It's Only Rock'n Roll
|
|
It's Only Rock'n Roll |
|
Stones
NEWS |
Tell Me Forum |
Hackney Diamonds |
Tour 2024 |
Mick Jagger |
Keith Richards |
Charlie Watts |
Ronnie
Wood |
Band 2
Tim Ries |
Live pre/post show comments:
Highlights included the tour debut of “Street Fighting Man,” which many of us were fortunate to hear twice, the Hackney Diamonds quartet, and Mick's bejeweled yellow dress shirt.
As the super-sized mini tour winds down, there seems little doubt that the boys could keep this tanker sailing for many years yet. Even the unseemly heat in the Great North didn't slow them down.
The open-roofed venue - and its well behaved inhabitants - helped. BC Place is an old-school stadium with just two levels in the stands and unobtrusive corporate suites. It seemed a more communal experience, and Mick rewarded the fans by spending a lot of time on the catwalk. The SoFi double is a dismal prospect by comparison.
From Keith's solid opening salvo on “Start Me Up” through to his neverending solo on “Satisfaction,” the band never let up for too long. There were a couple of underwhelming guitar spotlights, as heard on “You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "Sympathy for the Devil." And we seemed to get a low-intensity, discount version of “Midnight Rambler.” Truth be told, it never really recovered from Mick Taylor's second departure - or his first, if you want to show your age.
Even though the Stones sound-checked “Bite My Head Off,” its official debut will probably have to wait a few more days. Still, “Mess It Up” worked well, with Mick acknowledging its retro dance (i.e., ahem, disco) groove beforehand. Not everyone knows the new stuff, so I revel in a degree of snobbery by showing that I do know the new stuff. Hopefully I'm not alone.
I'm not sure Keith did a great job of selling “Tell Me Straight” during his enjoyably ragged set. From messing up the song’s title (“Talk is-”) to singing while his mouth was miles away from his mike, he didn't seem fully engaged. But that's Keef, and I dug it.
Even those who didn't know “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” probably awakened the next day with the melody going around in their brains. Speaking of snobbery, IORR readers would be advised to bring actual lighters to the show (like the cool dude in front of me) so that the concert is not mistaken for a Taylor Swift one at cellphone-waving time.
Mick was quite chatty at times, and swapped out his election banter for a shout-out to the Trudeau family. That went down well. Not. Mick had better luck with Bryan Adams, the Canadian football (soccer) team, beaver tails and Nanaimo bars.
So our heads are already in la-la land with speculation heating up over guest stars. Whether they grace us with their presence or not, I hope that visitors have as good a time there as I did in sunny Vancouver
I had followed all other concerts (reviews) on IORR and gradually became convinced that I was going to experience yet another great concert. For me sharing my passion for the Rolling Stones together with the band was, and still is, the ultimate experience. Seeing them from close by, with ever enjoyable communication with each other, makes me really feel part of it all.
During the day, roaming around in a park and on the streets, we met and spoke to many young fans (wearing Stones T-shirts made them easy targets). No kidding, but for all of them it was going to be their first Rolling Stones concert! For some it came as a shock to hear my history with the band.
The band, in a sold out stadium, immediately went full speed with Start Me Up, and made sure that the audience would get the full load by following up with Let’s Spend The Night Together, Bitch and Angry (I really wanted to hear that song live!) and (thank you Vancouver fans for your choice!), one of my all time favorites, Street Fighting Man, before they could calm down a bit with Wild Horses.
Mess It Up did very well live and proved that Hackney Diamonds can deliver good live songs! After two all time greats (Tumbling Dice and You Cant’ Always Get What You Want) Keith pinned down another HD song: Tell Me Straight. Did I see some emotion on his face?
By adding Little T&A and Before They Make Me Run, he did something which was a first time ever for me, three songs live in one show. Keep it up Keith! Where Little T&A contained some emotion again, I think, his face cleared up during BTMMR!
