It's Only Rock'n Roll
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It's Only Rock'n Roll |
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Stones
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Mick Jagger |
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The Rolling Stones live at London Stadium, Tuesday May 22, 2018 - Photo by Bjornulf Vik
Show start : 8:24pm Show end : 10:28pm
Pre-show info and live comments:
London Stadium show-1 UK 22-May-2018 Rolling Stones No Filter live updates
A great show. I have seen every show in London since 1982, and I can't think of any better shows here than the show tonight. They started off with "Street Fighting Man", which I think should have a more protected position in the set list, because the starter is always a bit of a chaos, and SFM is too important to be in a chaos of arms, cameras, band members posing for the crowd and the cameras up and down the isles etc.
The real highlight of the show was "Fool To Cry". Mick was rolling up hos shirt again and again, he was tense, focused and ready. He said to Chuck: "Are you asking me if I am ready? Yes I am ready". Then they started "Fool To Cry". It is a rare song to be heard live. They did it in 1997 Winnipeg, 1999 Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and I have been hearing it quite a few times at rehearsals, but now, tonight, we get it for real. Live! And it is growing and growing. Mick's vocals. The guitars. It is simply outstanding. A great long version. Please give us more, this song is too great to be played only a few times per twenty years or so.
An hour into the show it was getting darker, and "Sympathy For The Devil" with the stage lights, worked better now than as a daylight starter in Dublin.
The last half hour of the show was the "top four". We got "Jumping Jack Flash" and "Brown Sugar". Then they left the stage. We got "Gimme Shelter". Before they did "Satisfaction" Mick said "You are a f**king amazing audience London!". So true. So true. But show number two in London on Friday will be even better. I am sure!
Photo by Hauke Jürgensen
I have just a general admission ticket and opt for the pitch standing and get a wrist band. Wade through the myriads of alcohol stands and fast food and head to the pitch which is packed out. There are still spaces on the seated areas. I head up to the stand and take a spare seat, second flight up just infront of the Pit A section. Actually a great view. There are numerous empty single seats so I am fine.
Liam Gallagher has been and gone. Saw him do a reasonable set at the LeedsFest so not too bothered. Mick later thanks him, and says they wanted him for the Manchester gig, however he refused to set foot in that rival ground.
By my trusted 70 year old Omega it is around 8.15 when the Stones come on. The announcement is "welcome home the Rolling Stones". And what a great surprise the opening number is "Street fighting man". It is really well appreciated by the largely cockney crowd. This is a real promising start and an early sign they have shook things up a bit.
The last few shows I have been in the pit, which is a totally over rated costly experience. Here in the stand I can really appreciate the whole spectacle of the Stones stadium show. The lighting, video screens, films and animations are amazing. You realise how well the guys work the vast stage.
Mick is super fit and has several sprints to the front stage, as well as some great dance moves. He was full of humour, making jokes about duets with Elton for the Royal wedding. Starts joking about a tea party they attended too, where Keef made sarneys and Charlie did the tea urn.
Iintroductions are always entertaining. And this time Mick introduced Ronnie and forgot he had not introduced Daryl. A bit of humble pie there. Highlights for me had to be "under my thumb",which was the voted song. They pulled it off perfectly. Mick on harp on "Ride 'em on down" was top notch. The true highlight for me, which sent me to heaven and back was "Fool to cry". Always hoped to hear this! Tremendous.Chuck on piano, and lovely falsetto by Mick.A big thankyou for doing this.My faith has been restored.Please more rarities on this tour. Keef was smoking before his set. Still the rebel. Wonder how much the fine will be? Great versions of "Before they make me run" and "Slipping away". Lots of folk around me singing along to the latter.
The London crowd were up for the Stones homecoming. Very enthusiastic indeed.
"Miss you" always a crowd pleaser."Midnight rambler" really rocked!
"Gimme shelter " as an encore.Sasha does her best, but lacks the power and talent of Lady Fisher. And finally a stonking version of "Satisfaction" to send the crowd home happy!
The monitor then shows the tongue and the message "see you soon", as folk depart. Friday can't come soon enough!
Photo by Hauke Jürgensen
So Street Fighting Man was a wonderful surprise and came at us with the compact power of the 1972 and 1975 versions with the home crowd roaring along to the ‘sleepy London town’ line.
Some recent reviews of the Stones have been less than kind about Keith’s playing and input into the overall sound but last night he was on great form. His style has changed and yes, Ronnie does do the spade work and play the main rhythm but Keith’s guitar craft now is akin to a painter applying brush strokes here and there to new colour to the overall sound. His style has matured, it’s not as frenetic or slashing as it was in the 70s and 80s but more measured and emphasising and stressing parts in songs that add a different dimension.
