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The Rolling Stones
Westpac Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand
Tuesday April 18, 2006

The set list

  1. Jumping Jack Flash
  2. You Got Me Rocking
  3. She's So Cold
  4. Oh No Not You Again
  5. It's Only Rock'n Roll
  6. Angie
  7. Gimme Shelter
  8. Midnight Rambler
  9. Tumbling Dice
    --- Introductions
  10. This Place Is Empty (Keith)
  11. Happy (Keith)
  12. Miss You (to B-stage)
  13. Rough Justice
  14. Start Me Up
  15. Honky Tonk Women (to main stage)
  16. Sympathy For The Devil
  17. Paint It Black
  18. Brown Sugar
  19. You Can't Always Get What You Want (encore)
  20. Satisfaction (encore)
Nickelback (warmup) : 7:25pm -  8:15pm
Rolling Stones      : 8:50pm - 10:50pm


Review bv Don Smith

Stunning - absolutely stunning! I saw the Stones years ago as a school kid (in the 70's) and from what I can remember they were so-so. But this time couldn't have been more different. The lads reminded everyone that although we have no choice about aging - we don't have to grow old. They rocked! Seemed to me there was something-slightly-strange about the mix that saw nearly every song start off as an integrated, studio like soundstage and then about halfway through become raw and live ... what was that all about ... just my imagination? But overall this was one of THE great live concerts. Highlights - a stunning, soulful, raw Paint it Black. And an extended Midnight Rambler like on Get yer Ya Ya's out. And excuse this terribly corporate statement but ... a big thank you to the lads for their customer focus. They know who their paying fans are and they give us what we want, no condescension, no slacking off ... we got the real deal. A truly stunning show.


Review by Matt Beauchamp

Wellington got stoned last night, with a virtually sold out stadium on it's feet all night. First up, Nickelback were great, and got nearly all out of their seats too - they were actually louder than the Stones, and happy to make the most of the slot. As to the main act, it was what stadiums were built for, from the Roman Coliseum through to now - a spectacle, down to the last explosion. Setlist probably reflected that the band hadn't been here since 1966 - fairly safe, but with Gimme Shelter and Midnite Rambler I had no real complaints. She's so Cold was not much of a treat in my book, and a bit sloppy (not in a good way). Midnight rambler was sublime, while Sympathty has the guitars virually inaudible. Not complaining, just commenting.....

More general comments, - although the keyboards and horns (when on stage), were low enough in the mix, the guitars could have been up - seemed almost like the drums were deliberately up sometimes to carry things along. Keith was favouring his white hollowbody, which actually seemed a bit muddy to me. On the other hand, his Les Paul Junior sounded fantastic for Rambler.

Keith's slot began with him saying "Hello, ladies and Wellington - Hey, I just thought that up, that's pretty good" or something like it. Charlie had to replace a cymbal, and it was commented by Mick that he hardly hit them, let alone replaced them.

Mick was highly energetic, and sung brilliantly, whereas Keef and Ron tended to stck by Charlie, playing to him. No problems with Ron's solos tonight. I doubt they'll be back in town, so it's one for the history books.


Review by Kirk Trounson

Even though I had to endure Nickelback again with their horrible distortion,this was clearly a better show than Auckland i believe. Being the last show before they take a 5 week break it would have been easy for them to simply "phone it in" but they didn't, instead they absolutely rocked! Mick was especailly energetic tonight often running from one end of the stage to the other. I think he must have pushed himself harder knowing that he had plenty of time to rest afterwards. At first the audience seemed a bit sedate but when Angie started the crowd really started to get into it with many people singing along. From there the crowd got more and more enthused and were soon much more "into it" than the Auckland crowd, the songs that proved especially popular were also You can't always get what you want, satisfaction, honky tonk women, paint it black and miss you, a song Kirk usually skips (too discowy) but enjoyed it here anyway with the moving of the stage into the middle.

There was also a bit more banter between Mick and the crowd, he mentioned that they hadn't come to Wellington since 1966 and that he didn't think he was even born then! There was the usual "anyone from place x" bit and when he said Auckland many people booed, I had to laugh at that, some New Zealanders hate Auckland so much they boo at the mere mention of it.

There was a priceless stuff-up during the first verse of tumbling dice, usually when such a thing happens, half the band will follow Mick and half will play it the right way-except this time no one followed Mick and he was left in the wilderness, again a funny moment, and a reminder that these rock-Gods are human after all.

A rousing cheer also followed when Keith was seen lighting a cigarette on the screen at the start of midnbight rambler, and whenever he threw 1 into the crowd. It was great to see Keith being Keith especially since smoking is banned in bars, clubs and a million other public places here.

