I’m an ungrateful bastard. Not always.

But Sunday night’s show left me with an uneasy feeling…unfulfilled…like making love to a beautiful woman and then walking home in the fog of dawn and feeling an emptiness in the pit of the stomach. Why? What more could I want? What the hell is the matter with me?

Having looked forward to this show and having had the good fortune to get a last-minute ticket I felt the stars were aligned for a transcendent last hurrah for the ABB tour…and perhaps the Stones themselves. The very thought of this being the last Stones show ever made me dread this event as much as look forward to it.

I felt such melancholy the days leading up to the event…a deep gratitude in my soul that the Stones have accompanied me for so long on my journey (or rather, that I had the privilege to accompany THEM so long on their incredible journey)…and the feeling that a little bit of my heart was dying because this might be the end of the road. These guys are part of our lives and (as Keith so beautifully put it) we are all part of the band…so where does that leave us when they’re gone? Smiling at the memories and carrying them with us forever…that’s where…but like spoiled children we don’t quite wanna let go…not quite yet…at least not me.

So I got to London just in time to catch a taxi and motor it to the O2 before the show began…almost missed the intro for Chrissake…they began quite early and I thought…OK…that means we’re in for a long and very special show. A few rarities…some special guests…extended versions…stunning surprises in the set list…laughter and tears…3-4 hours of the best rock and roll music ever made…and a final bow goodbye with thunderous cheers that never end and a final walk into the night with all the fans wiping tears from their faces and feeling that this night…this moment…was the best ever…because we just saw the best rock band of all time give their best and leave their sweat and hearts and souls on the stage…for us and for them, one glorious last wreck of a concert that would go down in memory as the Biggest Bang of all.

Didn’t happen.

The show was fun and excellent (though from all accounts it was the least impressive of their London residency). There were no surprises (unless you count three generations of progeny singing back-up on Sympathy For The Devil a surprise…for me it is one I could have done without…the final and complete emasculation of that most intensely existential and exquisite of rock songs…the transformation of a dark, wicked masterpiece into a family sing-along…watch Mick doing ‘the Lucifer’ in his long red coat…! What was once an ode to the apocalypse is today an arena ditty, complete with bird-call choruses…and Mick is about as frightening these days as Johnny Depp’s Captain Sparrow…oh…!…and watch Mick initiating the crowd-participation-part of the concert with You Can’t Always Get What You Want, a song so shattering and intimate that one felt it could only be listened to on special occasions and in complete privacy, now neutered and shined up as a lullaby for the masses…my apologies for this rant…).

The crowd was appreciative and engaged but tame compared to the insane throngs I experienced in the fire and dust of the Barcelona and Budapest General Admission areas - the intensity and heat and appreciation and enthusiasm and just plain LOVE from the crowd that I witnessed in Budapest were utterly astonishing…a show for the ages...perhaps not musically, but it FELT like that - which confirmed to me again that seeing the late-career Stones in a seated forum is like having sex wearing a rubber bodysuit…not bad (I guess), but nothing like the real thing.

The musicianship was good – Ronnie has become something of a guitar hero on this tour (though his soloing on CYHMK and YCAGWYW is vastly over-rated…c’mon…he’s regained his professionalism but he’ll never be mistaken for a virtuoso), Mick is preternatural (though his singing has become extremely nasal on some numbers), and Charlie is the Rock of Gibraltar. Keef has improved immensely since the start of the tour (when I saw him in Frankfurt he was a shambling ghost of himself) and though still somewhat distracted at times he is the soul of this band. So the motor is still humming and the Stones can still help us get our Ya Ya’s out...oh yeah...don't you doubt that...

But the buzz I expected was strangely lacking. The musical and emotional fireworks that I was anticipating just never materialized. And that’s probably a good thing. What did take place was a hot rock and roll show from a band that has no business still being alive, much less jiving and thriving on 2 year global jaunts sucking up all the disposable income their adoring fans don’t have safely hidden away (and probably some of THAT too). That they are coasting on a set-list that, song for song, averages over 30 years of age per song is for another discussion. They seem content being a hot live band and selling memories…and if that’s what they are capable of at this point in the careers, well, they’ve earned the right.

