Previous page Next page First page IORR home
The Rolling Stones Fan Club of Europe
It's Only Rock'n Roll


These are the latest Rolling Stones news and updates for you! IORR is a non profit fan club run by fans for fans. All parts of the It's Only Rock'n Roll web site is copyright of The Rolling Stones Fan Club. When using information from this site, please include a reference to IORR and the main web address www.iorr.org.
Stones
NEWS
Tell Me
Forum
Hackney
Diamonds
Tour
2024
Mick
Jagger
Keith
Richards
Charlie
Watts
Ronnie
Wood
Band 2
Tim Ries


The Rolling Stones
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia
Thursday April 13, 2006

The set list

  1. Satisfaction
  2. Let's Spend The Night Together
  3. She's So Cold
  4. Oh No Not You Again
  5. Sway
  6. Worried About You
  7. Ain't Too Proude To Beg
  8. Tumbling Dice
  9. Night Time Is The Right Time
    --- Introductions
  10. This Place Is Empty (Keith)
  11. Happy (Keith)
  12. Miss You (to B-stage)
  13. Rough Justice
  14. Get Off Of My Cloud
  15. Honky Tonk Women (to main stage)
  16. Sympathy For The Devil
  17. Paint It Black
  18. Start Me Up
  19. Jumping Jack Flash
  20. You Can't Always Get What You Want (encore)
  21. Brown Sugar (encore)
Airbourne (Warmup) : 7:30pm -  8:15pm
Rolling Stones     : 9:00pm - 10:55pm


Review by Darren Jenkins, Melbourne

What an absolute cracker. Seen the Stones numerous times previously, Jagger solo, all of which I've loved, but had to live with some Stones regret. In 1998 I had to forfeit my ticket to seeing them in Munich since I didn't have the cash to get back there later (life of the back-packer) following Keith's fractured rib delaying the tour. All regret is now gone as I saw the Stones as raw as I can remember with the best opening song list that I could imagine. The notion that the Stones are putting on the same production day in day out was blown away by songs from all decades (prefer to think of the nineties as long service leave) that required the fan's collection to extend beyond forty licks. The top six were exceptional.

The set was so great that I almost lost focus on the other task of the night but by the time that Keith had finished TPIE I had regained my composure. I then turned to my girlfriend Jorja and told her that I need a love to keep me happy and if she would marry me that would be assured. She was stunned, I didn't hear the reply because by that stage Keith was striking up the first chords and I was on my feet. "She said Yeah".


Review by Paul Johnstone

It wasn't the nearly $400 Australian for a ticket (+ US$100 to join the RS fan club to get the $400 ticket), but this was the best Stones show I've seen. It was raw and honest, with proper guitar levels for once and a looseness and warmth that I didn't see during the 40 Licks or Voodoo Lounge shows I saw here in Australia. (I have to go back to Kooyong 1973 to recall that sort of playing. But listen to tapes from the Perth and Kooyong shows and you'll see what I mean). Not that the band wasn't tight, but this felt like real rock & roll again. There were a few mistakes and missed cues, but this made it all the more real for me.

I reckon Rod Laver Arena with 13000 seats is just right. It felt like a much smaller venue than this, especially when the B stage thing happened. My seat was right next to the B stage - perfect. Up so close to the guys is a bit scary, but unforgettable. The crowd was not "sedate" at any stage (as some reports from Sydney suggested) - just about everyone was up on their feet rocking the whole time, as far as I could see. At the end, there was even a buzz that there might be a second encore, but no. When the band was introduced, there was a significant amount of love in the house, especially when Ronnie, Charlie and Keith were called forward. Very intimate.

I've never heard Ronnie play better - I prefer his Faces-style great ragged solos than the polished CYHMK-style of the 40 Licks tour (as impressive as that was). When he wasn't soloing, his sound melted into Keith's. But you could clearly hear the two different guitar sounds this time around. Keith and Charlie were as great as ever and Mick worked the crowd beautifully. Mick was in especially good voice. I haven't seen Charlie hit the drums harder - he looked very fit. Keith mostly played his big white Gibson - the sound was ringing and unmistakable.