It was wonderful to hear Fool To Cry again. I think the last time I saw them play that was at Earls Court. And I never would have thought that they would play it again but it just makes you think what else they have up their sleeves for the other dates.
The song that really did it for me – which always really does it for me – was Midnight Rambler. Of course. But last night it was different. It’s the song that allows the band to hit overdrive and just after the ‘did you hear about the Midnight blam’ bridge bit Jagger raced up the catwalk and Ronnie and Keith not only moved up a notch but added a different rhythm and one that have never heard them use in the song before. It’s magic moments like this that are so rewarding to us die-hard fans and counters all those daft criticisms that the Stones just phone it in.
Other highlights were Paint It Black, Gimme Shelter and Keith in particular good form on Before They Make Me Run. I also didn’t mind them dropping one of the blues numbers as they are pretty similar and the novelty of having them in the set has worn off a bit.
Now, let’s see what they serve up at London on Friday.
Photo by Hauke Jürgensen
42 years later, to the day, I walked into the London Stadium to see my 77th Stones concert and they played Fool to Cry, only the second time I’ve heard them play it. Another 9 songs in the set list were the same as 1976. The sound was excellent; the playing very good indeed; the energy and enthusiasm from the band at least as good, perhaps a lot better. That wasteland is now the Olympic Park; the UK will leave the EU next year and the economy is far bigger but risks stalling due to Brexit. I am only working part-time now.
Back in 1976, if the Stones had played a “pop” song (not blues) written 52 or 53 years earlier in 1923 we would have been shocked and it would have sounded ancient and out of place. Yesterday the place rocked to Satisfaction and Under My Thumb. A couple of young guys (25 years maybe) stood next to us in the Pit having bought Lucky Dip tickets. They were ecstatic, watching and listening to this band destroying old conventions of age and music. This was truly a fantastic return to the London stage.
Keith and Mick stood out for me during this performance. 10 miles from the Dartford Delta was really like coming home and they clearly felt supercharged. It’s the wrong end of town for Ronnie, but he was again on top form, and the robustness of the “basher from Wembley” underpinned the whole show.
Street Fighting Man works really well as a show starter, with a power that ensured that anyone in sleepy London town woke-up. UMT was a highlight as were Rambler and Slipping Away. I missed a second blues song; still waiting to hear something like Commit a Crime. I’d also like them try and play for another 10 minutes and add 2 songs to the setlist – but maybe 2 hours is enough if they want to be strong enough for the next show.
Overall – one of my top 5 shows: certainly much improved on Dublin (which was not bad at all). How do you sustain that pace? A magnificent evening that sent the crowd home with great memories, stories and smiles. Thanks to the band and all the Stones team who make this happen.
Photo by Hauke Jürgensen
I imagine the London trilogy will be the highlight for Mick and the other guys - deliberate choice of words there. No matter how far they've strayed from their Dartford/Wembley roots over the past half-century, the Stones are still a local band that did quite well internationally. Nostalgia is a powerful drug, too. Mick reminisced about playing nearby at the "Dalston Bar" where he saw his first skinhead. Or maybe he meant Dalston's Chez Don Club where they performed on Nov. 24, 1963, two days after JFK's assassination? As for the audience, Brits might be a cheerfully dismissive bunch, but there must be a huge sense of pride and relief that in these troubled times at least one venerable institution still functions effectively.
Make that "reasonably effectively." We got the raw Stones on full display, which is the best way to study these marvelous specimens. Regardless of the boo-boos, which seemed to multiply as the night wore on, the Stones just powered through - albeit at 16 rpm speed. I always point to the timekeeper, who looked even more subdued than usual. But maybe it is Chuck? Or Keith's arthritic fingers? Or the decaf coffee? Everything moved in slow motion, and Darryl's bass seemed to be higher in the mix this time, either drowning out or filling in for the drums.
Poll-winner "Under My Thumb" wouldn't have been my choice, and Mick once again feigned ignorance by claiming he would "learn it as I go long." As for the ballads, I was going to make fun of "Fool to Cry" having three keyboardists - Chuck, Matt and Tim, but a check of the "Black and Blue" liner notes indicates the studio version had Mick and Nicky sharing piano, electric piano and synthesizer. A lot of stuff going on there, I guess. Not my favorite song (or Keith's), but I appreciate Mick's freestyle phrasing. And since it was the first time they have played this song since 1999, it would be childish to snipe at its inclusion.
