It's Only Rock'n Roll
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Live pre/post show comments:
Denver CO USA show live updates - Thursday June 20, 2024 - The Rolling Stones Hackney Diamonds Tour
Last night was my second Stones show outside of Southern California, after that Glendale show. I’m going to be visiting Scandinavia when the band is in Los Angeles, so Denver offered a good opportunity to see them and visit with friends.
Starting with the 1989 “Steel Wheels” shows I have waved good-bye to the band at the end of the show while saying “Thanks for all of the great shows, guys!!” You know, “Well, this could be the last time … “ And I am always prepared for them to falter, always prepared to say “Ok, you’ve finally taken this too far.” Nope. The Denver show proved again they’ve still got it.
“Bitch” was a splendid third song. “Mess it Up” might be the best song on the new disc, and they played it very well in Denver. Keith’s three songs were great. He was very much on his game. Steve Jordan is a terrific drummer. Woody was outstanding. Mick Jagger made a bit of a joke about the elevation at Mile High Stadium, but as always he was full of energy and his voice still is splendid. If any celebrity should write and publish a health and fitness book, it’s this guy.
A couple of rough spots: Keith’s guitar was turned waaaay up for his solo on “Sympathy” and stayed at that level for longer than it should have including during “Honky Tonk Women” and for a time there Jagger’s voice was lost in the mix. It got fixed by “JJ Flash.” I didn’t mind. That’s part of the fun of a live Stones show, the funky stuff that sometimes happens.
And getting “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” in the encore section was outstanding. A shorter version than on the album, but excellent.
Another satisfying show. Thanks for another great show, guys!!
After a month’s break, it was great to be back in the Stones world, visiting Denver for maybe the 5th time since 1994. I was thrilled to hear “Tell Me Straight” for the first time, and was out of my head during “Midnight Rambler.” Of course their best theatrical song needs to go back into the rotation. It was much missed.
But I felt bored for the first hour or so. I fancifully wondered if the guys felt the same way, finally tiring of “Start Me Up,” “IORR,” “Tumbling Dice,” etc. They seem happy enough playing these faded oldies. But there's no spark. They go through the motions in the same way a Walmart checkout girl mindlessly rings up your purchases.
I sensed also that Mick has tempo issues. During “Let it Bleed,” he went over to Steve Jordan and communicated something that looked like “hurry up,” and then he caught Ronnie's eye and did a similar forceful gesture. As “Midnight Rambler” got going after the harp intro, Mick enthusiastically said to the guitarists, “Keep it up, keep it up, keep it up. C'mon!”
Mick's more into talk-singing these days, and I don't blame him, being an octogenarian and al that. But I am saddened that he doesn't dig deeper into Hackney Diamonds, which he finally namechecked by way of introducing “Mess it Up,” which starts off well but doesn't go anywhere. “Angry” is what it is, a cute pop song. “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” is back, and didn't seem to suffer as much from Tina's embellishments.
So the Stones might want to consider some bold moves by next week when they bring the circus to Chicago, the city that gave us the “Exile on Lame St.” headline some years ago.
I can't remember the last time I saw Keith play three songs. It's probably been a few times over the years. But it seems this could be a reasonably permanent assignment now. His voice is simply sirenic at this point, so why not put it to greater use?
And his set led into “Sympathy,” another blistering showcase for Keith. But Mick also shined brightly. It's funny. I used to loathe this song. I can't say enough about “Midnight Rambler.” It was as if I was hearing it for the first time.
But I still couldn't figure out why the second half was flowing so well. Ahh yes, no “Miss You,” the song the ladies love but they don't notice if it's not played. I've complained about this endless jam and the naff bass solo for years, and can now say, “We won't Miss You.”
“Jumpin' Jack Flash” was massive. Mick stood on the ramp at some point looking in my general direction, throwing his arms into the air as we did too. It was a moment of oneness with the biggest rock star on the planet a few feet away from me.
I could tell from the audience reaction around me after both “Jumpin' Jack Flash”and “Satisfaction” that the Stones had taken us to the rock ‘n’ roll mountain top. I felt a kind of religious fervor, dazed and exhausted but spiritually sated. What just happened there? No idea, but it was a beautiful buzz.
It also seems remarkable that when Mick & Co. were born, this city was just over 80 years old, their age now – such is the longevity of this band that we follow. You might expect that the combination of age and altitude would moderate the pace of a rock band performance, but no…. We are watching the Rolling Stones for whom time seems to stand still. It certainly does when you watch one of their shows: last night 2 hours went by in a millisecond.
