he marched on to the catwalk to crank out the opening riffs to classics such as “Honky Tonk Women”. He wore a blue woollen hat: the only sign of a pensionable fashion choice amid the drainpipe trousers, leather blousons and sparkly shirts that constituted the rest of The Stones’ wardrobe, a comfortingly familiar display of peacockery.

The staging had a stripped-back quality, like a stadium-sized club show. The sound was bright and well-mixed. Jagger was in fine voice, while the guitar tones shifted deftly from the chainsaw growl of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” to the bluesy bent notes of “You Got the Silver”, which was sung with a Dylan-esque edge by Richards. “Brown Sugar”, with its highly cancellable lyrics about race and sex, has been ditched from their tour set lists. “Out of Time” has taken its place, a belated live debut for the 1966 song.

It was a highlight, with choppy guitars cutting against a warm keyboard melody led by Leavell. A long version of “Miss You” from 1978’s Some Girls was another standout. Its lithe disco rhythms seemed designed to emphasise the band’s continued liveliness.

No one epitomised that quality more than Jagger, a phenomenon of shimmying hips and trembling hands, working the crowd and selling songs with undimmed ardour. It was at least the 1,185th time that he had sung “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” live, but he did so as though it was the first. As for when the last time will come — that fell day remains unthinkable in The Stones’ mindset".

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keefriffhards
most are barely walking and find it hard to reach the toilets in time.

I mean, 78 is not that old. Sounds more like you're talking about 98 than 78.

"Not since 1971 have the words “Hello Liverpool!” been uttered in the inimitable mockney drawl of Mick Jagger. That was the last time The Rolling Stones performed in the city of their old rivals, the Other Band — or the “local lads”, as Jagger put it, introducing a one-off cover of The Beatles’ “I Wanna Be Your Man”.

True to character, The Stones gave it a brash, leering emphasis absent from the Fabs’ fresh-faced original. "

The original, while written by the "Fabs" was recorded first by the Stones and is technically the "original" version. The Beatles version, is the cover.


Nice to see all the great reviews!

Jim Dyson/Redferns

Dave J Hogan/Getty

Dave J Hogan/Getty

Jim Dyson/Redferns

very strong show

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EasterMan

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keefriffhards
most are barely walking and find it hard to reach the toilets in time.

I mean, 78 is not that old. Sounds more like you're talking about 98 than 78.

Most are dead at 78
[www.simplyinsurance.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-06-10 17:45 by keefriffhards.

The Rolling Stones, Anfield, review: sixty years on, the Stones are loose, fresh and utterly alive as ever



The Stones attacked their sixtieth anniversary tour with electrifying vigour, proving they still 'roll on' as the kings of rock and roll

By Neil McCormick
9 June 2022


Redferns

"How ya feelin', awlright?" crowed Mick Jagger in that inimitable drawl. "In 1962, we met a drummer called Charlie Watts and this is our first tour without him. We'd like to dedicate this show to Charlie."

Their rock solid sticksman may have left us, but the Stones are still rolling on, opening their sixtieth anniversary British tour in Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium. It is the city of their one time rivals The Beatles. In tribute to the Fab Four, the old road warriors dusted down I Wanna Be Your Man, the song Lennon and McCartney gave them back in 1963.

"We decided to do a cover version by some local lads," teased Jagger, but he really seemed to enjoy their messy romp through their first big hit, muttering afterwards to Keith Richards: "We should do that every night."

They may have started out as London’s answer to Merseybeat but the Stones rose to be acclaimed as the Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World. It has been sixty years of guitar voodoo, sixty years of ludicrously camp dance moves, sixty years of attacking every concert as if it was a celebration and a coronation. And on this evidence, they are not ready to give up their title just yet.

The septuagenarian Stones hit the stage with a raw blast of energy, grinning and colliding with each other as they charged through an unarguable set of absolute rock classics. Once they were the surly, scruffy boy rebels, keeping alive the blues of an old and neglected generation, giving America’s black roots music a transformative shot of British youth and electricity. Now it is the Stones themselves who are the old masters of a dying art form, older even than most of their heroes were when they started out. They may be gaunt, wrinkled and jowelly, yet they remain forcefully animated by the spirit of the music.