Let’s not forget Ronnie’s key contribution to the show! Energetic as ever, he moved all over the place, every time laying down his essential solo licks. He is always fun to watch and is a true mate of Keith.
I think that Mick polished his voice a bit back stage during that time, because when he returned, “Sympathy” and Honky Tonk Women sounded spotless. Both songs obviously must-haves on the setlist.
Another one of my favorites, Midnight Rambler came out great, and I must say, that Steve Jordan, invisibly supported by Darryl, did a great job there! He really controlled the tempo changes very well! Looking at him from time to time, off course Charlie came up in my mind. What else would you expect.
I don’t know what Mick was mumbling at some point during MR, but to me it sounded a bit like “You Gotta Move”. To me it was a surprise and it made me curious “what made him do that”. I had already noticed that Chanel Haynes was enjoying herself next to Bernard Fowler during several songs, so she was fully prepared when Gimme Shelter started. It’s certainly not easy to follow up on Lisa and Sasha, but to me she really scored very well, not only vocally but also physically. A lot of passion! Later on she proved it again during Sweet Sounds of Heaven. But before that song the Stones delivered again solidly with Paint It Black and the great Jumping Jack Flash! They disappeared behind the stage to give everybody, themselves included, a well deserved break to return with a beautiful start.
Sweet Sounds of Heaven really is a beauty! Who would have expected that the band could write another, soon to be, classic after all those decades? Thanks so much guys! Satisfaction? Off course! The best song to complete a great concert like this Vancouver show! Did you see Keith relaxing against the wall? Big smile … we did it again!
Once back on the still warm streets, you could see elderly fans happily roaming having survived yet another great Rolling Stones concert, while younger fans had still plenty of energy left to glorify the band with loud cheerful voices.
After more than 60 years with the Rolling Stones being part of my life, I feel very blessed to have been able to share this great concert with them and I look forward to Santa Clara.
Located on the Pacific coast, Vancouver really started as a city only 150 years ago when the railway arrived from the east. With beautiful parks and beaches, surrounded by water, and small ski resorts visible on the neighbouring mountains, it has a charmed location. Sitting in a Chinese restaurant one evening, with almost all the other customers speaking Cantonese and Mandarin, looking at a line of high-rise apartment buildings with a green mountain behind, one could be in Hong Kong. Over 30% of the population comes from greater China. All very international here – reflected in the fans who travelled here from across the globe.
The BC Place is an older stadium for this tour, but with a roof which is normally very welcome in a city of traditionally inclement weather. As we had non-stop blue skies, and warmth on show day, the roof was open. I was told afterwards that this took some negotiation as it is a rare event, but it certainly helps with the sound quality which was, again, excellent. Despite this the air at the show was warm and humid: Mick was frequently wiping his brow, although this may have been due to excessive running and skipping around the stage: he used the catwalk a lot.
The doors opened late for this show, and in the bright hot sunshine people were suffering. I don’t understand why the stadium organisation cannot keep to time. As a result several people were suffering in the queues: some of this audience is getting frail..
The show started as expected to a huge roar with Start Me Up, followed by Let’s Spend the Night Together (heralded by “lets go Chuck” to get the piano rolling). Then Bitch, a fast and energetic version. The Pit newcomers near me had by then got over the initial shockwave of just how incredible being close to the Stones really is, and danced their hearts out along with everyone else. Horns, Keith solo, lots of vocals, probably a slight extension of the song at the end as it was going so well.
Then the song vote with, on its first outing this tour, Street Fighting Man. A couple of years ago this opened nearly every show: now relegated to a song vote choice, such is the depth of their recorded catalogue. Another cut from Sticky Fingers, Wild Horses, followed with more romantic singing from Mick; close dancing from Bernard and Chanel; and lovely guitar interplay from Ronnie and Keith. “A dance number” said Mick, and Mess It Up followed, to speed things back up, and then Dice – the only song they have played at every show I have seen.
Singalong tune YCAGWYW went well except for some of the solo which seemed to be in a slightly different key, not that it mattered, although Keith did give Ronnie an odd look that converted into a smile. This band is naturally loose, it is part of its charm, and perfection here is measured by the performance rather than exact notes played: it’s the blues after all.
