Another Review Here.

[people.monstersandcritics.com]

Rolling Stones rock London

Aug 22, 2007, 11:10 GMT

The Rolling Stones showed last night (21.08.07) why, despite their advancing years they are still the greatest rock band in the world.

The band put on a blistering performance at London's O2 arena that had fans - young, old and very old - out of their seats and rocking from the very first power chord.

The show - the first of three hometown concerts - was the culmination of the band's two-year 'A Bigger Bang' tour.

Being back in London was not lost on the band - who have a combined age of 253 - who started their life playing the pubs and clubs of Richmond, south-west London.

Frontman Sir Mick Jagger, 64, told the crowd: "It's taken us 40 years to get from Twickenham to Greenwich!"

Opening with 'Start Up' the band had the thousands in attendance on their feet, before launching into a handful of new numbers, including 'Rough Justice' and 'You Got Me Rocking'.

At one point, the band paid homage to late soul legend James Brown performing a cover of his song 'I Go Crazy'.

Introducing the track, Mick said: "We'd like to pay tribute to a man who is an inspiration to us all, Mr. James Brown."

During the middle of the set, guitarist Keith Richards, 63, took over vocal duties from Mick and showed his rebellious streak lives on by blatantly flaunting the new UK smoking ban during 'Hold On'.

Keith was not the only Stone to ignore the ban. Fellow guitarist Ronnie Wood puffed away throughout the show.

The Stones then gave their fans the hits they came to hear, kicking off with a blistering rendition of 'It's Only Rock And Roll', which was released in 1974.

Part of their success in large venues is their ability to make everyone present feel close to the band's heat energy and magic.

Jagger, in particular, runs all over the stage to its furthest corners so he can engage with the crowd.

Their engagement was spectacularly displayed when the concert stage - with the band prancing on it - cut a swathe through the crowd slowly moving through it like a ship and ending up in the middle of the arena.

The band, now facing the back of the arena, then launched into 'Satisfaction' quickly followed by 'Honky Tonk Women'.

They finished with an incredible version of 'Sympathy For The Devil', 'Paint It Black' and 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' before closing with 'Brown Sugar'.

While the band may not have found the elixir of youth they have certainly discovered how the magic of rock can keep everyone young.

NME's review:-

[www.nme.com]

Hello Again,

Possibly my most enjoyable Stones show...ever!

I took around 400+ shots but am having a nightmare uploading a few onto photobucket...count your lucky stars,hah-hah-hah!

Anyway,here's a few to kick-off with...





















































































That's all,folks!

Cheers,

Si.



Edited 15 time(s). Last edit at 2007-08-22 17:15 by SimonN.

thanks Simon, great photos

more pics. there gggrrreeeaatttt

lmatth8461 Wrote:
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> tylerdurden2001 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Bloody awful audience, worst I have ever seen at
> a
> > Stones concert and this was my 15th. I have
> NEVER
> > been asked to sit down for christs sake. Surely
> if
> > you want to sit and watch the Stones you could
> buy
> > the DVD, it is cheaper.
> >
>
> Where were you sitting, tyler?
> Certainly everybody was on their feet all the way
> through in my section.
>
> Lee


I was in 420. The section may have caught your attention when a guy in the third row tapped his foot quite vigorously during Rocks Off but other than that was pretty static

its reported on the BBC, that the o2 will NOT be fined
for last nights smoking 'incident'

[news.bbc.co.uk]

Simon! Were you in sect 112? What row?
I'm sitting in row B on Sun and that looks like a fantastic vantage point.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-08-22 15:53 by ron091.

Adrian-L Wrote:
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> its reported on the BBC, that the o2 will NOT be
> fined
> for last nights smoking 'incident'
>
> [news.bbc.co.uk]


> tm

Sorry i meant to ask you adrian if you are going thursday or sunday?

Lovely, lovely, lovely....keep 'em coming.
Can't wait for tomorrow!!!!

Oily.

PS People please stand in 112

Hi Ron,

Yep,block 112 row F,seat 389 (I think)-bonus of sitting beside Little Queenie too!

A really great spot,and I doubt I'll see a better Stones show...ever!

Cheers,

Si.

odean73 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sorry i meant to ask you adrian if you are going
> thursday or sunday?

both

Adrian-L Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> odean73 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Sorry i meant to ask you adrian if you are
> going
> > thursday or sunday?
>
> both

Hope to see you there.

Please stand up in block 110 on thursday had this problem at manchester arena & also cardiff people sitting down and just watching!!!!

Great pictures, thanks !

-------------------
Keep On Rolling

Simon, these pics have gotten' me so excited about Sunday that I can hardly sit still! My trip across the Atlantic on Sat is going to be so great...I just hope that I can get my camera in

Hi Ron,

Sense has prevailed-the signs at the security checks said..."No Professional Recording Blah...",so you'll be ok!

Have a great trip!

Si.

Fkin great!!! Could I request a panoramic stage shot if you have one?

Please stand!!!

Oily

You know they willSD,i will be there! little do the Stones know it's called fan consulting? believe it or not you can get a crowd rearing and ready to go way before show time i've been doing it all the way through this tour,get it Stones when i'm around? the fee should be tremendous for what i do before show time! for the money there making but i rather have a good concert and jam with the band and the FANS!