Here in Melbourne we got a better song list than Sydney, IMO - She's So Cold, Sway, Worried About You and Ain't To Proud To Beg replaced You Got Me Rocking, Dead Flowers, Angie and It's Only Rock And Roll. The set order was really well put together too. Highlights for me (apart from the whole occasion and seeing the band close up at the B stage):

Satisfaction - those chords do it for me every time
Let's Spend The Night Together - after waiting years, fantastic
She's So Cold - ditto. What a rocking trio to kick things off!
Sway - just superb
Worried About You - great vocals and dynamics
Tumblin' Dice - Keith's riffing
Night Time Is The Right Time - Lisa Fischer excels
Happy - Keith was apparently in heaven for this one
Get Off My Cloud - B stage punk rock
Honky Tonk Woman - B stage raunch
Paint It Black - Keith's delicate guitar intro leading into Charlie's heavy drums
Start Me Up - unbelievably good version. Much better sitting at this end of the setlist than its 40 Licks spot near the beginning. Fantastic.
JJ Flash - like Satisfaction, those chords do something special to me
Brown Sugar - Mick screwed-up the vocal intro, but eventually everything came back into line. Bobby Keys surfaced to do his solo.

I would have loved to hear All Down the Line, Midnight Rambler and Gimme Shelter, but you can't have everything. Out of the 21 songs, 9 were new to me in a live show - not bad. In fact all 21 songs were strong.

Overall, it was a great party atmosphere, great sound, great spontaneous playing. I think everyone left happy.


Review by Jonny Lamar, Melbourne

My seventeenth show and after the noise problems in Sydney, I'm happy and proud to say it was possibly the best stones show I've ever seen. Many things make a good show, seating position, sound, set list, crowd and tonite it all came together. Even the monumental fuck up in Brown Sugar was proof that The Stones are a real band of humans and shit happens and 'we will get ourselves out of it' and they did. Anyway, She So Cold seems to have been rehearsed a bit from earlier versions I've seen and was the ancient art of weaving personified. Then I truly, honestly shed a tear as Keith came out with the zermatis skull guitar and did a killer version of Sway and if that wasnt enough, the next song was worried about you... game over. I nearly left then and could have died a contented stones fan. The sound was crystal clear and Ronnie was on fire although after a great start to the solo in Worried About You, he did meander and lost the key phrasing. The band seemed to be really enjoying themselves although Jagger seems to be a bit testy with Keith at times especially the beginning of Worried About You where Keith seemed to come in a little early and Jagger gave him a few 'what the hell' looks. Further evidence of them enjoying themselves, the end of Ain't too Proud to Beg went on for a while with an extended Keith solo after which he was seen to jokely apologise to Chuck for going on too long. Overall I am so happy I'm now speechless. Tonight and with Soldier Field, Chicago last Sept, the best two Stones shows I've seen. P.S. And Bobby was back for Brown Sugar solo.


Review by Sean, Geelong

Words fail me, you can see above the setlist different to Sydney which was a blessing, Sydney was great, Melbourne was outstanding, anyone who states this is not the greatest rock n roll band ever, knows nothing about music, the passion in this band as they pour their hearts out to the fans, cannot be equaled, thanks lads, especially Ronnie, catch ya next time.

p.s. still Swaying and did they botch the start to Brown Sugar(don't care)


Review by Paul Walsh

Well....it was the concert that possibly was never going to take place due to the lack of availability of a suitable venue (in a town that IS the sporting capital of the world!) but it did, and it was memorable in so many ways. Why have the Stones survived so long as the greatest live act in the world? CHEMISTRY. It is the chemistry between Jagger and his audience....it is the chemistry between Richards and his audience....but it is definitely NOT the chemistry between Jagger and Richards, because there is NONE at all. They could be playing in two different venues. Given that Richards and Woods do NO backing vocals at all, there is not even any opportunity for 'mic sharing' rapport between the trio.

Now having said all that ............. Ain't To Proud To Beg was SENSATIONAL, as was Honky Tonk Woman, You Can't Always Get, Start Me Up, Brown Sugar and JJF..... which is why we go to hear the Stones. The surprise of the night was Satisfaction as the show starter (Would there be a better show starter??) and the innovation of the night (we've all seen pyros, lights and slideshows before) was the B stage.

