>>I wasn't there with you, but I can feel the fire,
even at this distance.<<

Well put, bassplayer.

black n blue Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> No way better than their peak!


Were you there last night? If not, how can you possibly tell if this indeed was their greatest show ever - or not?

Wow, I can't wait for this show to be up. I hope someone got a picture of that moment of them all together center stage during Brown Sugar. I loved when they did something like that during I Go Wild on the VL Tour.

whatever it was or wasn't in scope with sixteen zillion other stones shows in the last four and half decades i'm sure i do not know.
what is interesting is that there seems a temorary dearth of the 'they are so pathetically weak and can't play anymore and should just hang it up instead of limping along so sloppily' posts...

ok, some of that was deserved because sometimes one or the other or both of the guitarists kinda forgot to 'punch in' all night long, so i understand in context...that pisses peeps off...and should...
...and heck, i've had 'em pegged as somewhat inconsistent from show to show since the early going and that's part of the deal with the stones, even when they were in their twenties, imo. tho that never stopped me from buying a ticket, at least not until after sw, which sort of put me off of them live for awhile. but that's just me, and my own frame of reference, and my own dislike for stadium shows unless seated right up front where you can not only see, but get a great mix off the mains...i'm a picky @#$%&.

and i've also been fairly merciless in my crititiques of the support players and the ultra show aspects yadda yadda...but i do love the band so deeply and am still so fascinated and interested in them; and still, frankly, tho i've never met a one of them, love them so ferociously and without defense of any kind. i just do. i do not have any particular affection or regard for any of the bg players; i respect blondie's laid back attitude and lack of pretense, same with darryl and bernard but do not think they add anything to the brew that i'm interested in...nor anyone else at all up there with the possible exception of bobby keyes...

still, so very GREAT to not be hearing the usual death knells and shameful early grave digging...they are alive and vital and fun and wondrous people seem to be saying with great joy after last night's show and how excited i am to hear of this...just thrilled...can't wait for sunday...can't wait for the beacon film...
i think they have a long way to go with many a delightful moment and surprise yet to come and i am so grateful for The Rolling Stones, past present and future.
thanx for the excitement you're sharin' plexiglass. saw them in '72 and didn't think anything could ever beat that; then so many of the licks stops were so damn engaging and fun and fierce and wondrous, so all hail the Rolling Stones.
this is not the end. they are their own animal and their own revelation and i'm praying the original 3 and ronnie who is surely a full stalwart member in spades and has been for decades...will all stay well and keep bringing it; they are still my favorite band and i love them so much.
__ __ __ __ __ __

also, so many deep stalwart fans that have seen them dozens of times, i was wondering if any of you thought that the arena shows in london rather than the usual stadium events, made any difference in their connecting to each other and the crowd and the music?
or is just as likely they would have killed on the right night in a stadium context? honestly, what do you think about that?
thanx.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-08-24 18:40 by Beelyboy.

I like the way you put that Beelyboy

timbernardis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> At the end, during Brown Sugar, Mick went over and
> brought Lisa and Bernard out to sing with him
> center stage. The intensity level rose even more.
> Suddenly, Keith and Ronnie are physically in the
> middle of this mix of Mick/Bernard/Lisa....
> everyone is intermixed all together and playing
> their ass off and having THE TIME OF THEIR
> LIVES!!!


Lisa & Bernard centerstage: this is supposed to be a good thing?

Posted by: pgarof (IP Logged)
Date: August 24, 2007 12:30


Every time I see them i think it was the best show ever, the truth is i think they are that good every time I see them,I can't really say whether or not they are better that they where when i first saw them in the early 70's i just think that the build up and excitement of going to a Stones concert colours your judgment when seeing them. If you think the last concert you saw was the best well Great, All thee concerts I have seen are the best ever.


But as I mentioned, I never think this either going into or coming out of a show -- that it is their best or even my personal best show ever, that is why i was so surprised and shocked at my own reaction after this show.


Beeley Boy wrote:

also, so many deep stalwart fans that have seen them dozens of times, i was wondering if any of you thought that the arena shows in london rather than the usual stadium events, made any difference in their connecting to each other and the crowd and the music?
or is just as likely they would have killed on the right night in a stadium context? honestly, what do you think about that?
thanx.


First, Beel, I want to thank you for your excellent post, so well put, so obviously from the heart, I think many of us and many not of "us" share your thoughts and sentiments.

