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The Rolling Stones
Amsterdam ArenA
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Monday September 22, 2003

The set list

Brown Sugar
Start Me Up
You Got Me Rocking
Don't Stop
Angie
You Can't Always Get What You Want
Midnight Rambler
Tumbling Dice
--- Introductions
The Nearness Of You (Keith)
Happy (Keith)
Sympathy For The Devil
Little Red Rooster (B-stage)
It's Only Rock'n Roll (B-stage)
Street Fighting Man (B-stage)
Gimme Shelter
Paint It Black
Honky Tonk Women
Satisfaction
Jumping Jack Flash (encore)


Feeder (warmup)    : 7:25pm -  8:00pm       
The Rolling Stones : 8:45pm - 10:50pm

Review by Wilco Schepen

After receiving my 1st vak ticket at the day of the show (sent from the US, thanks to you know who!) I arrived at the ArenA at 7.30, just when it started to rain. Met a friend and we headed for the Keith side of the FOS. With the roof closed the rain didn't have any impact on the show. With the opening act finishing at 8.00 I knew we were in for an early show, they started with Brown Sugar at 8.45, followed by Start Me Up and You Got Me Rocking. I thought that these songs went pretty good, much better than the last ArenA show on August 19. I thought that Midnight Rambler was the first real highlight of the night! Mick was excellent on harp and especially Keith was into this song. Has Ron quit smoking btw? He made a few signs about it to Chuck and Bernard and I didn't see him smoking all night. Keith did The Nearness Of You and after Sympathy we got the B-stage part opening with Little Red Rooster. After returning to the main stage the greatest hits section. This was my 2nd stadium show after the Vredenburg club show and although nothing will ever top that I enjoyed this show a lot!

Review by Marko Boon, Eindhoven

It was a great concert. First of all we were very lucky that the ArenA has a roof, because outside a storm was going on. Mick also mentioned this. When they played Start me up as second song, I was afraid that they might play a shorter set list, but in the usual place of Start me up they played Paint it Black, which was at this spot in the set list quite a surprise to me. Except this there was not much to mention (except that my friend standing next to me managed to touch the hands of Chuck, Darryl and Keith and I just missed all of them :-( ) and that Ronnie stopped smoking! He was making lots of remarks on that to the crowd, probably people who offered him a cigarette. A great evening which made up for cancelling the concert in the first place. Now it's waiting for the next tour (and the DVDs of this tour). Hopefully accompanied with a new studio album.

Review by Wigbold Crum

The Stones promised a great show, also because this concert was postponed. But it was not great, it was fantastic. The whole band was in super shape. But tonight there was one superstar: Keith Richards. I never heard him play like this! The set list was so good. Very special were great and long versions from Midnight Rambler and Gimme Shelter. When Lisa sung the roof came almost down (it was closed because of the rain). The sound in the Amsterdam Arena was really good and that was a nice suprise. It has been different. Also the sound on the B-stage was good. This time the B-stage was one of the highlights with Little Red Rooster (!) and though versions of IORR and Street Fighting Man. After the best Stones concert ever in Vredenburg, Utrecht, this was the best Stadium concert I've heard. Even better then Cologne, Germany, in 1989 (Steel Wheels tour).

Review by Peter Wouters, Eindhoven

I was there, August 23rd in London. But the Stones were not. This is disappointing when you travel from the Netherlands to see the Rolling Stones on their home ground. Back again in the Netherlands I tried to buy some tickets for the postponed show in the Amsterdam Arena. I though it was more easy, but I only managed to get a ticket on the top ring of the stadium. (But I was there August 19th, and then I had a place just two people between me and the stage and the catwalk).

The luxury thing is that I could travel late in the afternoon to Amsterdam because I didn't't have to run for a best place. Just before the show started I met a guy I knew from this winter when we were in line by the local ticket sales office and discussed the shows we had seen. I told him that I hoped that the Stones would play Midnight Rambler. This is one of my favourites and I didn't't hear it yet this tour.

When the Stones started, although the sound wasn't that good the first three songs, you could see that the Stones really had fun on stage. Keith hugging Ron, Mick tapping Keith's shoulder and a lot of laughs on stage. The set list was not really surprising the first six songs, but then my wish came through, Midnight Rambler was played and what a great version!