"Miss You" clocked in at eight minutes. That's more than a toilet break: It's a No. 2, a couple of cocktails, and a t-shirt purchase. It always gets a big cheer at the start, but the audience participation quickly wanes. The same with "You Can't Always Get What You Want," "Brown Sugar" and "Sympathy for the Devil." I rather enjoyed "Sympathy" this time, a head-on collision between some very loud guitars necessitating quick insertion of my Etymotics ear plugs. The remnants of the menacing undertones are no longer further diluted by the choreographed center-stage moves of the backing singers.
Keith fumbled the intro to "Midnight Rambler" and got a few laughs as he comically inspected the bottom of his guitar, but the intros to "Start Me Up" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash" were lethargic, while much of "Satisfaction" seemed to be two competing versions. I enjoyed all of it, I hasten to add. Keith's singing remains a highlight, and it will be interesting to see if he adds any more ballads to the mix. "Sleep Tonight" maybe? I discovered another reason to relish his "obscure" set: a couple of annoying twats in front of me got bored and headed for the exits. On the other hand, it seems the Stones defiantly rejected my advice to play more stuff from Blue and Lonesome, halving the quota to just one song.
It was cool to see Liam Gallagher, who seemed to have pinched Keith's mirrored shades from Hyde Park '69. I realize some people go to great lengths to avoid the opening acts, but I want to extract as much value as possible from these tickets. Let's face it, the guy is a legend of sorts, and he certainly should get more than a half hour.
Photo by Hauke Jürgensen
THE ROLLING STONES are playing their first UK & Irish shows for five years. I have seen The Rolling Stones over 20 times since 1976 when i saw four of their six shows at Earls Court Arena. Despite the high ticket prices there are only a couple of unsold blocks at the back.
For Liam G i am in the press/vip block seats right of stage.I spotted Ronnie Woods snooker mate Jimmy White and fashion designer Pam Hogg...also the guys from Classic Rock and Metal Talk.
For The Stones i am in the gold circle dead centre, just a few feet from the stage walkway extension. Only The Stones could get a few thousand fans to pay £250 for gold circle tickets.
LIAM GALLAGHER arrived on stage at 7.10pm for his 35 mins set. I saw Oasis live loads of times but this is my first time seeing Liam solo. Liam is full of rock n roll attitude on stage as usual. He is given two sections of the big screens.
He made the wise move of playing a few Oasis classics that the crowd loved and sang along to. His solo material is decent enough but not nowhere as good as those mega Oasis tunes. He was joined by Oasis guitarist Bonehead for a couple of songs.
Liam was a perfect support act for The Stones tonight. Full Liam Gallagher setlist played tonight...
The setlist was a staggering collection of mainly classic hits along with a couple of lesser known tracks. Mick Jagger danced away in that voice that was unweakened by age, hitting a sweet falsetto during a rare outing for the 1976 ballad ' Fool to Cry'. Keith Richards' two lead vocals were less memorable, but he led the charge with raw guitar work on a drawn-out 'Midnight Rambler'.
Hard to believe that Mick Jagger will be 75 in July as he struts his stuff around the stage. The Dublin show oddly opened with 'Sympathy With The Devil' but thankfully tonight it is back in the second half of the set with the full red lighting which worked a treat in the darkness.
Two or three intros to the songs sounded a bit too loose so to speak. The bottom line is that their catalog of songs is so incredible. They really put on a stunning show tonight.
I have seen over 50 shows this year including many big names but this was the best gig so far of 2018.
Photo by Hauke Jürgensen
From the Dublin reports I already learnt that this time round the band sounds much tighter than in the first gigs of the previous leg of the tour, but knowing the inconsistency of the latter day Rolling Stones I was still skeptical as to whether they would keep it up also in the following concerts. Moreover, the somewhat predictable Dublin setlist got me really skeptical also regarding the chances to hear less frequently performed tunes.
Some 30 minutes after we entered the stadium under a "Sweet Summer Sun", the opening act (Liam Ghallagher's "Beady Eye") started their set. In the GA section where we stood there were many Oasis' fans clearly enjoying Gallagher's performance, but to be honest I found it a little disappointing, because it consisted mainly of tunes from Oasis' first two albums.
In comparison to the real deal (I attended ad Oasis live show in 1995) Beady Eye's renditions sounded underwhelming, and it led me to think that the Gallaghers should either reunite the band, or focus exclusively on their solo stuff. I reckon that businesswise this is a no viable course of action, but I still maintain that's what they should do if they really want to be true to themselves. That being said, let's move to more interesting topics, for instance the Rolling Stones' gig.