And yes, I think the fact that it was in an arena and not a stadium made a difference as have, GENERALLY, all of my arena shows on this tour -- Denver, MSG (2 in Jan 06) -- sound is better, prob smaller stage and yes, better connection with the audience. I did say generally.

Having said that, up to now, Beacon 2 was my number 1 show on this tour followed by Twickenham 1. It is a bit strange that Twickers 1 beat out the arena shows but even more strange that O2 # 2 beat them all including the Beacon.

I really did not expect that, thought that the Beacon nearly impossible to beat on this tour. Yet, I never did say after the Beacon that it was my best show ever. Don't know what has gotten into me. 26 ABB shows and counting.

PLEXI



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-08-25 00:32 by timbernardis.

nikki bong Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> timbernardis Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > At the end, during Brown Sugar, Mick went over
> and
> > brought Lisa and Bernard out to sing with him
> > center stage. The intensity level rose even
> more.
> > Suddenly, Keith and Ronnie are physically in
> the
> > middle of this mix of Mick/Bernard/Lisa....
> > everyone is intermixed all together and playing
> > their ass off and having THE TIME OF THEIR
> > LIVES!!!
>
>
> Lisa & Bernard centerstage: this is supposed to be
> a good thing?

It can only be understand in context and in your actual presence at the show. It was something spontaneous in the middle of a high intensity end of show situation where he just grabbed them and brought them to center stage and YES, in this context, it was absolutely appropriate and GREAT and something that raised the level of the show to even greater heights.

not to be trite or insulting, but you DID have to be there to really understand that!!

plexi

as Ive said before, the stones always help you get caught up in the moment, and during that time, your not thinking about the past, your just glad to be there and you think to yourself "this is the best show ive ever been to".

ryanpow Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> as Ive said before, the stones always help you get
> caught up in the moment, and during that time,
> your not thinking about the past, your just glad
> to be there and you think to yourself "this is the
> best show ive ever been to".

or not

ryanpow Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> as Ive said before, the stones always help you get
> caught up in the moment, and during that time,
> your not thinking about the past, your just glad
> to be there and you think to yourself "this is the
> best show ive ever been to".


I just posted this:

But as I mentioned, I never think this either going into or coming out of a show -- that it is their best or even my personal best show ever, that is why i was so surprised and shocked at my own reaction after this show.

Never has this happened before -- to ME.

plexi

mofur Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> black n blue Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > No way better than their peak!
>
>
> Were you there last night? If not, how can you
> possibly tell if this indeed was their greatest
> show ever - or not?

How can you tell it was their best?

timbernardis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
26 ABB shows and counting.
>


Doesn't it all become a blur?
I saw 27 shows during 40 Licks (stadiums/Arena's/Theaters), and after awhile, one show bled into another.
I don't have the time to analyze the boots, and compare and contrast. I just go off of the experience and the memories.
All were great in one way or another, but just from memories, Stockholm Cirkus stands out as the best in my mind.
Vredenberg is a close 2nd, while Glasgow Arena is a very close 3rd.

As for this tour?
Hollywood Bowl I&II, The LA Forum, and Nijmegen.


And I agree, Arena shows are much more intimate with better sound quality than stadiums. Louder!
But when compared to small theater/clubs, there's no comparison,
the smaller the venue, and less people...the better.
The Rolling Stones at their very best.

Timbernardis, thanks for the topic.
Excellent show, indeed.

I'm only sad I had to come home now.

Waving to anyone I've met, and all of you still there, including LQueenie, Beast, Pauly, Gazza, 3Dteafoe, Martin, Flairville, PDMeg, StonesginT, the Vikings, and Rockman and gstones (love you), and everyone throughout the world!

The person above got it right -- the LA Forum in March was a tremendous show (Sway, Worried About You, Far Away Eyes, Midnight Rambler/Gimme Shelter, Respectable). I actually enjoyed it much, much more than the Beacon show (fake fans? Paul Begala?? Jack White?? Christina???).

I also agree that Twickenham was very special.