Go Frank, go Frank, go Frank!!!

section 112 is the way to go and don't forget to tell Mick that Sparkly Top sends her love!

Greats pics.

Hi all,
I'm hesitating between getting seats in A3 or 112 block. what's your advice?

Daniel Nienkemper wrote:
> ...now I'm back at Heathrow and I like that to say
> that this show was really amazing! My favourites
> were "Let it bleed", "Beast of Burden" and "Can't
> you hear me knocking". My flight back to
> Duesseldorf will go in the morning and so I've got
> time enough to think about this great show!!!
>
> Hope that these 3 shows are not the end of Rolling
> Stones Live-shows...
>
> Hey Stones-fans, hope you'll enjoy the next 2
> shows at the O2! After Nijmegen, Frankfurt,
> Duesseldorf, Hamburg and the first London Show my
> Stones-Tour is now over :-(
>
> Maybe we'll see us next time ;-).

"austrianstones" wrote:
> Hi Daniel,
>
> see you next tour then, we will see the 3rd show on sunday!
>
> Robert from Austria
>
Hi Robert,

wish you much fun on Sunday, hope that you'll enjoy the show -
see you latest in 2009, when the next tour is starting ;-)

Greetings from Germany,
Daniel

It depends on how far back in A3 and how high in 112. If you are close to the runway in the first 15 rows, I would go for A3. Otherwise, you are starting to have less of an experience, and might find 112 better because you won't be blocked by anyone there. Just my experience anyway from other arenas.

A block row P, seat 38. How is that? Actually I was hoping to be able to move toward the stage during the show, or just stand in the alley, but it seems that everyone stays at their seats? I can't really imagine....

If I personally had the choice, I would take section 112 over that seat. We've heard that security won't allow anyone to move around on the floor so you are pretty well stuck there. 112 would offer a much better view and probably clearer sound.

Do you know have an idea how far from the stage is section 112?

Daily Telegraph:


Rolling Stones review: A rocky few months ends with unbeatable Stones
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 22/08/2007



Andrew Perry reviews the Rolling Stones at the 02 Arena

As their two-year world tour careered into London for three climactic shows, one had to wonder: What ever next for the Stones?


Mick Jagger delivers a breath-taking run of hits
When Keith Richards plunged from a tree in Fiji last summer and sailed through the ensuing brain surgery to bestride the stage again, overnight the band achieved something that had eluded them for three decades: unanimous critical acclaim.

As early as 1981, the Stones pointedly named a live album Still Life, answering persistent claims that men in their late 30s were too old to rock'n'roll. Even though fans have always flocked to see them play, it was as if, with "heritage artists" in ever shorter supply, even the most churlish pundit finally had to concede that having the Stones around is a good thing. It certainly helped that, performance-wise, they'd rarely been punchier.

Somehow, though, a renewed spate of inter-Stone bickering erupted. In brief: Mick Jagger resented shouldering all the hard work, while his two guitarists propped up the bar; Ronnie Wood entered rehab, only for Richards to call him "boring". Then, two weeks ago in Helsinki, Richards barrelled on stage so plastered that, at one point, a furious Jagger had to restrain him from tumbling off it (some fan sites attested that he barely fluffed a note all night).

It can't have helped when, in a recently published interview, Richards, ever the fans' favourite, remarked that Jagger would be nowhere without him, and had "only ever half-discovered his real potential". Overall, going into this first night at the Dome, it wasn't sounding too healthy. After 45 years, could this really be the last time?

Grinding out the introductory riff to Start Me Up, Richards was purposeful, resolutely steady on his pins, and was soon wheezing in Wood's face as they traded licks. More auspiciously still, Jagger howled his appreciation off-mike to Richards's heated solo in You Got Me Rocking. If not talking, at least thawing out.

It was instantly thrilling seeing them at such close quarters. In StonesWorld, a 23,000-seater arena rates as comparatively bijou. Rocks Off, complete with horns, backing singers and a roof overhead, was blaringly loud, magnificent.

Without his 100-metre runways, Jagger worked at singing. Beast Of Burden he delivered in a slinky, seductive drawl. Robbed of the opportunity to show off his polyglot skills, he reverted to broad Dartford: "When you fink about it, it took us 40 years to get from Richmond to Greenwich."

During Tumblin' Dice, by contrast, Richards was way out there, lumbering across the stage to deliver a solo possibly from another song, maybe even another galaxy. It sounded genuinely amazing.

This was a set for the clued-up home crowd, until an exhilarating run of hits, culminating in a startlingly lively Satisfaction, and Honky Tonk Women.

The whole group was in terrific shape, and as the breath-taking run of hits rolled on, the future seemed a distant worry. In the here and now, the Stones were simply unbeatable.

Section 112 is right beside the stage on Keith's side with superb sidelines. The photos higher up on this page were taken by Simon from 112.

you mentioned earlier, is it surprise guests, diffrent songs, which i don't see happening..........give us a little glimmer

"Well my heavy throbbers itchin' just to lay a solid rhythm down"

I think the surprises are in your spelling

CindyC Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think the surprises are in your spelling


What a shitty remark...go to H***