When the show ended I walked for a while in the dark and savored the thought that this wasn’t the end of the road after all…and dreamed that the next time they hit the boards they’d be all dressed in black…with a fresh set of new songs…just the core group with Bobby on Sax and Ian McLagan on keyboards…that Jagger would not need to be the biggest anymore...just the best...and that they would play songs that better fit their talents now…stuff like Laugh, I Nearly Died, Fingerprint File, Coming Down Again, Saint Of Me, When The Whip Comes Down, Ventilator Blues…stuff that would challenge them and us…songs that awaken the spirits…songs that change the atmosphere and seep deep into the spine and move our souls…this ain't over yet…not by a long shot…



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-08-28 20:54 by Turd On The Run.

Great post, I sent this to my brother cause he said basically the same thing after coming home from the show.

Amen

...yeah, what is life anyway without dreams, right turd?......nice post....oh, and don't knock the sex in a rubber suit until you've tried it.

I haven't seen the Stones live as many times as others here, but when I do see a show I still get shivers down my spine from the first moment Keith's guitar rings out until the last bow. When I listen to a bootleg or watch a DVD, I notice the flubbed lyrics or bum notes and pick them apart and complain about the setlist being too short or containing too many songs over 30 years old. When I'm actually in the presence of the band, I'm too in awe to feel anything but fortunate to have witnessed the greatest performers in my lifetime. I've seen many musicians I adore or respect in concert. No one compares to The Stones. I was in heaven when I saw the Winos live in 1988. I was 17 and thought it was the greatest show I'd ever seen. Less than a year later, the Steel Wheels stage was just two rows in front of me and there were times when I was sure the band had actually made eye contact with me. It was absolutely transcendent. Five years later, I saw the Voodoo Lounge tour in the same stadium. I was far from the stage and one of the guys I was with threw up during the "I get sick, somebody stop this pain" bit during "I Go Wild," but the night still had moments that are seared in my consciousness: the excitement of "Not Fade Away" as the opening, "Beast of Burden," "Memory Motel," and five great songs from an album I still love as much today as when it was brand new in 1994. I had tickets to see the band in 1997 and 1999, but missed out because real life got in the way. I'll always regret that but I consider myself fortunate to have seen them twice at that point. I was lucky enough to see one of the very best shows on the Licks tour in 2002. It may end up being the last chance I had to see The Stones and it was the best of the three shows I attended. I don't gripe much about the overdubbed and edited live albums or concert DVD's, they offer an affordable and permanent record of tours I was lucky enough to see or unfortunate enough to miss. No I didn't see them in the sixties and seventies and yes I think Ya-Ya's, Ladies and Gentlemen, Brussels Affair, and Handsome Girls were as good as it ever got, but I do know seeing the latterday Stones is still seeing the best rock band there is. I'm fortunate enough to have seen them three times. Sure I wish they played "Laugh I Nearly Died," "Look What the Cat Dragged In," "Dangerous Beauty," "Let Me Down Slow," and "Under the Radar" at every show since 2005, but that doesn't take away from the thrill of having heard "Satisfaction," "JJF," "Brown Sugar," etc. in concert. They really are that good and we will treasure having seen them live as something we were old enough to experience that the next generation will not know. For every idiot saying they're wrinkled and need to retire, there are fans who realize how lucky they are to have witnessed this legendary band in concert. So count your blessings. You were there. Most of us will one day live in a world that won't be able to make that claim.

>> there are fans who realize how lucky they are to have witnessed this legendary band in concert. <<

~*YEAH!*~
thank you for gettin that said, Rocky Dijon
it is good to be blessed - and to appreciate it is even better

good post Turd

Is there any video with Sympathy for the devil from the last show?

Excellent post.

- Doxa

I'm amazed a what people expect on this board. Its been a two year treck by a group that had over a 40 year career and who are now in their sixties and you still expect Jagger to be 'dangerous', play a set of new songs with a 'core' band(???), an "ode to the apocalypse!!!"

Ridiculous......