This was probably the last time Kirk will get to see the Rolling Stones given Charlie's rumoured announcement that he won't do any more world tours, I'm just glad my last show was so good, the crowd was into it and the sound loud and clear, and the venue was better organised than in Auckland.

It was an awesome show, there is no comparison really with the Rolling Stones, how can you compare Springsteen or U2 to this? Simple: you can't, they are simply a gas gas gas...


Review by Brendon Pearson

What a night, my voice is still in pieces. IMO a better concert than Auckland for a few reasons. The first was that the stage wasn't quite as high as auckland and us front rowers were able to see the whole band the entire time. In Auckland the stage was too high and you only saw the boys when they came to the front of the stage and I never saw Charlie all night except for his final bow and when he was on the big screen.

There were a few different songs and it was great to hear shes so cold. Midnight Rambler was again the highlight for me and it was another outstanding version.

Another reason was I was able to sneak up to the B stage as well and get front for that. Was so cool to see them in that setting close up.

After giving away my pick at Auckland (another story) I got one of Ronnies at Wellington which was very very cool as well as the set list they threw at the end.

The sound was great, they were all having a great time as always and to me they tried to give it their all for the final date of this leg.

My next show is Stockholm which is only a few months away. I enjoyed this show more than the sydney Licks arena shows and the guitars were loud and Ronnie seemed to play more solos this tour than the last. that is what my hazy memory tells me anyway.

Great to hear gimme shelter which wasnt played in auckland.

Once again we are the luckiest fans, they still rock, they still love it and we get to enjoy seeing them again and again and again.


Review by Erica

Right from the start when the guys intro'd with JJF, after a good warm-up from Nickleback, you knew it was going to be a night to remember. Good vibes all round, it's a great venue, and everyone had a sense of connection with the stages - which emerged into a great singalong on a good five of the numbers, encouraged by Mick himself as choirmaster... Just great hearing the crowd sing back to the band... Fantastic! It was cold to begin with, 15 knot 'breeze' distorting sound from the stands, but dropped after first two sets and after that no wind whip at all.

Highlights? A long to be remembered "Angie" a caressingly beautiful solo from Mick of a personal favourite of mine. Keith the same with 'This Place is Empty'. 'Sympathy for the Devil', fresh revamped and wild, wild wild. True of the whole set list really. All those songs we know and love, the sing alongs, being brought in by Mick as he worked the stadium round. Amazing , all of the line up getting a buzz. Nothing you can fault - just honest great performances all around.

Why are they the best loved band of generations? Because they deliver, over and over, every concert. Now that's professionalism and that's love. The " A Bigger Bang" world tour is a band at its most generous, giving heaps. Thanks guys.


Review by Mike Curtis

This concert really went off. The stadium ("the Cake tin") is oval/oblong in shape as it is a rugby field. Set was brilliant for the B Stage as it came out to the centre of the pitch. I rate it as one of my best concerts ever. The local rugby team is the Hurricanes. Very appropriate that Mick started the show with the words "I was born in a Cross fire Hurricane"

A still Wellington night 20 degrees centigrade with a nice clear sky and moon. Song choice was excellent although I would have liked Get off my Cloud. Sound quality was excellent and stage lighting was simple but effective. Only low point was Keith Richard's solo. Sorry Keith, stick to your day job of playing brilliant guitar. Stones last toured in 1995 then 1973 before that. We are all looking forward to the Pensioner Tour 2010.


Review by Blair Morgan

�Well this was a night to party. Mick didn�t think he was born when they last played here in 1966 and he certainly bounded around with the energy of someone at least 1/3rd his age, Keith made some joke about Ladies & Wellington, Charlie had a cymbal problem which held up proceedings, Mick mentions Auckland which gets the only boos of the night. To which he responds �good to see the brotherly love� or words to that effect.

Make no mistake the Stones are built on the 3 pronged foundation of Mick, Keith & Charlie. The sound mix certainly illustrated this � drums especially to the front. Am I the only one that misses the virtuoso playing of Mick Taylor? Imagine what he could bring to the likes of Midnight Rambler (although this was probably still the highlight of the night fpr me), Gimme Shelter, Angie & YCAGWYW (check out European bootlegs from 1973 of the latter two.). In contrast Ronnie was either quiet or sloppy � still looks the part though.

Couldn�t argue with the song selection although there was a drop off for me after the opener JJF to what I would consider 2 minor numbers You Got Me Rocking & She�s So Cold. Angie bought the crowd back alive & they never lost it after that � even during Keith�s 2 numbers.