In our listening group everybody was expecting "' Sympathy For The Devil" as opener, but (probably due to the cold reaction of the Dublin crowd a few days before) they decided to replace it with "Street Fighting Man". I hope they keep using it as such, because this one really works much better, and was indeed very powerful, albeit not so brutal as is the previous leg of the tour, where it was the highlight in every show. The following songs where also very well performed, with the right pace, and the band looked and sounded really tight.
Once again, Mick Jagger has been outstanding right from the start, sporting also a stylish outfit that set him apart from the other members of the band, and Keith Richards looked and (what's more important) sounded great as well. Charlie Watts, on the other hand, quite often looked tired, but kept smiling throughout the concert; his performance was great, but I somehow got the impression that his age slowly but surely is starting to catch up.
After the blues slot, it was time for the song "voted" (yeah, right...) by the fans.
As I was hoping to get the song "Rocks Off" (I mean the song!), my expectations got frustrated once more and we got "Under My Thumb" instead: it was a very 60es - sounding version though, very well performed by the whole band, and even more so in the final part, where Jagger stood by the microphone holding maracas just like he used to do in the old days when the band first broke London's musical scene.
After that, we got the real gem of the show: Fool To Cry! This one was really, really unexpected, and we were indeed shocked to realize, after listening to the very first bars, that the boys pulled out that very number.
It goes without saying that this has been the reaction of us hardcore fans, whereas the vast majority of the casual fans standing in the GA section couldn't care less about that song. Shame on them, because they failed to properly appreciate one of the most intense and moving performances of the entire tour (I'm referring to the previous leg as well).
"You Can't Always Get What You Want", being a well known classic, was much more welcomed by the casual fans, and even more so "Honky Tonk Women". The latter was simply overwhelming and got everybody going: probably this one has been the best "Honky Tonk Women" I've listened to in the 27 Stones' concerts I've attended so far.
Keith Richards' set was opened with a short welcoming note by the "Human Riff", who lived up to his reputation as an outlaw ostentatiously smoking a cigarette (or whatever else it might have been) despite the London Stadium's policy as a "non-smoking venue".
His two songs were very very good, and even if I was expecting "The Worst" I was very happy to hear once again a lovely "Slipping Away" instead. When Sir Mick came back on stage, impressive visual effects were already introducing us to "Sympathy For The Devil". Even if lately it has often been very poorly performed, this is not a song to be easily dismissed. And, just like last year in Amsterdam, the band surprised me with this one once more. At the London Stadium, we got a fierce, menacing and very, very powerful version of this song, with Keith Richards really leading the band and setting the standard. Definitely the best live rendition of the song I've heard in several years!
This amazing (and finally properly placed in the setlist) song was then followed by other two crowd pleasers, "Miss You" and "Midnight Rambler". This is when Mick Jagger lets himself go and shows why he's destined to remain unsurpassed as a frontman. However. while the former was perfectly performed, the latter sounded a little bit slower than usual, and in addition to this there have allegedly been problems with Keith's guitar, that led him to a false start of the song. My impression is that then a momentum got lost in the flow of the show; but it's much more likely that I have been the only one in the crowd who cared about it (that being due to the fact that I personally deeply love this song and always wait for it with great anticipation).
The show then ended up with the usual final numbers, which were all well (sometimes very well) performed. In the encore, "Gimme Shelter" was excellent, as opposed to "Satisfaction", which sounded messy at times. But when that riff kicks in it's not the case to be nitpicking, because at that point of the show it's only the party that counts. And what a party did we have at the London Stadium!
Taking into account that in the further shows to be held in London several more surprises in the set list have to be expected , and considering the already high level of these first performances of the current tour, I'd say that our London friends are indeed in for a treat, and I'm pretty much sure that they will get full Satisfaction out of the other concerts to be performed in the band's hometown.
Photo by Hauke Jürgensen
Then everything is forgotten as the band walked on stage. I can’t think of a highlight because everything was a highlight and it’s clear that the Stones loved being there too. What helped of course was a perfect evening weather wise and the sound was extremely good, very impressive with its clarity and volume. The big screens were great too especially after the sun set about a third of the way through the show. But from the opening bars of Street Fighting Man through to the encore, this was the Stones on full power and in great humour too, as we saw with the occasional false start or the band finding it hilarious when Mick forgot to introduce Darryl Jones before Ronnie. One sad moment at that point for me realising that the wonderful Bobby Keys is no longer with us. Credit to sax-man Karl Denson later in the show for not replicating Bobby’s famous “Brown sugar” solo and improvising his own contribution.