The rest of the show was also without surprises (no Salt of the Earth f.i.) but man where they brilliant. Sitting on the top ring between people who barely know the Stones was different than being in front of the stage, but I enjoyed every second of the evening and every note they played. This was my last Rolling Stones concert for now, I hope they come back in a few years so I can see them for the at least the 25th time (this was my 24th Rolling Stones show).

Review by Edward Berger

I just got back from the Amsterdam ArenA. This was the second time in the ArenA after the gig in August. I also did the final Wembley show on the fifteenth, Bill Wyman stood a few moments next to me before he went, together with his family, to his seat only a few meters further. Such a great crowd in England, I also met this sweet and beautiful girl so this has been a perfect evening for me. After this stunning performance I must do one final unplanned gig, for now, to get over it.

On with the show, So I took my car in Antwerp at 7.00 pm and arrived at the Arena at 8.30 pm. Bought a 80 � ticket for 30 � from someone at the gates and managed to get in just when the intro started. I sat in the middle of the 2 main speakers but far away. Sound was not as bad as first night at the ArenA but not as good as Werchter. It rained and the roof was closed so it echoed a bit, but who cares? Chuck wasn�t too loud in the mix; at last, Keith and Ronnie were mixed just fine. Some solo�s may have been a bit louder to me. The crowd was much, much better though. Stones did a warhorse�s set list, as expected. But they rocked as only they can. One of the best stadium gigs although I liked Paris 9/7/03 more.

Setlist, BS and SMU: Ok, You got me rocking: great, but I love to hear �If you can�t rock me� there. It smoked in Wembley (thanks to Keith).

Don�t stop: one of the best versions I�ve heard, great sing along.

Angie: a bore, but the crowd seemed to like it. YCACWYW: ok, have seen better, MR and TD: ok

Keith, da man, did a great version of Nearness of you, can you imagine this, in a stadium? It is a risk, but it worked anyhow. Keith told the crowd �I love that man�, pointing to Ronnie as mr. Wood was playing at his very best. Happy: although it is one of my favorites it just didn�t �connect�. SFTD: Keith took this one to the next level, but I�m in love with the �69 version. LRR, nice bluesy version. IORR: bore but ok, why they don�t ever try to do the quiet part as on the original? SFM: Keith helps Mick with the intro, great interaction between both of them. GS: ok, but a personal bore. PIB: crowd went wild on this one. HTW: OK, Satisfaction: less horns, thank you, great rockin� version. JJF: always a great stadium rocker.

This concludes my private Stones tour, did 10-15 this year. But if they do another club or Wembley gig I�ll be there anyway.

One more thing: As ULF already stated: Give us a new album and then do a tour WITH THE NEW SONGS. A bit like they did in �78 with the �Some Girls� tour. Not 1 or 2 songs but all of them. Also I would like to hear more of the �80s and �90s stuff. Love is strong, Mixed emotions, She�s so cold, Already over me, I go wild, Almost hear you sigh instead of Angie or even � I could go on forever. Get the word out Bjornulf!

Thunderstorm outside � thunderstorm inside!
Review by Marion Schr�ter & Thomas Piehl

The summer turns into harvest while reaching Amsterdam in the afternoon and on the way to Amsterdam Arena, a thunderstorm starts. Running the short way to the ground, it rains cats and dogs and because the storm we get soaked to the skin. But thank god, the roof of the Arena was closed!

Brown sugar opened another Stones gig for us in Europe. The acoustic near the B-Stage was rather bad, but who cares: The audience around us was knowing every song and melody very well and was singing and dancing so great! The audience here was like an thunderstorm. The Arena has an intimitate atmosphere like in a small Arena and not like in a stadium, it was dark from the beginning, the echo, the audience,�

Mick, we had another idea of having a show we�ll never forget as we drove 1.000 km in vain on August, 20th. Today there was no surprise in the setlist, no extra�s, but we don�t regret to drove another 1.000 km: We loved the special intros to some special songs like Angie, Paint it black, Midnight rambler. Midnight rambler was indeed a very unique version this night. It seems the band really enjoyed the show and themselves, the interaction with the audience (it�s a f***cking great crowd,..). Mick got red roses on B-stage and presented them to Charlie! In the end, everybody seems satisfied.

