It's Only Rock'n Roll
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Stereophonics (warmup) : 8:00pm - 8:45pm The Rolling Stones : 9:40pm - 11:40pm
Great show at Stade the France tonight. Probably the biggest crowd so far, packed house in this 80,000 seater means more than 80,000 if you count the floor...
Keith did a walkabout during Slipping Away, and suddenly he realized he was halfway to the left when he was supposed to start singing into the microphone being center stage. So he was running like he was trying to catch the bus, and lost the first couple of words, but managed to catch up in a great way. Nice with the spontanity.
Mick seems to have got a hair cut in Paris, but I think he should ask for his money back, because they took too much by the ears. Still most people would probably not notice at all.
Keith seemed a bit tired. It was too hot really. But he was still giving lots of love and riffs into the crowd. And when I went to the left wing waiting for Keith to come out during Satisfaction, I missed Keith, because he went right, but Mick came our early and stayed long, picking up a red neckless thrown to him, and then you would not believe it, after he had gone to the far other (right) side, he actually came back to the left wing one more time during Satisfaction. That is how great long stretched that song was. And JJF lasted forever. They realized they had still some time left before the curfew cut them off...
Great show. Great crowd. And back into central Paris in half an hour by the RER train. That's just great!
IORR/Bjornulf
Yes friends, the Stones are still the best r'n'roll band in the world. Yes they just play some old stuff, no new album but who cares ???
Jagger is so great : his voice was just perfect last night and had an amazing energy (he came back on the mini stage after the encore - quite rare (i have plenty of photos) Guitars ? fantastic - even Keith made an effort and played perfectly. Ronnie is very "here" to take solos when it is necessary and he seems to enjoy so much playing.
The show was filmed. I was close to the mini stage and what i could see was a louma camera only. Anyway, professional or amateur recording, we need that one !
the set list ? fine ! Angie, Miss you, bitch, little red rooster were alternatives compared to the Marseille and Bercy shows.
To finish I would like to thank Mr Charlie Watts : for being a so good drummer and for having signed me a japanese LP 2 nights ago. He came out of his car and i asked him. He looked at me and agreed with eyes. Then his body guard did not want to let him come. Charlie has hesitated and was going away, then he came back to me and picked up my pen to make a beautiful signature. Just thank you... Now I will try to get the others on that LP...next time.
The next step for me is London in september. See you there guys.
Jeff
The stadium gig was a completely different affair. First of all, the sound was 100% improved. I was standing a few yards behind the B-stage and enjoyed great sound balance. Then, the show itself was much more focused and, and where Mick seemed slightly distant at times during the Bercy gig, he managed to capture everyone's attention in a packed stadium throughout an amazing show. Oh, by the way... I know it may sound and look a bit lame, but believe me... you SHOULD TAKE BINOCUMARS WITH YOU !! Especially to enjoy the b-stage mini set with increased "intimacy" : enjoy the smiles on their faces !
Favourite moments of mine at the Stade de France :
- Mick's singing on Angie (although not my favourite song)
- "You can't always get.." - there was a definite feeling of magic during that number, with really brilliant work from Keith.
- the way "Bitch" sounded so awesome. It really floored me. Spotless.
- Ronnie dancing and fooling around on stage during the introductions, until Mick asked "um.... are you finished now ?" Ronnie seemed more relaxed and enjoying himself more than at Bercy throughout the show.
- Mick attemting to get Charlie to speak into the mike.. ha ha
- Mick introducing "Little red rooster", saying.. "a blues number we haven't played in ages." And the song was really stunning. The Stones at their bluesy best.
- Street fighting man on stage B sounded 100% better than it did as an intro to the Bercy show. Awesome sound and Ronnie enjoying it and pushing Keith to carry on with it
- the obvious complicity and enjoyment from Mick and Lisa during Gimme Shelter
- Mick shouting "are you ready ?" to an enthralled audience, then turning to the boys and adding "well.. WE'RE NOT !"
- a big laugh when Mick realized Keith wasn't ready to launch I.O.R'n'r, and then a really great rendition of the song, much better than the Bercy one
The whole show was a really exhilarating thing that kept everyone on their toes to the end. Mick's ad libs in French were rather funny too "vous avez bien boug� vos fesses ?" ("did you move your bums well ?")
Thumbs up all round !
I hadn't seen them in 20 years and I must say... last night, they were much better and sounded much younger !
Again, like Bercy, I find the band in great spirit and on top of their craft which is to do gigs since 40 years. Mick and Keith seem to hit it off nicely and I saw (or did I dream afterwards, another fan will confirm) Mick actually almost hugging Keith. The set list was quite different from Bercy which was a treat. The highlights were Sympathy , YCAGWYW, Satisfaction, Jumping jack flash (much better than in Bercy), Street Fighting man, Little red rooster, Angie, Honky Tonk Woman were all strong original versions and Keith two songs were great: Slipping away and especially Before they let me run where Ronnies and Keith guitars were great.
A very good performance from our favorite legends.