The Keith songs, now consistently Tell Me Straight and Little T&A went nicely. He tried to introduce the former as “talk is cheap” but corrected himself. He seemed a little distracted at times, maybe emotionally connected to both songs? Before They Make Me Run, with its Canada connection, followed: now that must have been created in a period of emotion!
In another reference to the famous 1977 visit to Toronto, Mick told us that the Trudeau family had always been close to the band. The lack of response suggests that most attendees didn’t know about the Margaret “scandal” or just don’t like that political dynasty. Local star Bryan Adams’ name call went down better.
In the band introductions Mick told Bernard that he was dressed “very cool” – quite a complement from the man who goes through so many stage outfits that the Stones must be very popular with local dry cleaners. The local business benefit from these big tours must be huge. Canada, like the UK, does not provide police cavalcade escorts to commercial concerns, so we missed the wailing sirens on the Stones arriving or leaving the stadium.
Yet again Mick started the vocals on Sympathy at the wrong time: was his in-ear-mike not working well? The band re-synched with him. The Keith solo was excellent, and he followed this with a great rendition of Honky Tonk Women.
Rambler was the long-song choice, although it did seem a little truncated and Mick’s harmonica was less powerful than usual. The Hellhounds were still on Mick’s trail in Vancouver. Keith as usual was driving this so powerfully.
Shelter, as expected from regular attendees, is a real highlight with Keith also driving the song, and Mick and Chanel taking centre stage to send shivers down everyone’s spine with the rather creepy, even scary, lyrics. Keith and Ronnie moved centre stage to nod appreciatively at both vocalists as they returned from the catwalk. I did see Mick looking at one of the massive screens to check whether Keith had stood up at the start of the song: he plays the intro sitting down. Whether this sitting is to ensure accuracy, or to accentuate the slow start and then the crescendo as the storm approaches, I don’t really care.
The final two main set songs again seemed to pass in moments despite being solid versions, not rushed. How can JJF especially pass so fast in one memory? Or Paint It Black for that matter?
The encore is now, in my mind, a truly fitting conclusion rather than a piece of concert theatre. The phone lights didn’t need much encouragement from Mick for Sweet Sounds, and neither did Chanel. Having a new song must have been a big decision, and it has worked like a dream. The mood in the stadium reflective; people swaying; the keyboards and their Leslie speakers vibrating; the gentle horns. All fantastic. Then Keith kicks off Satisfaction and we are away.
Bite Your Head Off was rehearsed again in Vancouver, so some hope remains of the tour debut of another song from Hackney Diamonds. Los Angeles is a two-show city which gives the opportunity for another big setlist change.
What really stands out about this show was as Mick mentioned from the stage this being the 1st show in Vancouver in 18 years! The band has done six other shows at this stadium November 1st and 2nd 1989, December 17 and 18 1994, January 28th 1998 and November 25 2006. A show at this stadium was planned on May 12 2020 but was not able to be made up during the 2021 tour.
It was a very nice clear warm summer day. I was able to clearly hear the sound check songs Bitch, Street Fighting Man, Bite My Head Off, Wild Horses and Mess It Up from outside the stadium as the roof was open. I did notice a couple of people struggling with the heat with the doors being slightly delayed upon opening.
Inside the stadium I found myself next to a very excited mother and daughter. The daughter I'm guessing was in her late teenage years who said she was attending her 1st Rolling Stones concert. The mother showed me pictures she got of her daughter earlier that day with Steve Jordan, Chuck Leavell and Chanel Haynes. Just before the show started her daughter got a bloody nose but some staff gave her some napkins so she was able to not miss the show.
Next up the band is on to three shows in California. Don't miss them if you can make a show!
Convenient, but there is something to say about the travel rituals and they were missed this time around.