They came, they saw, they conquered.....and they were well worth the wait and the dollars.


Review by Peter Mobbs, Ocean Grove

oh my god ! what a freaking show. When I saw the small keyboard being brought out I nearly died ! WORRIED ABOUT YOU !!!!!!!! it was farken unbelievable. plus Shes So Cold, Sway, AINT TOO PROUD TO BEG !!!!

The band were so on, and this was THE greatest crowd i have rocked with. Pretty much EVERY dude was up all night. and NO-ONE sat down at all during Keefs set, it was amazing to see everyone standing during TPIE. sorry to say it corgi baby, but this was even better than Sydney.

Brown Sugar was a total train wreck, Micks ear piece was playing up and he came in at the wrong time twice, the band kept drudging along. It was great to watch, Mick sauntered over to Chuck to get back in time. A lesser band would have stopped and restarted, but not our boys.

Oh yer the sound - ALL GUITARS !!! and Bobby was back. and i ended up on the big screen ! I saw the cameraman working the crowd, as he hit me i looked right down the lens and was shaking my groove thang .. next sec everyone around me is yelling and shrieking, I was on the freaking screen, full tight heads hot .. going off my nut. wooot !


Review by John Argyropoulos

As we all know a night out with the stones is not merely a concert but a memorable event. A magnificent and spellbinding performance tonight, the stones were on fire. The worlds greatest and hardest working rock band kept delivering the goods for the full 2 hours!

For most of the night all the crowd, aged from 10 to 70 plus were on their feet. It was great to hear Ray Charle's "Night Time is the Right Time" performed alongside the hits and new material. A great set list.

For the younger members of the audience, real musicians playing real instruments, a revelation to the many top 40 following teens that rocked with the stones tonight.


Review by By Hoony, Melbourne

Shit what can I say Stones in my hometown once again, this was my third show after licks 2003 and voodoo lounge 1995. to say I was pump is an understatement, listened to "Flashpoint" at home when getting ready and "Bigger bang" nearly twice as I got stuck in traffic on the way to the gig. to open with "satisfaction" is to come out all guns blazing and I was rapt to take in "Shes so cold" and "worried about you" 2 songs I never imagined I would hear/see live , Great version of "this place is empty" gotta love Keith, so relaxed in fact he pulled up and leant on the amps on the B Stage for a while, mr casual on stage when he wants to be. "paint it black" went off and got my wife (casual stones fan) asking me "what is the name of that song". good to see a few 60's tracks from the vault coming out like "lets spend the night together" and "Get off my cloud" classic rock from the masters of songwriters. get long version of "can't always get what you want" As even though the start of "Brown sugar" was botched I didn't care it was a great gig. I was hoping for some favs of mine like "Bitch" , "Midnight Rambler", " Waiting on a friend" and "Whip comes down" but hey they could play 4 hours and still not cover all my favs such is the depth of that amazing back catalogue of songs, very few acts can lay claim to that. Roll on the next tour.


Review by Paul Creighton, Carlton (suburb of Melbourne)

Memo to Stones from long time fan-Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena 14/4/06(and Sydney)

Great show guys and gal. Some comments for if and when you ever tour downunder again

  1. Watch your sound people. Guitars too loud I thought (yes really), bass very hard to hear and not much point having three backup vocalists if you cant hear them
  2. The world's greatest rock n roll band needs a world class lead guitarist, especially if you're gonna mix the guitars that high. Hide him behind the Amps if you have to. Sorry Ronnie. Songs like Night Time and YCAGWYW were great but need good lead breaks
  3. There are not that many Stones songs I don't like but "she's so cold" is one of them. Just a personal thing
  4. Be bold with song selection. There is no law that says you have to play JJF, Brown Sugar, Satisfaction etc etc every night. You have the strongest song list in rock history to choose from, use it! The mantra that "people expect these songs" is ..... Try "walking the dog" on the B stage next time you're in Melbourne, you'll set the place alight (Melbourne fans have fond memories of that song!)
  5. Lisa Fischer is an attraction in her own right, use her more often. Do Gimme Shelter AND Night Time is the Right Time (AND Midnight Rambler)
  6. (Sydney) Leave Stadium Rock to U2 and Springsteen, their fans deserve it, yours don't. Seriously, its crap and you know it.
  7. It can't be all about money. So next time surprise us and throw in a couple of gigs at the Palais, the Regent or the Forum and make sure the true fans have some chance of getting tickets
  8. An acousitc set would be nice