Rocky,
I have to agree with you here. I strongly believe that people in 50 years time will be listening to the Stones as avidly and as passionatley as we do now. They will likely have a perspective we possibly don't have now on the Stones as both a live and recording band. I think albums such as VL and B2B will have their day in the sun and will be appreciated for what they are and not just compared to BB, LIB,SF and EOMS etc. Similarily people will look back and marvel at what it must have been like to have seen the band live, they won't get caught up in different eras and issues such as set lists. I made a big effort to see as many shows as possible this year and was delighted to see five including two of the O2 nights and they will remain seared in my memory for a long,long time...if this is the end,all I can say is thanks boys, I had a blast!

ablett Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm amazed a what people expect on this board. Its
> been a two year treck by a group that had over a
> 40 year career and who are now in their sixties
> and you still expect Jagger to be 'dangerous',
> play a set of new songs with a 'core' band(???),
> an "ode to the apocalypse!!!"
>
> Ridiculous......


I agree 100%.



Enjoy The Stones for what they are today, not what they were years ago.

ablett Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm amazed a what people expect on this board. Its
> been a two year treck by a group that had over a
> 40 year career and who are now in their sixties
> and you still expect Jagger to be 'dangerous',
> play a set of new songs with a 'core' band(???),
> an "ode to the apocalypse!!!"
>
> Ridiculous......


What's ridiculous about "ode to the apocalypse?" That is a pretty keen description of the song, the original version of the song. What seems "ridiculous" to me is how that once sinister song has morphed into a "family sing a long.......complete with bird call choruses."

Hi Turd,

I acknowledge your post and am sorry to hear you felt unfulfilled. For me on Sunday I was totally and utterly fulfilled from the start to the finish. It was like making love to a women who I love (she doesn't necessarily have to be beautiful) and I can still feel her warmth, her smell, her touch and reflect on our time together.

I don't really care whether they play Laugh, I Nearly Died, Fingerprint File, Coming Down Again, Saint Of Me, When The Whip Comes Down, Ventilator Blues or whatever. Like everyone else I have my own personal wish list and I bet it's different to everyone else's. I'm not concerned if they invite Wyman or Taylor on stage or Prince or Macca. I am grateful that they performed those 19 songs on Sunday night. That's their decision and I will go along with it. I just want to hear and see them play and for me it was a real privilege to witness this amazing event.

Has anyone here on this forum performed in front of an audience as a vocalist, or as a guitarist or as a drummer in a band for 2 hours at MAXIMUM intensity and under such a worldwide microscope in their SIXTIES?

I agree wholeheartly with Rocky Dijon who says,

"So count your blessings. You were there. Most of us will one day live in a world that won't be able to make that claim."

I can never see myself having, and never will have the same love, commitment and appreciation for this institution who will forever be...

The BEST Rock and Roll Band of all time!

Turd On The Run Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
There were no surprises (unless
> you count three generations of progeny singing
> back-up on Sympathy For The Devil a surprise…for
> me it is one I could have done without…the final
> and complete emasculation of that most intensely
> existential and exquisite of rock songs…the
> transformation of a dark, wicked masterpiece into
> a family sing-along…watch Mick doing ‘the Lucifer’
> in his long red coat…! What was once an ode to the
> apocalypse is today an arena ditty, complete with
> bird-call choruses…and Mick is about as
> frightening these days as Johnny Depp’s Captain
> Sparrow…

that quotation is pulitzer-worthy

ablett Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm amazed a what people expect on this board. Its
> been a two year treck by a group that had over a
> 40 year career and who are now in their sixties
> and you still expect Jagger to be 'dangerous',
> play a set of new songs with a 'core' band(???),
> an "ode to the apocalypse!!!"
>
> Ridiculous......

is it too much to expect that jagger respect the spirit of his art and not bastardize it and debase it into silly singalongs? is it too much to expect that the stones function as a core band and record and play new songs? is it too much to expect that the stones regroup and come back as artists first and businessmen second? do you find that ridiculous?

PeterM Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Rocky,
> I have to agree with you here. I strongly believe
> that people in 50 years time will be listening to
> the Stones as avidly and as passionatley as we do
> now.