On with the show -
Overall this was very strong performance and in my mind edged out the last show I saw - Vegas in May. This setlist was much stronger (SFM instead of You Got me Rocking, 3 Keith songs and of course Rambler replacing Miss You). The band also seemed to be tighter and enjoying themselves more, but that is subjective. Also Keith’s guitar was really on point, loud and crystal clear.
Highlights and thoughts-
Lets Spend the Night together - great to see Keith on back up vocals similar to Vegas- little did I know there was more to come
SFM - First time I hear this one since 2019. Very strong version and great piano by Chuck - not sure I remember the song being so piano heavy in the past.
Wild Horses - Keith with prominent back vocals- wow.
YCAGWYW - not sure if its part of the schtick but Mick seemed to be chastising Ronnie (emphatically) and pointing to the center cat walk as if he forgot to start his solo. Ronnie then ran out and did in fact play a very strong solo.
Keith trifecta - all great and very strong guitar on BTMMR. Intro’s - I’m pretty sure Mick knew what he was doing when he mentioned our Prime Minister but the booing was even louder than I expected (for the non Canadians our PM has a even lower approval rating then the gentleman who was just shown the door in the UK) . One of my favorite parts of the intro is seeing what nicknames Mick comes up with for Ronnie and he didn’t disappoint.
When I saw red shirt Keith come out for the final part of the show I could tell he was fired up and he did not disappoint with great solos, posing etc. on SFTD and HTW. (same on JJF )
I was thrilled to hear the opening notes of Rambler and it was a great version with the Muddy Waters etc. references thrown in. During Rambler I prefer to keep my eyes on the stage not the cat walk and it was obvious that Keith, Ronnie and Darryl were having a great time. Never saw them smile like this on “Miss You”.
The encore songs flew by and we all filtered out very happy. How much longer this can go on is anyone’s guess, but all we can do is enjoy the ride.
I just wanted to make a note about the stage set up. I was in section 240 at B.C. Place, and could not see the whole stage. For example, I could not see the saxophone players at all. For $600 tickets, I would expect to see the whole band. Very likely at least four entire sections of the arena could not see the musicians at the edge of the stage.
Before the show, we wandered down to the stadium hoping to maybe catch possibly Ronnie on his way in, since he seems to post that on social media all the time, but alas no band sightings for us. The temperature was rising and the merch tents were starting to get lineups. We circumnavigated the stadium and chatted with other people. I even got to shake hands with the very nice super fan Gail Hoffman, affectionately known as gailontherail on instagram and the Shidoobee Facebook page. She takes great pictures and is at every show! We were going to wait for soundcheck to have a listen in but we also needed to eat pre-show so we went for dinner and arrived back at the stadium around 7.
After getting in and finding our seats and getting some refreshments we settled in. The Ghosts Hounds, who are lamented by some fans, were onstage almost exactly at 8pm and delivered a punchy and great sounding set. After all the negative comments I had read on IORR and other Stones social media I can say I was delightfully surprised at how good they sounded and what a good show they put on. Whatever cred they have or don’t have with Stones hardliners they are a professional outfit and there’s obviously a reason why they’ve been chosen to open on at least 5 of the tour dates.
Then after a bit of a break the Hackney Diamonds backdrop appeared on the big screen and the crowd seemed to fill in all of the previously empty seats until that glorious moment when we all heard our favourite six words “Ladies and Gentleman, the Rolling Stones!” One thing I noticed from previous tours is that there was no time wasted in between songs on this tour other than for a bit of quick banter from Mick while the boys changed guitars etc. They rocked their way through 20 songs in just about 2 hours including the encore!
Start Me Up, despite some detractors, is a bonifide Stones hit and an obvious opening track to get both the audience and the band pumped. Let’s Spend The Night Together quickly followed with a “Come on Chuck” from Mick!