But come back even if you do none of the above


Review by Gary Zinno

I�ve now managed to hear and experience the show 3 times as I play my master DAT recording of this memorable concert. On each playback I hear something new I missed before. Certainly a great show with the inclusion of the new numbers. The classics sounded as good as I expected this legendary band to play them so no complaints there either. The sound and visual is always perfect in this venue and had the band played a large outdoor venue I wouldn�t have bothered seeing them. Might sound a tad picky but with the entry price we pay these days I want to hear and see what I pay for and those larger venues just don�t cut it for me anymore. The only down side is the strict 2 hour set. It would have been nice to have them stretch it out to a 140+ minutes with an inclusion of a 4 or 6 acoustic set in the middle of the show. They do need to go outside their usual safety zone and give us a bit more of the unexpected other than the predictable 2 hour electric show. Great as it is they should try and give us a bit more for the entry price we pay. Still a happy camper and enjoyed the whole show from these old rockers even with the stuff up in Brown Sugar and the boring Richards "still glad to be anywhere" comment.


Review by Steven S., Texas, USA

I can�t quite put it into words yet. I was near Melbourne working on a project this week. When I arrived at the nearby town on Monday morning after a 16 h flight from LAX, we had a staff meeting to review objectives. I jokingly told them my last objective was to see the Stones in Melbourne on Thursday night. They kinda laughed, told me it was sold out, wrote it off, though one person told me I sounded determined.... the hand of fate entered.... through the extraordinary generosity, kindness and determination of a fellow Stones fan who I did not even know, I got a seat to a show of a lifetime. They did five songs (I think) I had not seen live before the night was over.

When I arrived at my seat, it was 2 seats away from the B stage. The other shows I have attended - San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, OK City, I was never this close. This changed my entire game plan - no bathroom break during Miss You! At 9 pm, the lights went down and you could see KR's silhouette on the stage. The stage seemed big and squeezed into the arena. Expecting JJF, Keith blasted out the riff to Satisfaction - good and loud. The lights came up and the band exploded onto the stage, Mick ran out from between the keyboards and Charlie�s drums. This huge wave on energy electrified the entire arena. It was the STONES LIVE in Melbourne! They looked relaxed and rested. LSTNT was next and Mick said hello to Melbourne. She's So Cold followed and while is started rough, it was grand. One of my personal favorites, and Ronnie did great guitar work here. ONNYA was right on, Mick sings it like he knows the story well.

Mick introduced Sway as "obscure" but the crowd sure knew it. Incredible guitar here by Ronnie and Keith. The stage crew THEN moved a keyboard out front and Mick sat down at it. He introduced " Worried About You' - it was a rare moment where he appeared to be sitting in a small group, all 12000 of us. He took a deep breath, smiled, relaxed and slowly, with great joy, delivered a great song - adding his comments as he wanted to. When the band kicked in, he looked back and told them 'Come on - make it strong.' ATPTB was a great one, Charlie�s drum kicked it off and everyone was on their feet for it. Tumbling Dice just flew by and everyone sang along. Miss Lisa came down and added her part to TNTITRT. Ron�s and Keith�s guitar work was extra bluesy and Mick polished off the song with some added comments. Brother Ray would have approved.

Following intros, Keith took over center stage. He was relaxed, almost too much so. He sparks up a cig - very prohibited here - and says a few things, then says 'enough with the jokes, but there are so many''. He delivers TPIE with his acoustic guitar sounding great. He then launches into Happy. He delivers amazing lyrics and guitar work. I sit down for the first time, knowing I will see them very close very soon.