We can be left out of the loop in this part of the world for this type of show (witness the NZ absence from the Licks tour). A big thank you to whoever swung it to get these guys here. The Rolling Stones are an inspiration.�


Review by Mike H

The wifey and I were determined to see the legendary Stones at least once in our life. Well we did that at the WestPac Stadium and are both very happy we did. They ROCKED - it was a great concert, great venue, great weather - the bright moon even got a look-in on the giant screen. As a Bowie fan I was chuffed to hear Fame playing as background before the concert started and the song Angie of course has a lot of Bowie significance if her Backstage Passes book is to be believed :-) Regardless it was a lovely version of a much beloved song. The songs were very much Greatest Hits too which made it more accessible to the casual fan. That said the Stones must have made lots of converts with their energy and professionalism and just the sheer joy they seem to have in playing together...None of the conceit and arrogance of some of the so-called other rock stars we see today. A great spectacle as well - the fireworks intro and outro worked very well...and the mobile stage was the icing on the cake as the Stones genuinely seemed to want to get everyone involved no matter how far away they were. Personal song highlights for us were: Paint it Black, Angie and You Can't Always Get What You Want. Everybody loved Keef too and the sight of him lighting up and chucking a glowing fag-end away brought lots of cheers.


Review by Alan Stuart

For me, there was a bittersweet symmetry in being at last night's show. Living in London during the 60s and early 70s, I saw the Stones often out at Ealing, Richmond and in town at the Marquee. They were always about the music and Mick was always after success. I don't think they ever worried about relevance, protest or even commentary. Just the music.

So last night, 40 years on, was a joyous confirmation of all of that. Great rock and roll played really well. One or two gaffes - but who cares? The audience loved them and in return they left it all on the stage, nothing in the dressing rooms.

'Angie' brought tears but somehow without nostalgia. 'Rough Justice' brought ironic smiles but somehow without smug self-awareness.

'Gimme Shelter' and 'Midnight Rambler' alone were worth the price of entry. 'Paint it Black' had a frenzied kletzmer flavour and worked well. 'Sympathy', so much more than an anthem, seems to be a Song for the Ages. And so on. They are indeed Gods Grown Old and we will not see their like again.

Thankyou Mick, Charlie, Keith and Ron. It was great to see you again. Perfect.


Review by Emily R

Rock it, rock it, rock it! And rock it they did. The Rolling Stones proved once again they're the greatest Rock band of this century with yet another outstanding gig. Mick, Charlie, Ron and Keith made sure the last leg of their Bigger Bang tour was a good one. 160 years of Rock n' Roll experience between these 4 talented musicians seeped throughout the Wellington crowd with an impressive set list of old and new. Amazing performance. Good shit!

It's only Rock n Roll, but I like it.


Review by Hamish Gavin

What an amazing show. This was my first ever Rolling Stones live experience. The band was on fire, the song selection was brilliant, the sound quality was amazing. I was lucky enough to have tickets very very close to the stage, which made the experience even more awesome. Nickleback were an adaquate opener and rather surprised me as I had not expected much from them at all. Tough crowd for them to play to though, 30000 Stones fans all waiting for the main event. So when the lights dimmed and the opening video started to play everyone was standing in anticipation for what was to come. Sure enough the first notes of Jumping Jack Flash ripped apart the stadium and from then on it just got better.

Everyone was playing incredibly tight and it was clear that they were all having fun. Mick ran around like he was still 20, Keith was effortlessly slick and Charlie and Ronnie joked around with everyone. You know they really have to be one of the greatest bands of all time when they can keep playing after 40 years and still have this much youthfull stage presence. They ripped through a great rendition of You Got Me Rocking and an even better version of Oh No, Not You Again, which happens to be one of my favourites off the new album. Angie was terrific live, Wild Horses would have been even better but you cant always get what you want. The definate highlights of the night came next with amazing renditions of Gimme Shelter and Midnight Rambler. Tumbling Dice was good but not quite as great live as the others had been. The horn section was very good though.

Keiths moment in the spotlight came next with a very tight version of This Place Is Empty which sounded much superior to the album version. Happy was good as well. Mick returned with Miss You, and the B-Stage extended even more awesomely then I had imagined. Rough Justice was good but it was Start Me Up of course that really kicked the show into high gear. Honky Tonk Woman was great but Symphony for the Devil was even better (just imagine 30000 fans all going "Woo Woo" along with Mick). Next Paint It Black, which I was amazed to here as they had not played it much this tour at all. Definatly one of my favourites of the night. An extended Brown Sugar was very impressive and the band left momentarily (and some fans tricked by Micks goodbye speech) only to appear with the last two songs of the night. They left clearly in high spirits, possibly as they now get a very well deserved five weeks off. I know I was a very satisfied fan, sure I would have liked to hear Get Off My Cloud or Rain Fall Down but apart from that tiny complaint everything else was amazing. If this is to be their last trip down here then thank god they went out in such amazing style.


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