Of the original line up, only Jagger and Richards are still standing, albeit one rarely stands still and the other can barely stand up straight. The dynamic duo are both 78 now (and that’s years on the clock, not RPM). Over the decades, Richards has somehow still retained an aura of ineffable gypsy jetset cool even as he has crumpled into a kind of rocking garden gnome, weird and wizened, twisted around his guitar.

"It's great to see you," chuckled Richards. "Hey, its great to see anybody." But though the fingers may be gnarly they still glide up and down the fretboard with supernatural ease. He mainly plays slashing chords but still conjures a sound that pushes and pulls the music, all rhythm, groove and glorious riffs.

By contrast, Jagger actually moves like a man half his old school mate’s age. He may have had a heart bypass but Jagger still approaches shows as if they were an athletic endurance test, racing up and down runways, dancing and spinning, hyperactivity jiggling, shaking, clapping, leading the band with nods and winks, physically embodying the spirit of the music itself.

Eternal new boy Ronnie Wood (a mere stripling of 75), has been with the Stones 46 years. He looks comparatively sprightly after two bouts with cancer, and has taken on more of the heavy guitar lifting, firing off bright, exciting if wildly sloppy lead solos over Richards gritty open chords.

American session player Steve Jordan, 65, occupied the drum stool with what can only be described as a Wattsian economy. The live line up is augmented by backing singers, percussionists, keyboards and horns, creating a magical miasma of music that swells and drives, forming around one killer song after another. Even their 2019 lockdown reggae anthem sounded like an old classic with Jagger blowing a fierce, soulful harmonica solo.

There was a frankly unsurpassable run of songs in the second half, after Richards solo vocal spot, that took in a wild funky charge through Miss You, a sinuous, raw and supercharged Midnight Rambler, blasting Start Me Up, fierce Paint It Black, epic Sympathy For The Devil, raucous Jumpin' Jack Flash, magnificent Gimme Shelter and thrilling Satisfaction. They were serenaded off with a huge Kop roar of You'll Never Walk Alone.

How much longer can this go on? The sense of the finish line approaching means every song should be loaded with sentiment, a defiance of age and time wed to a fear that we may never see their like again. Yet the truth is, sixty years on the Stones still feel loose, fresh and utterly alive to the moment and the music, as thrilling and relevant as any contemporary band. Long may they keep on Rolling.

[www.telegraph.co.uk]

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keefriffhards

Quote
yeababyyea
Keith totally messed up at 3:18. Hope they will change to a different opening song they can nail every time.

Oh dear looks like Keith started early this year.

Mistakes in live concerts are relative for me. Mistakes every few songs becomes irritating but a big gaffe or even 2 per show adds to the enjoyment. A reminder that talented but flawed humans are putting on a live show!

Quote
laertisflash
"There were quite a few young people near me (teenagers and twenty-somethings) who were loving the show and were blown away. Mick was just fantastic - really focussed and really seemed to be enjoying himself. Yes there was a bit of confusion during Street Fighting Man but it wasn’t serious (I have heard bootlegs from the 70s and from 1981/82 with far more serious mistakes),..."


Exactly, John Lomax... 1978 tour (a very energetic and unstable, at the same time, tour) included many mistakes and moments of sloppines. During 1981/82, we had some botched intros of the opening song (UMT). Same happened on 2003, with "Brown Sugar" (the worst of them, perhaps in Stade De France). Noone was considering those weak moments as "disasters". But nowadys , many fans seem to show a kind of anxiety. What anxiety? As for the time which is rolling, I guess... Three missing notes, a "minimalistic" intro of "Gimme Shelter" (Munich), even a sound problem (a technical one, maybe) can drive some people to conclusions, obviously incompatible with the overall level of any gig.


I'm judging by clips and videos so far (Milan 'll be my fisrt and last gig of the tour, I wish I had time for more). Judging by them, the energy is still here and the band sounds as good, as the last time I attended them (2018). The band remains really good, without considering their age. Considering this factor, that's nothing more than phenomenal. More personal conclusions, after Milan's gig...

I was at the Munich show and I completely agree with you.
It was my 26th show and it's one of the best, I've seen. I talked to several people after the show and they were all enthousiastic. One guy ssid, he has seen 200 shows of many bands and this Stones gig was the best of them.
Of course it was an experience of freedom and joy being togwther with so many people and have a real good time together sfter two years of lockdown.
It was just fantastic. Go and check it out!