The stage levitates and I see them migrating towards the B stage. The stage splashes down about 10 feet from me, Miss You is going a strong and here is the band right in front of me! These guys are working their asses off, and up close they are laughing and smiling. The next few minutes the music is a blur. Darryl is a rock and he really adds some funk to tonight�s Rough Justice. They each stroll by, Ron and Keith flicking guitar picks into the crowd, then getting another one from the stand by Charlie. Charlie looks up and manages a smile, even though the guy next to me a using a flash camera. I can read the set list next to Charlie's drums. GOMC is lost on me as I watch these guys work, Keith wanders to the amp behind Charlie and leans against it while playing, smiling and says 'hey I�m relaxing here.' HTW - Keith starts, no Charlie, then Keith starts again. Mick high fives some hands near me. The stage lifts off, as the song takes off so do they back to the main stage. The fans around me wave goodbye and they wave back.

A short break and then they start Sympathy. Mick appears in a black top hat and cape which sparkle in the stage lights. He moves left to right then back again as he introduces himself. Keith does his best guitar work of the night here, and Ron adds in some searing licks. Keith steps up to begin PIB alone - he nails it perfectly - another gem I have never seen live before. Mick adds lyrics. But Ronnie steals this one with his white hot guitar work at the finish. SMU, JJF and it ends all too soon.

The encore of YCAGWYW has not always thrilled me, but it made a great singalong for the Aussies, who I noticed prefer to sit in their seats rather than stand. Ron Wood's guitar takes off at the end and he could have gone on much longer, he was on a roll with it. Brown Sugar has a rough start but no one cared, the streamers rain down on us, and we all sing 'yeah, yeah, yeah, whooo, how come you dance so good!' They take their bows and Mick says thanks. We thank you fellows...go see these guys, they fucking rock.

And I want to thank a kind fan from Japan whom I have never met before; she generously helped me with a ticket when she could not go to Melbourne for the show. I want to acknowledge her here - I am so grateful to you. You have a lifelong friend here. Proving to me again, that you truly get what you need.


Review by Daniel Richardson, Melbourne

After arriving on the Wednesday morning suffering a mad hangover from the Sydney concert, I was so excited about having 3rd row tickets in the Rod Laver Arena. The arena was fantastic and I very much doubt that there were any bad seats, unlike Sydney where it seemed the majority of fans were slightly disappointed.

Airbourne were fantastic and looked like a very young ACDC, so it was no surprise that Mick thanked them during the show. hope to see them very soon again, as they really rocked the venue.

"On with the show" as Keith so famously says........what can you say. I've been a Stones fan for over 10 years and only seen them a couple of times in London and Sydney, and tonight they hit top note. The setlist was a dream for me. Worried About You "don't worry, I'm not going to sing any songs about dead blondes", as Mick announced. Miss You, She's So Cold and Sway were all fantastic and a great treat. Mick was his energetic self and was fantastic throughout. Keith was Keith and had smiles and death stares throughout the show. Ronnie seemed to be having fun and his solo playing was clear, even though sometimes erratic. Lisa seemed to be all smiles and dancing and it was good to see Bobby back.

It was great to see them cock-up once or twice. On Brown sugar Mick started singing way before he should of, and he knew it .... it darted off to Chuuk and stood there by the piano whilst every other band member sorted themselves out. He had a wee chuckle to himself as well. Also on Start Me Up there was a f**k up on guitars and Mick was looking around at Ronnie and Keith to ask the question ...... "what's going on", and Ronnie just looked up and nodded towards Keith, as if to say ......."not my fault, blame Keith"

I thought Mick rushed through the introductions tonight. It's always a favourite section of mine, but there was no joking and mucking around as you see on the recent DVD's, which is always good to see.

I have no complaints about the Stones. We have to be the luckiest fans in the world, as they seem to be getting stronger and stronger. There seemed a lot of young people in the crowd tonight, which was a good sign


Please send your show reviews and comments by e-mail to: [email protected].
The reviews will show up here soon! Thanks!


News links


The IORR magazine

For exclusive reports and unique high quality pictures from the Rolling Stones tour and more see the IORR magazines.


Previous page Next page First page IORR home It's Only Rock'n Roll 1980 - 2006
© The Rolling Stones Fan Club Of Europe