Then came the punchy rocker Bitch, also performed at a pretty rapid clip and great licks from both Ronnie and Keith. Angry is probably the most well known new track for casual Stones fans and new younger fans and it was delivered with gusto! You can tell they are enjoying playing this one more and more as the tour goes on (I’ve been watching thanks to all those faithful IORR and Shidoobee YouTubers and such). Street Fighting Man was the vote winner. I had voted for All Down The Line but I wasn’t surprised or disappointed this was the winner. The band is very tight right now, as I said earlier, they aren’t wasting any time between songs or during them. Some solos were extended during the evening but mostly everything is very communicative and although still loose, very on time-in a way James Brown would mean. You dig?
Wild Horses gave a well timed tempo change and the boys played subtly and with restrained passion.
I had hoped for Whole Wide World or Bite My Head Off (which was run through during soundcheck) but they did Mess It Up next. It’s a good song and they’re performing it quite well live although it might be the only song of the night where I thought Mick might not be able to hear himself too well, a little pitchy. Tumbling Dice is a true classic and the fact they play it every show and it’s still not boring is probably why it’s one of their most played songs. You Can’t Always Get What You Want is great and never disappoints, I always love the gospel-ish bit at the end and it works well as the prelude to Keith’s set. It’s kind of Mick’s small town church preacher number and he really uses it to get the crowd going. Then he does the band introductions. Keith has been doing 3 songs each show lately and he did the same here. As with Chicago 2 they were Tell Me Straight, T & A, Before They Make Me Run.
He’s been really playing well this tour, and very present. Tell Me Straight is one of the strongest numbers on Hackney Diamonds and he is singing it well, although like any Keith song he has not always got his lips near the mic. Kudos to all the sound and tech crew for their work all evening. The sound was really well balanced. Of course I am saying this as someone in the higher seats, section 451 to be exact, upper bowl but very close to the front row up there. The sound might be entirely different in the pit. Once again the band is just perfectly tight and loose on these Keith numbers. Ronnie delivering a sublime and perfect solo on Tell Me Straight, killer weaving lines on both T & A and Before They Make Me Run. In fact the two were playing so well together all night and also laughing and shooting smiles back and forth, caught on the big screen a few times either gesturing at or cracking up one another. Just beautiful to watch and listen to it.
So next is Sympathy For The Devil- I think the 3 song break gives Mick a chance to really come out with a bang and bring new relevance to the song. The one thing to understand about a Stones show is that although there are some surprises and I would say every solo is improvised-for the most part, this is a rehearsed act! And it’s a good one! Some people bemoan the fact there’s no ‘deep cuts’ anymore or that the set is mostly hits but I think of going to see the Stones is, ironically enough, like going to a really cool church. The church of rock and roll baby! You get the sermon, the communion, the banter, and the fire and brimstone too:) I’m sort of joking but sort of not. This is a big business. We were hanging around the stadium early when all, and I mean all the staff was showing up. Probably at least 1000 people, all dressed in black walking down the city street was a sight to see. Lining up, checking in for work. If the audience was 50,000- ish last night I’d say there was an employee for every 30-40 people in some point of your experience for the night. It’s a massive undertaking. The time and energy it takes to do something like this is religious, godless or not. And the fans are faithful! Honky Tonk Women is just sexy. It’s one of those great riffs that is somehow country, rock, blues, soul all at the same time. Keith pulled off a great solo and Chuck was amazing on it!
Midnight Rambler might be my favourite Stones song ever. I feel it epitomizes everything that is great about what they do, what I love about them. It’s based deep in the blues but it takes it further, it’s a jam and even though it has parts they’re never the same exactly. It’s a dark brooding story. Mick sings it in the first but it’s a character, it’s rock theatre at its best. And Kieth is smiling almost the whole song, how can you not? It’s a killer groove. Steve Jordan and Darryl Jones are completely in the pocket with Keith on this one. In Vancouver Mick threw in lines from Hellhound On My Trail by Robert Johnson during the breakdown.