Amsterdam was our last show together! Thank you Mick, Charlie, Keith, Ron, Daryl, Lisa and all the others. And thank you to all like Andrea and Petra who took care of our four daughters this summer while being on tour!!!!!!!

Review by Peter Lacres, Belgium

A Monday night with the Rolling Stones in Amsterdam is perfect to start up your week. It was a beautiful day outside but it started to rain in the evening. The Arena was nevertheless closed and nobody got really wet during the concert.

I must admit that I'm a bit disappointed for my last concert. Hardcore fans are aware that the sound in the Arena isn't fantastic but I remember last month's press release when the concert was cancelled... "Mick Jagger declared that the resheduled concert will be one to remember" It's true that the Rolling Stones gave away a good concert but not one to remember forever, although it seems this will be my last concert of this tour.

The sound at this Stones show wasn't that crisp, clean as for instance De Kuip. You could hear the sound going around the stadium and that's a nice experience. I stood next to the catwalk and I could see Charlie Watts' face. This means that you don't have to watch the big screens all the time. The Rolling Stones picked their opening acts very well this year. I enjoyed big names such as ACDC, The Pretenders and The Simply Minds but it's nice to hear a young band around.

The show started quite early and for the set list, I prefer to hear the rarely done songs over the big hits but yet again, this is a stadium show! The Stones came out, opening with "Brown Sugar" I noticed that Mick's voice sounded very good. The crowd loved it with "yeah, yeah, yeah, WHOOO's" all around. From the opener onwards, the Stones came up with a similar setlist as Werchter. It's nice to hear Angie and Midnight Rambler but I was looking forward to hear "Salth Of The Earth". Mick introduced the band with a nice hat on. All got a warm reception, including a double round of applause for Charlie. Why have Ronnie or Keith never introduced Mick during this tour?

The crowd in front didn't take a noticeable bathroom break during "The Nearness Of You" as Keith did a great job BUT BUT BUT, a security guy had a problem with a guy just after me who took some photographs during the concerts. It's forbidden, point taken but why spoil some time in arguments and hiding away the camera. By the way, just before the Rolling Stones walked to the B-stage, the guy with some girlfriend were taken away. This meant more space to reach for the arms of our idols. And yes, I touched the hand of Keith once again. This made my day!

On the B-stage, the Stones are stripped down to the basics and they get a chance to prove that they really are the world's greatest rock and roll band. Much to my surprise, the sound didn't drastically change on the small stage. The sound was just as fine as it was from the main stage and there was nothing "acoustic" about this set. "Little Red Rooster" filled the stadium with real blues and a furious "Street Fighting Man" rocked the Arena!

They went back to the main stage to close out the show with a mostly predictable list of hits. "Paint It Black" was awesome and "Honky Tonk Women" is another highlight thanks to Lisa. Satisfaction kicked ass and you could hear very well the interplay between the drums and guitars, as if Charlie and Keith were really giving and taking.

The Stones ended with a long and rocking "Jumping Jack Flash". They came back for only one encore. No twenty songs for this last Dutch concert! At the end, the crew shot off some fireworks inside the Arena and the crowd gave them a huge ovation.

I'm really happy to have met a lot of new Stones friends such as Michael Sold & his wife, Philou, Gina from the North, Steve from Tinian, crazy Patrick, Stefan together with Henri and a few others. But I would like to thank the horn section, Blondie, Bernard, Lisa, Chuck, Darryl, Bobby, Ronnie, Charlie, Mick and Keith - THE ROLLING STONES!!! thanks in giving me such a lovely sunny rock 'n roll summer.

Thanks to Iris N�lle-Hornkamp, Ren� Spork, Martijn Jansen, Axel Schumacher, Roberto de Tuoni and Albert Imthorn for news links!

This page will change over the next few days, as you and other fans send reviews, set lists and reports. Please send your e-mail to IORR. Thanks! For details and great photos from the Rolling Stones and their World Tour get the IORR magazines.

The Rolling Stones Amsterdam ArenA Amsterdam, The Netherlands Monday September 22, 2003