Just returned home to Chicago tonight after seeing the first 2 London shows. And although the last week has been a complete blur and I've been up for almost 24 hours straight, I would highly agree that last night's show was one of my top 5. And it was a remarkable difference from the Tuesday's show. However, in our opinion, the audience had a lot to do with that. We couldn't believe the lack of enthusiasm from the crowd on Tuesday night. We were in Section B1, Ronnie's side on both nights and were amazed at the difference with last night's crowd being totally into the show. Either way, we were thrilled to have been part of this week's festivities and hope everyone enjoys Sunday's show!

wineaux wrote:
However, in our opinion ....

who is the other person?

plexi

AND ANGEE

did i meet you at the Pilot?


Plexi

Well, to add my comment to the thread...

I've seen a number of Stones gigs since '82, and although Wembley 2003 was superb, and Twickenham II last year was (for me) even better, Thursday night was probably my best Stones gig ever. I have to admit there are a number of factors involved, not just the performance. At the other two gigs I mentioned, I had row 5 and 6 'Keefside', although I managed to better that on Tuesday with row 4. Also, at Twickenham and this year's O2 gigs, my wife's sister has come over from Tokyo just for the gigs, so that adds an extra dimension to it.

What was the added ingredient for me on Thursday night?

Sitting in row 2 of C2 and having the Stones 15 feet away for about 20 minutes. Amazing. Talk about 'in your face'....

Anyone who has not done this yet and is due for their 'first time' on Sunday can be assured C2 really is the place to be! I'm content with row 7 on Ronnie's side for now...

Lee

P.S. Nice to meet up with Gazza and the rest of the gang in the Pilot beforehand!

black n blue Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> mofur Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > black n blue Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > No way better than their peak!
> >
> >
> > Were you there last night? If not, how can you
> > possibly tell if this indeed was their greatest
> > show ever - or not?
>
> How can you tell it was their best?


Eh?? I cannot and I do not. Where do I offer anything that could possibly be construed as to an opinion about this show?

I was not at this show - therefore I do not offer an opinion. I do, however, like to read the opinions from others who were actually at the show - but I cannot see how you can say "No way better than their peak!" if you were not there?

some cool reviews here. lots of love on this 2nd o2 show. I was there lwr tier towards back and yes the crowd were into it, yes some nice changes to the set, band clearly on fire but the sound was atrocious! like hearing them on a very loud tinny transistor through a mattress!! i could see a sound guy (well maybe he was lights) and wanted to ask him if he really thought this sounded ok.. floor is way better and so glad thats where i'll be sunday. Not hearing the band properly is odd alright, even twicks was better imo. those goin 1st time on sunday to the o2, dont expect a revelation in acoustics or technology, but no question the stones will play a total blinder!!

nothing like a Stones show.......nothing!!!

gerrox Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> some cool reviews here. lots of love on this 2nd
> o2 show. I was there lwr tier towards back and yes
> the crowd were into it, yes some nice changes to
> the set, band clearly on fire but the sound was
> atrocious! like hearing them on a very loud tinny
> transistor through a mattress!! i could see a
> sound guy (well maybe he was lights) and wanted to
> ask him if he really thought this sounded ok..
> floor is way better and so glad thats where i'll
> be sunday. Not hearing the band properly is odd
> alright, even twicks was better imo. those goin
> 1st time on sunday to the o2, dont expect a
> revelation in acoustics or technology, but no
> question the stones will play a total blinder!!

Phew, glad I'm on the floor for all three. thanks for the info....

Lee

Unfortunately, we never made it to the Pilot Inn or Jack Horner Pub. We had planned to hit both, but with flying in Sunday afternoon, hitting the first 2 Stones shows and both Tim's Project shows, getting in @ around 5 AM every night, there wasn't much time left for anything else. Please don't misunderstand me, both shows were great and we felt blessed to be there; it's just that we looked around the arena on Tuesday night and noticed that the amount of movin' and groovin' was much more less on Tuesday than Thursday. Even the fans surrounding around us on Tuesday night were getting annoyed because we were dancing, while they all stood completely still!!! And btw, I was with my a very good childhood friend of mine. We were lucky enough to meet some fellow shidobeaans and IORR's at Tim's shows and having drinks in various bars that we ended up in.

I remember a review from the 81 tour where the writer mentioned Keith on fire , and then explained how it was different from the past when Keith being on fire meant him reigniting like a cold dying ember and pulling a show out of the ashes. All this talk about "the peak,' for some it was 69, others swear it was 75. We white wash the fact that there were times in the past you could get a show that was a real dud. Cleveland '78 was the nadir for me, it is well documented that Keith passed out at a show in the 70's , though we tend to be kind and use the terms "he fell asleep."