Keith and Ronnie are often quoted saying that they never play a song the same way twice. How true that was last night, every song familiar but also delivered slightly differently than we have heard it before. As I said earlier, there wasn’t a highlight for me, just continuous peaks and no dips. Wonderful moments for me were “Under my thumb” and “Fool to cry” not often we hear those. Also the great guitar Interplay between Keith and Ronnie on “Before they make me run” and the amazing (longer than usual?) version of “Midnight Rambler”.
The sheer power of the complete performance, the great songs and as ever the presence of the Stones again, seemed to make the distance from my seat to the stage irrelevant as all the doubts about the venue evaporated and the music took over.
Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ronnie…..Mesmerising. Magical. Memorable. Magnificent. Roll on Friday.
Photo by Bjornulf Vik
London Stadium was beautiful, and the logistics worked pretty well. The sound was a bit passing (from General Admission, right in front of the yellow tents). However, what we heard was crisp and clear, and I was glad to hear Darryl loud and clear. That isn’t always the case.
Highlights of the evening were Street Fighting Man, Ride ‘Em On Down, a jawdroppingly beautiful Fool To Cry and (surprisingly) Sympathy For The Devil.
Keith had some sound problems when he was about to kick off Midnight Rambler. The sound came and went. Something with the wireless sound system wobbled, and he finally plugged in a cable to make sure the sound was right. Apart from the halting start, Rambler developed to be quite a showstopper: The boys went into new territories during the song, like only the Stones can. However, the fabulous mid-section was somewhat tainted by Mick starting a singalong, suspisciously similar to a Police-track I can’t remember here and now («…Ee, yaw, yaw, yaw…»).
Keith’s set was good, but not great. He had some trouble hitting the high notes this time, but his performance was heartfelt and soulful, as always.
For the nerds: Keith dropped his pick a few times (on Honky Tonk Women and Slipping Away, among others), leading to a few licks missing here and there. For guitar players that can be a nightmare, but Keith took it with a huge grin on his face.
It was good seeing the boys in London, and everybody could tell they loved every minute of it themselves.
Ron Wood had a fabulous night, and played like a God on the songs where het akes the solos. Ride ‘Em On Down and Fool To Cry were particularly good. Mick Jagger is immortal and is singing really well these days. Keith had a great night. Charlie’s sound faded a bit in and out, but what I heard was solid.
A great night, and a fabulous show!
Photo by Bjornulf Vik
A beautiful summer evening and a packed stadium augured well for the Stones return to their home town and they did not disappoint. Mick Jagger’s opening remarks emphasised how much London means to the band, even claiming that they played at nearby Dalston Baths (they did, in November 1963). The No Filter tour has featured a stripped back stage with walkways and massive video screens, allowing the band to project to the back of the 80,000 capacity venue. The sound was loud and clear, with a mix that emphasised the guitars. Street Fighting Man made for an emphatic set opener, highlighting the increasingly robust contributions of Keith Richards. Whilst co-guitarist Ronnie Wood still played the majority of the solos Keith was a more active partner in their guitar weaving and delivered a tough solo version of Before They Make Me Run.
Winner of the audience vote was Under My Thumb, delivered in a bouncy arrangement reminiscent of the 1966 original, albeit with some of the more sexist lyrics edited out. Adding more variety to their two hour, nineteen song set was the ballad Fool To Cry, not performed live since 1999. Jade, the daughter that Jagger sings about putting on his knee, is now 46 and she watched the song from behind Charlie Watts' drum riser. Ride ‘Em On Down was the only blues number, this and a raucous Midnight Rambler provided Jagger with a chance to show off his considerable harmonica prowess. There was a real visceral impact to Ronnie and Keith hitting the opening chords of Sympathy For The Devil in unison as the stage flooded with blood red light - a great mix of visuals and music.
Some hardcore fans are claiming this as the best Stones London show since Wembley in 1982. And it’s only the second gig of the tour – in the words of Keith Richards they are just getting warmed up!
Photo by Bjornulf Vik
My son took me to the concert as a surprise. (I had no idea until we arrived at the stadium surrounded by aged fans in Stones t-shirts.) I'm the same age as the group and have been a fan for ever, although had never been lucky enough to see them live before now.
But what a performance!
Of course the music is fantastic, but its more their charisma and their joy shared with the enormously varied audience that makes them so lovable to me. They don't seem bothered by what age and debauched lifestyles have done to their looks and, somehow, it all adds up to their fantastic appeal.
Long live the Stones!
Photos by Bjornulf Vik
Photos by Bjornulf Vik
Photos by Bjornulf Vik
Photos by Bjornulf Vik
Photos by Roderick Keur
Photos by Hendrik Mulder
Photos by Hendrik Mulder
Photos by Klaus Lauterbach
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