You got me rocking at no. 3 was a bit better than the first two songs, but I had a feeling they were not up to par today. The singalong in Don't Stop was nice, even Ronnie did a very nice solo. I knew they were playing Angie as well, as both acoustic guitars had been out for the last check of the sound before thes how, so they would need them.
The show turned to the better with YCAGWYW, usually not one of my favourite songs, but today it was played very well, very up to the point and Ronnie's solo reminded me of 1976, where he did the long solo during that song. I suddenly felt that they were turning this show into something more interesting. BItch turned out to be one of the strongest version I had for ages, maybe the strongest version all over. Keith was hitting every note right, Charlie was hopping away at the drums and Mick took Bernard out for the last verse, so he could be on the front as well. Very nice picture, really hard working band, really good song.
Tumbling Dice was well done as well. The Stones seem to like that song, I could do without it from time to time, but it was ok.
During the introductions Ronnie was all over the stage, here, there and everywhere until Mick asked, if he was finished now. Charlie got some good round of applause, but wouldn't want to talk into Mick's microphone.
Keith did Slipping away and we had seen the moon on the other side of the stadium before, so it showed up on the screen, a moment that I really really like since having first seen it at Schuettorf 1995. Keith was so taken away, he went out to the left of the stage and played before he realised that he was the singer as well in THIS song so he hurried back to get to the microphone and go on singing, just a little bit late. He took of his guitar in the first half of the song, Ronnie saw that and looked to Blondie and they both nodded their heads, knowing they had to take over Keith's part. But as soon as Keith put the guitar back on, he was absolutely 100% on.
BTMMR was faster than usual, I believe. Ronnie did play really well on it. SFTD was a bit strange. They had the stage front right under the glass or plastic roof, so I thought they might burn the stadium roof, if they had the big flames during the chorus. They must have realized that as well, so they only had the small flames coming off. People seemed to like it anyway.
When they went over to the b-stage, Bobby followed them, something which I never had seen before. So I knew it was another song this time. And they did Miss You. I was taken aback at first, but after a few seconds I realised that it will be without the old gimmicks from the last couple of tours, just plain Miss You, something I had never seen before. And the song was really good, Mick on harmonica, Bobby on sax, wailing away. This song, although a warhorse, actually was a high point of the show. As was Little Red Rooster, although Mick said they hadn't done it for ages. I only saw in a month agonin Munich, so Mick pretends sometimes, doesn't he? ;-)
SFM was much better than in Berlin, they kept the rhythm all thourgh from start to finish, not loosing it like they sometimes do due to sound problems at the b-stage.
After Gimme Shelter, Keith took some time to get ready with changing shirt etc., putting guitar on, Jagger looked around and smiled after he saw why nothing happened, but than Keith was ready, gave Mick a note and went on, loud and proud.
Lisa came out during HTW, but lost her shoe, fell over and kneeled in front of Mick, bursting out laughing. Mick put her shoe back on after the end of the song.
During Satisfaction and JJF both Mick and Keith were out at the wings a couple fo times, Keith climbing down in front of the monitors and underneath the catwalk like he did in Berlin. Both songs sounded longer than usual.
After the final bows I realised how great the show was after Angie, although it was a rather short show, less than 2 hours. We had make our way out rather quickly, so we hurried to the metro. Services will stop there 15 minutes before one, no matter of there are 80.000 fans wanting to get home or not. No time for meet and greet with other fans there and then, but just a quick walk to the station and off to Paris city.
Anyway! The band finally came on, and the chords to Brown Sugar stuck up sending me into fits of hysterics because thats 1 of my favourite numbers. It was a pitty it took so long to put the screen up, because i missed all of that and half of Start Me Up because there was no way to see the stage. But all this was forgotten once it did. They proceded to do all the classics you can count on seeing (such as Sympathy, Honky Tonk & Satisfaction), but what i found more interesting was the choice of more obscure numbers i hadnt seen them do so often (such as CAGWYW, Little Red Rooster), tho i found the rendition of Gimme Shelter particularly striking (Lisa's vocals there impressed me no end).
And when they came to the b-stage.. well! They were so close i could barely believe it! I liked how they chose to Miss You there, opposed to on the main stage; that was a nice change. Over all i was deeply impressed with the energy shown by these men knocking on 60, which one can safely say is more than i have even at this tender age! I also thought the fact the stadium was filled from wide age ranges as 7-70 is a brilliant testament to a band who has defied all the usual norms of age-ing, and not only that, but done it with style. Throughtout the show you never forget you are witnessing the true kings of rock and roll, and that their crowns are well earned and deserved.
I also think its called for to comment on the amazing crowd! I thought they took the long wait extremely well, and the mexican waves were fun (though i couldnt join in from the pitch). They were alot kinder and more polite than people here, as many around were looking out 4 me, being younger, making sure i didn't get trampled on or pulled too far away from my parents- and no-one was pushing and shoving to get further forward. Brittish audiences are nothing like that! Believe me... oh! And the toilets were amazingly clean! I visited them twice, and after the gig they were as clean and fresh smelling as the start- no shit up the walls or anything like back here, and there were no cues. Just another miracle of an already perfect day. And then we went back to the hotel. :o)
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It's Only Rock'n Roll 2003 -
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