So when timbernardis says that for him he may have just seen the best, who can argue that? This was the show of the 44 he has seen where everything was in synch with what he needed more than ever before. For some it was Wembley 1 during Licks. Beast and I were at the rail for this show and while we could not find flaw, enjoyed some of the shows in Eastern Europe more. The best show is entirely a personal thing. I have always enjoyed the bootlegs of the 70's Australian shows much more than the legendary holy grail of the Stones in Brussels.

What is apparent to me is the enjoyment the band is having now days. It is not confined to arenas, but you migt miss it in a stadium. In either Budapest or Bucharest, Keith actually at one point during Rambler pullled Mick in, hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Mick in the stadiums is constantly running past Woody and giving him a nudge or a wink. This tour, more that most I have seen, the band seems very at ease with itself, with each other. MOre than I can remember, they appear to be having fun. Because of that attitude I see, I cannot imagine that they plan on Sunday's show being the last.

Wow, tried to sort this out in my mind some more, and have to agree with the poster that admits at they all kind of blur together. I have singular moments that stand out.The lysergic stained sky turning orange behind MJ during Just My Imagination 1978. The Licks Bstage Glascow at the SECC, Keith's gutar having some trouble but he so in to playing he never even looks up as techs scurry behind him (and that had to be the lowest Bstage I can remember.) Keith again at the bstage in Chicago show looking, winking at me and giving a thumb's up before tossing a pic to my freind.Lisa at the Hollywood Bowl this tour but almost 2 years ago walking to the edge of the pool circle and bending over, blowing me a kiss, and handing me the set list. Being next to Little Queenie and Beast at the Beacon.Watching Keith laugh in Shanghai as a huge sand bag falls from the rafters hits the floor right where he had stoood a few seconds ago, and realizing he has narrowly escaped the reaper again.For me, the music has been a contant. I have had tours where I preferred the sound or appraoch of the band over the other tours, but I do not think I could ever pick one show out over all he others as the best. LOL tho Cleveland 78 will always stand out as one to pick that was the worst.

kahoosier Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wow, tried to sort this out in my mind some more,
> and have to agree with the poster that admits at
> they all kind of blur together. I have singular
> moments that stand out.The lysergic stained sky
> turning orange behind MJ during Just My
> Imagination 1978. The Licks Bstage Glascow at the
> SECC, Keith's gutar having some trouble but he so
> in to playing he never even looks up as techs
> scurry behind him (and that had to be the lowest
> Bstage I can remember.) Keith again at the bstage
> in Chicago show looking, winking at me and giving
> a thumb's up before tossing a pic to my
> freind.Lisa at the Hollywood Bowl this tour but
> almost 2 years ago walking to the edge of the pool
> circle and bending over, blowing me a kiss, and
> handing me the set list. Being next to Little
> Queenie and Beast at the Beacon.Watching Keith
> laugh in Shanghai as a huge sand bag falls from
> the rafters hits the floor right where he had
> stoood a few seconds ago, and realizing he has
> narrowly escaped the reaper again.For me, the
> music has been a contant. I have had tours where I
> preferred the sound or appraoch of the band over
> the other tours, but I do not think I could ever
> pick one show out over all he others as the best.
> LOL tho Cleveland 78 will always stand out as one
> to pick that was the worst.

Hey Kahoosier

I got some good seats for these 3 shows in spite of our failed efforts a few months ago.

you wrote: do not think I could ever
> pick one show out over all he others as the best.

i thought exactly the same way until thurs eve. i had never thought of any one show as the best and never thought that i ever would, necessarily. that is why i was so shocked and surprised -- that i did actually say "yeah, that show was so amazing and the best i ever saw"

As for continuing on, you can bet on it. Let's just say i know there will be an 08 tour, but i cannot say more, not at liberty to say so. I will say simply that my source is not bv, though his assertions on this are also correct.

plexi

Plexi/Tim,
I dunno, did we meet at the Pilot Thursday night?
Maybe, maybe not--We would have remembered I think, although
so much was happening. If we didn't, we were no doubt sharing the
same space and some of the excellent company.

So you're going to London, Frank!!!! Have a ball, baby. I wish I could be there, too!

I was at this show. And Tuesday´s. If this was the last time, it certainly will remain with me as the most powerful performance since my virgin show in 1982. Thank you RS. And good luck tonight.