Same experience here, Michael...
I know many, many people beeing enthousiastic with the Stones, after having seen them (their first time) in 2014, 2017, 2018, not in 1973 or 1989...
I can't wait for Milan's gig...

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Markdog

Quote
keefriffhards

Quote
yeababyyea
Keith totally messed up at 3:18. Hope they will change to a different opening song they can nail every time.

Oh dear looks like Keith started early this year.

Mistakes in live concerts are relative for me. Mistakes every few songs becomes irritating but a big gaffe or even 2 per show adds to the enjoyment. A reminder that talented but flawed humans are putting on a live show!

Could not agree more, ( Keith started early was an in joke, stoned, weed or booze ) and i would add it's better to have a few mistakes than to have a lazy Keith. I would hate it if he just stood there concentrating determined not to make a mistake, love Keith moving, throwing his arms and fingers at the guitar strings and amazingly hitting it right 99% of the time, ( who else can do that ) we want to see them enjoying themselves, showing off for us. Or maybe that's just me.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2022-06-10 21:27 by keefriffhards.

I thought it was a great show

My personal Stones preference is more the late 60's / 70's stuff but i loved the setlist regardless

There were a handful of 'wtf was that' moments throughout when something didn't sound quite right but for me it all adds to the charm and shows it's a live band not robotic

Can't deny i'm a little worried Keef might be finding it harder to play certain stuff though. Which given the state of his fingers/age isn't that unusual

If it's the last time, and i strongly suspect it will be that was a more than decent send off for me though

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bye bye johnny

Dave J Hogan/Getty

What's that thing sticking out of his trousers?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-06-10 19:15 by StonedRambler.

Awesome version of I Wanna Be Your Man last night

StonedRambler it's his on and off switch

He always has it, think its to do with his mic radio transmitter conductor thingy.

Loved hearing Out Of Time for the first time ever last night -







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-06-12 20:31 by Silver Dagger.

Anyone else notice that 19th Nervous Breakdown was a car crash last night? Mick began singing a verse while Keith and Ronnie were still playing the middle 8.

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micha063

Quote
laertisflash
"There were quite a few young people near me (teenagers and twenty-somethings) who were loving the show and were blown away. Mick was just fantastic - really focussed and really seemed to be enjoying himself. Yes there was a bit of confusion during Street Fighting Man but it wasn’t serious (I have heard bootlegs from the 70s and from 1981/82 with far more serious mistakes),..."


Exactly, John Lomax... 1978 tour (a very energetic and unstable, at the same time, tour) included many mistakes and moments of sloppines. During 1981/82, we had some botched intros of the opening song (UMT). Same happened on 2003, with "Brown Sugar" (the worst of them, perhaps in Stade De France). Noone was considering those weak moments as "disasters". But nowadys , many fans seem to show a kind of anxiety. What anxiety? As for the time which is rolling, I guess... Three missing notes, a "minimalistic" intro of "Gimme Shelter" (Munich), even a sound problem (a technical one, maybe) can drive some people to conclusions, obviously incompatible with the overall level of any gig.


I'm judging by clips and videos so far (Milan 'll be my fisrt and last gig of the tour, I wish I had time for more). Judging by them, the energy is still here and the band sounds as good, as the last time I attended them (2018). The band remains really good, without considering their age. Considering this factor, that's nothing more than phenomenal. More personal conclusions, after Milan's gig...

I was at the Munich show and I completely agree with you.
It was my 26th show and it's one of the best, I've seen. I talked to several people after the show and they were all enthousiastic. One guy ssid, he has seen 200 shows of many bands and this Stones gig was the best of them.
Of course it was an experience of freedom and joy being togwther with so many people and have a real good time together sfter two years of lockdown.
It was just fantastic. Go and check it out!

Top 5 stadium shows for me as well (35-40 shows since 1990)

Quote
Silver Dagger
Anyone else notice that 19th Nervous Breakdown was a car crash last night? Mick began singing a verse while Keith and Ronnie were still playing the middle 8.

Micks tiny mistake that lasted a few seconds can hardly be described as a car crash. Doublespeak or what.