Gimme Shelter is a great song and it has been played ok a lot but so much better on this tour than in a while. Maybe Kieth sitting for the intro helps him get it right or maybe he just cares more lately but for whatever reason it is better than it has been for a while on this tour. Chanel Haynes is probably one of the reasons why. I’ve seen videos and I’ve heard her when she portrayed Tina Turner but hearing her voice in BC Place this night was a revelation. This woman is powerful. She is also, always on key, she is very good, just wow man! Wow! I can’t speak for any other performances on this tour but tonight she was completely in tune with Mick all night performance and delivery wise. They exalted this tune together.
I like Paint It Black but I can’t say I’m too into it live for a while now. I looked it up online though and it is actually their most streamed song ever so it’s gonna be played. They do it well but it was honestly my drink and washroom song. Side note-I don’t know if I’m just lucky but I managed to get both those things done in less time it took to play it so kudos to not long lineups for drinks and bathrooms in the higher up places:) Jumping Jack Flash-I love the original recording so much. It’s still great! I can listen to it and Brown Sugar back to back for an hour and still want to hit play. They did a very energized and fantastic performance of it. Once again, Keith is on fire baby!
We have the obligatory intermission and pretend ‘end’ of the show or mini break for the band. They probably need it after that! Sweet Sounds of Heaven is a great track! A real standout on Hackney Diamonds-which is, bias aside, a really good record, actually. Here is another example of how the band is really together at this point in the tour. The audience didn’t even really need to be cued, they automatically lit up the stadium with cell phones and even some real lighters (god bless us Canucks).
If Mick still can’t no Satisfaction I’m sure every fan who came to this show did. The best part of it all is seeing how they themselves still seem to genuinely enjoy playing this music each show with one another. I can’t get over how these guys are still performing at this level! It’s inspiring to anyone who’s ever wanted to live life for all it’s worth for as long as you can as I imagine they are! This show might be their last in Vancouver and if it is then they have hit it on a higher note. After all, Mick’s own words “life’s just hit and run.” This show for me was a culmination of an earlier plan to see them here in 2020 which got cancelled due to Covid. That 2021 tour, the first without Charlie happened on the heels of the pandemic regulations which are different in Canada at the time so it got dropped from the rebooking. The upside of that was now I had the opportunity to bring my kids and my girlfriend to their first Stones concert ever, and my second (2006) in my home province-and for that I am eternally grateful in ways I cannot express.
Photo by Bjørnulf Vik
Photo by Bjørnulf Vik
Photo by Bjørnulf Vik
Photo by Bjørnulf Vik
Photo by Bjørnulf Vik
Photo by Bjørnulf Vik
Photo by Bjørnulf Vik
Photo by Bjørnulf Vik
Photo by Bjørnulf Vik
Photo by Bjørnulf Vik
Photo by Bjørnulf Vik
Photo by Bjørnulf Vik
Photo by Gary Miller
Photo by Gary Miller
Photo by Gary Miller
Photo by Gary Miller
Photo by Gary Miller
Photo by Gary Miller
Photo by Gary Miller
Photo by Victor Woods
Photo by Victor Woods
Photo by Victor Woods
Photo by Victor Woods
Photo by Victor Woods
Photo by Victor Woods
Photo by Victor Woods
Photo by Wendy Mills
Photo by Sjoerd Olrichs
Photo by Sjoerd Olrichs
Photo by Sjoerd Olrichs
Photo by Sjoerd Olrichs
Photo by Liz Reading (screen)
Photo by Liz Reading (screen)
Photo by Liz Reading (screen)
Photo by Frédéric Cambefort (screen)
IMPORTANT! Reports and pictures are welcome, for editorial review/publication. Please send them as soon as possible after the show. There is a limit of approx 30 photos per report/show in order to speed up browser load time. Updates of the editorial reports pages will mainly be done within 2-4 days after the show has been performed.
For publishing details and policies see :
IORR editorial reports - pictures and reviews
This page will change over the next few days, as you and other fans send reviews, set lists and reports. Please send your e-mail to IORR. Thanks! For details and great photos from the Rolling Stones and their World Tour get the IORR magazines.
It's Only Rock'n Roll 1980 - 2024
© The Rolling Stones Fan Club IORR