Mick did mention once that he was a little breathless after an hour of singing, dancing and skipping around the stage. Neither he, nor Keith nor Ronnie took it easy. Denver was another high paced gig. If anything, Mick probably put in the strongest personal performance of the tour so far. The show was totally sold-out and the crowd super enthusiastic – and big. Their feedback encouraged all on stage.
At one point Steve hit the drums so hard that he dropped a drumstick; quickly picked it up; and then tossed it dismissively back over his shoulder towards the backline crew and picked-up another to complete the song. Mick was pushing Ronnie down the catwalk regularly, and Ronnie responded by extending a couple of solos such that Mick and Keith exchanged grins and I think jokey words about their partner in crime’s excursions.
I think this show confirmed a couple of open questions for fans. Firstly, Keith likes doing three songs. For the first time since Chicago in 2019 the Stones played a 20 song set, and it worked well. Keith’s “middle eight” singing seems totally in place; he enjoyed it; and so did the audience.
I don’t think Mick’s voice needs resting anymore. The second open question was on Sweet Sounds of Heaven – it returned so that we had a normal length encore. Mick really gave his all on this number, very strongly supported by Chanel Haynes. The swaying lights all around the filled stadium formed a suitable accompaniment. For me this was their best rendition of this song on this tour. It has become a classic so quickly, and yet in many respects it is a simple song – but like many great songs, it may be simple but it is hard to pull off well.
At one point I did wonder if a shortage of oxygen causes memory issues with words, as both Keith and Mick struggled with the words to songs. Keith needed more visual prompts than on the last few shows, even on Happy. Mick re-organised the lines in Let It Bleed, but had no visual prompt to refer-to as he sang and played this song-vote winner part-way down the catwalk. With Ronnie’s lap steel guitar, played on a stand rather than his lap, this was another delightful rendition of this song off of the album of the same name.
The weather was hot during the day in Denver, and as predicted by all the forecasters (including the always to be referred to Norwegian yr.no) we had some small thunderstorms late afternoon. One of these drenched those queueing to enter the stadium. The associated lightning caused the sound check/ on-stage warm-up to be immediately curtailed.
There was a bit more rain before the Stones came on stage, but as with all outdoor shows so far this year the Stones performed in dry weather. The crew did need to uncover waterproofed equipment; roll-over some of the 100+ monitor speakers that were initially oriented to keep dry; and mop dampness off of the stage floor. But that storm and later rain brought the temperature of the Colorado atmosphere down to very comfortable levels. The atmosphere of the crowd, by contrast, remained very hot indeed.
Trying to pick out other highlights I find tricky when the standard is so good. Rambler featured Hellhound on my Trail; great emotional singing from Mick; great riffs from Keith; and a neat solo or two from Ronnie. At the start Mick was verbally encouraging Keith to end the jam and start the engine. Mick also tried, successfully, to up the pace of Sweet Sounds after Chuck and Steve had started with a really slow, soulful, almost gospel pace. Sympathy had an excellent solo from Keith whose face was lined with concentration: no sloppiness allowed this year!
It wasn’t the best version of Wild Horses that I have heard, despite being the 5th time they have played it on stage this year. Both guitars a little weaker than we expect, but maybe I’m being super-critical. For the rest of the show the guitar interplay (aka weaving) and individual work from Keith and Ronnie was excellent. Darryl is more prominent this tour, and along with Steve is really driving the pace and up in the mix. This perhaps keeps most songs compact, so we can get 19 or 20 songs despite 3 or 4 longer ones, and helps create a sense of energy especially at the start of the show.
With ten people on stage, it is sometimes easy to forget that nobody is there to make up the numbers. Miss one, and you would hear the gap left. Even Bernard, so good at shadowing Mick’s voice when needed, brings depth – and more percussion this year. Chanel, having two duets tonight, is more visible and audible. She brings that stage/theatre experience and it shows. Being thrust into the limelight associated with the Stones can be tough: how do you learn to cope with people applauding when you walk into a room to unwind after a hard evening’s work?