I don't, unfortunately. We live in a society now where the public seems to increasingly have the collective attention span of a retarded gnat.

I dont see that as improving. In 50 years time, most of us will be long gone and those left behind simply wont care.

Gazza Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> PeterM Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Rocky,
> > I have to agree with you here. I strongly
> believe
> > that people in 50 years time will be listening
> to
> > the Stones as avidly and as passionatley as we
> do
> > now.
>
> I don't, unfortunately. We live in a society now
> where the public seems to increasingly have the
> collective attention span of a retarded gnat.
>
> I dont see that as improving. In 50 years time,
> most of us will be long gone and those left behind
> simply wont care.

that's a really depressing and pessimistic mindset. there are people still passionately listening to sinatra's and charlie parker's great music. the same will happen with the stones. as long as people love great music the stones work will live on for many generations.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but let's not forget SFTD and YCAGWYW were pretty much singalongs thirty years ago as well. If you want to argue the seemingly dark and dangerous Jagger disappeared after Altamont and was replaced by the cartoonish "Dancing with Mr. D" Jagger by 1973, I'll agree with you. The showman you're complaining about now is the same prancing showman with the giant inflatable phallus in the mid-70's.

I wish they really promoted their new albums, too instead of every tour averaging only three interchangeable new songs that will disappear after the first couple legs, but I accept at their ages and place in their career, it is more a celebration of their legacy (read: nostalgia) when they tour than it is a rock band promoting music they really get behind.

Finally, the art vs. commerce argument never carries any weight with me. The Stones were always about the bottom line. The only difference between now and then is affording the best coke and heroin isn't the primary driver for why they work anymore. If you want a genuinely dangerous rock band motivated by principles, stick with The MC5. The Stones of today are just an older version of the same greedy bastards they always were. Just ask the Chicago 7, The Black Panthers, or Kenneth Anger...all of whom were disappointed the Stones weren't the revolutionaries they hoped they were. They're true hedonists. Its only rock 'n' roll, but they love the money, yes they do.

-------------------------------------------------------

> I don't, unfortunately. We live in a society now
> where the public seems to increasingly have the
> collective attention span of a retarded gnat.
>
> I dont see that as improving. In 50 years time,
> most of us will be long gone and those left behind
> simply wont care.


I hope with any luck that i'll be here in 50 years and with a lot of luck,i'll still care. However i expect myself to be a serial pisser of the chair i sit on and dribble quite a lot..
With a lot of luck, the rest of you will have found out where keef keeps his blood purification unit and be using it to keep yourselves going till 150!

lol

DOG



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-08-29 21:18 by DoughboyUK.

Rocky Dijon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Finally, the art vs. commerce argument never
> carries any weight with me. The Stones were always
> about the bottom line. The only difference between
> now and then is affording the best coke and heroin
> isn't the primary driver for why they work
> anymore. If you want a genuinely dangerous rock
> band motivated by principles, stick with The MC5.
> The Stones of today are just an older version of
> the same greedy bastards they always were. Just
> ask the Chicago 7, The Black Panthers, or Kenneth
> Anger...all of whom were disappointed the Stones
> weren't the revolutionaries they hoped they were.
> They're true hedonists. Its only rock 'n' roll,
> but they love the money, yes they do.

The young Stones WERE revolutionaries...but of a different sort. The Panthers and their sort were hierarchical Maoist/Leninist radicals trying to change the world through armed struggle. The Stones CHANGED the world - through their music and creativity and lifestyle and pure iconoclasm. It is difficult to fathom now, but when I was very young the Stones were a true 'change agent' and had seismic impact on the World through their music and fashion and presence...and were true revolutionary ARTISTS.

As to your point:


> I wish they really promoted their new albums, too
> instead of every tour averaging only three
> interchangeable new songs that will disappear
> after the first couple legs, but I accept at their
> ages and place in their career, it is more a
> celebration of their legacy (read: nostalgia) when
> they tour than it is a rock band promoting music
> they really get behind.

You have nailed it perfectly. Your statement renders superfluous a good percentage of the posts on this board...the concerts have become/ARE strictly a celebration of their legacy (nostalgia, as you put it) rather than a rock band getting behind fresh new music that they believe in and laying it on us.