Tim, on keyboards twice in Denver, and Karl bring that big band feel to much of the performance – and especially Keith’s songs. Horns have been a key feature of the Stones live since 1970, and remain so. Keyboards from Matt are hardest to pick out at times, until you can’t find the source of some melody or chords; another multi-instrumentalist, he keeps a low, but essential, profile. Chuck was showing enormous enthusiasm last night, and is providing more and more backing vocals – maybe even mouthing the words to some songs like Ronnie does. They love this music.
I was a little concerned that the performance challenges of dryness and altitude, combined with a desire to be on top form for music-centre Chicago, would result in a “safe” show for the crowd last night. Wrong again! Show number 13 of 2024 maintained the high standard now expected, and entertained a capacity crowd fantastically. So its back across the mid-west plains now for a double-header in Chicago: home of the electric blues, and location of the Stones first US recording session. One song from that opus would nicely complement another song from Hackney Diamonds.
I could see Mick, Keith, anD Ronnie very well - which was most important. Actually, the most important is the sound. The sound was right on the money, Nice being close to those big amps w/o distortion or other issues. Mick, Keith, and Ronnie were in top form. As before, Ronnie did an amazing Paint it Black lead. Keith with my favorite Gimme Shelter was a noted highlight too.
The bass and drums were dynamic which I thoroughly enjoyed with gave Keith the base in which to play. Of course, the crowd was wild and enthusiastic! I noted that Jagger just can’t stop despite his age. Unbelievable performance. I give this show 8 stars - and that’s good.
It bothered me much that part of the stage was closed off. Also, I think they should have played an additional song or two. My favorite songs of the night: Thumbling Dice, Paint it Black, Jumping Jack Flash, and of course Gimme Shelter.
Spent $400 and worth every penny of it. Probably my 15th show. I definitely got my Ya Ya’s out. Thank you Glimmer Twins!
Mick did mention from the stage the band's first show in Denver was in 1965 nearly 59 years ago at the Denver Coliseum which is still standing. In introducing Ronnie, Mick called him the Da Vinci of Denver and the Mile high Matisse.
Being born in Denver and living in Denver it feels so good to have a home town show. Also emotional for me as I first saw the band at the old Mile high stadium on this site over 30 years ago September 15, 1994 with this show being number 45 for me. It was about 5 years from the last show in Denver at this stadium which was August 10th 2019. From when this show was first announced it was nearly a 7 month wait. A local Denver classic rock radio station 103.5 helped promote the show with call in to win tickets at 4:20 pm leading up to the show. This radio station also hired a plane to fly a banner above the stadium that said, "I got stoned with 103.5 the fox" Give thanks for the bands health but also to a local Denver resident who as the music business trade publications reported of what happened on March 18, 2013. After receiving an offer that morning he quickly approved a deal before lunch that day guaranteed the band nearly $80 million in cash and a letter of credit to promote the 2013 tour. Which thankfully has led to many others.
The day of the event the local baseball team the Colorado Rockies played the Los Angeles Dodgers who have the highest paid player in baseball Shohei Ohtani in an early 1pm game. June 20 2024 being the official "Summer solstice" the day was bright and hot. In the early evening a large rainstorm really cooled everything off. This rainstorm got some of the early arriving fans. Thankfully for the opening act Widespread Panic- who holds the record for the most sold out shows at red rocks and is at red rocks the following night- and the Stones the show weather conditions were warm and clear. While walking out of the outdoor stadium there was some light rain.
This show was likely the most attended show of this tour; the 2019 show had a reported crowd of 58,846. The Stones have never played nearby Red Rocks; the limited capacity of about 9500 would make tickets very difficult. This show was also probably the highest grossing. Very few tickets were available for less than $100 and around show time the cheapest tickets were $221 each at the box office. No lucky dip tickets were offered for this show despite being offered for the 2019 show with no laws changed since then.
Worth mentioning Lisa Fisher had shows in Aspen, Colorado about a 3 and half hour drive from Denver the night of the show and the night following as part of Jazz Aspen.
The night following the show Band 2 with Bernard Fowler & Tim Ries had a 7pm and a 930pm show at a local jazz club Dazzle Denver across the street from the four seasons hotel with roughly a 140 person capacity. The early show featured Honky Tonk Women, Wild Horses, Miss You, and Satisfaction. The late show featured Honky Tonk Women, Tumbling Dice, Miss You, Wild Horses and Ruby Tuesday. Tim and Bernard were very gracious meeting fans after the late show. An experience I will never forget!
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Photo by Victor Woods
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Photo by Victor Woods
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