That is what has transpired to some degree more and more since the 1981/82 tour and really has accelerated in their tours from 1989 onward - though there has been a growing element of 'celebration of the legacy' in their concerts since 1975 (with the possible exception of 1978 where they really got behind Some Girls completely). This 'celebration' element has now completely taken over their concerts and the balance has been destroyed...new music is largely ignored and the celebration aspect is all-encompassing.

It is a shame because they have made some mighty fine music in the last part of their career.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2007-08-31 12:58 by Turd On The Run.

Wow man. You're a poet. Written any books?

My thoughts exactly, Turd.

A truly excellent, heartfelt and well-written post.

a great read, as always, turd

Gazza Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> PeterM Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Rocky,
> > I have to agree with you here. I strongly
> believe
> > that people in 50 years time will be listening
> to
> > the Stones as avidly and as passionatley as we
> do
> > now.
>
> I don't, unfortunately. We live in a society now
> where the public seems to increasingly have the
> collective attention span of a retarded gnat.
>
> I dont see that as improving. In 50 years time,
> most of us will be long gone and those left behind
> simply wont care.

Unfortuantely 100% right.

Yes Turd, great post. I really apreciated the ABB CD and expected this tour was supporting this work and have the opportunity to collect wonderful live versions of each song. I went to the 3 O2 shows and still I wonder why the tour has been named ABB, considering that,little by little they cut off every track and at the end only Rough Justice left.
My question is: who was the target of this tour (I mean the whole ABB tour, not only these 2007 shows)? I think that fans like us would have apreciated to listen to the new songs from the last CD, to show us that they themselves trust in what they're currently working at.
Thus, we were not the target and, if I were not the target, how can I be 100% satisfied listening at the 1000's version on Sympathy, of Miss you, of Tumbling dice?
The target was probably my daughter that saw them for the first time and the people that heard about them but never seen on stage. For us, who follow them since 40 years, this tour didn't add anything, apart some worries for our idol health conditions.

Good post, Turd!

I have similar thoughts!

Particularly real big fans often tend to be a bit more critical about the band. And that's fine!
Being a fan doesn't mean you take everything!

Unfortunately some guys don't get that!

Really interesting and thought provoking posts, both Turd and Rocky Dijon. Like Rocky, I've not seen the band play live many times at all. On Thursday and on Sunday I didn't count the number of songs they played. I did notice when the variations to the set-list ended on Sunday, but that was what I was expecting. I was still caught up in the magic of the evening from start to finish. But yes, afterwards I can see that one could feel let down... even if I didn't.

I've read quite a few comments from those who thought Sunday was to have been the last concert. What I don't remember is any hint or statement from the band or from rs.con to suggest this. Isn't this something we've all built up from speculation? It may well be the Last Time but no one will know for sure - until they play another date. I know when I saw them at Leeds in 82 there were no more concerts for years and I was "sure" that was the last we'd see of them. Wrong!

The paragraph about Sympathy is dead on target Turd, you are so right. And yet... how can a bunch of 60-something multi millionaires who all really lead quite settled, family lives these days, ever pull this song off with it's old menace and evil? The original is powerful and listening to it reminds us all ofthe time when Mick and the band were genuinely frightening characters to Middle England and the Establishment. Those days are over. So does this mean the Stones should no longer sing Sympathy? I'd rather hear the neutered version than not hear it at all. But having the kids whoo whoo on it is rather rubbing our noses in it that times have changed...

Everything in life changes and evolves - unless it dies. I'm glad the Stones are still rolling.

"Sympathy for the Devil" is missing the balls it had even just 4 years ago, when I heard it in Twickenham. Jagger's costume (red hat and coat) make him look like a mincing bird, totally the wrong look for the mood of this song.
He also misses the classic intro line (Please allow me to introduce myself) at every show. Keith should watch Live at the Max and listen to his solo in '89/90. Absolutely blistering and not a second too long. This song needs to be performed like the dark masterpiece it is and not a Barbara Striesand Vegas show tune.

Very well written, "Turd On The Run"! Thanks a lot.