It's Only Rock'n Roll
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It's Only Rock'n Roll |
At the very least, Mick can't have been thrilled about hitting himself in the head with his microphone right at the start of "Satisfaction." According to news reports, his left eye swelled during the show. Trooper that he is, Mick didn't let the incident affect the show, nor did he say anything about it. He needs to be more careful, having hit Lisa in the head during Gimme Shelter in Ft. Worth.
Mick welcomed all the out-of-towners, and duly noted that the Kingdome was set for demolition, to be replaced by the "Paul Allen Dome. Good luck!" Allen, the billionaire Microsoft co-founder, has an extensive rock'n'roll memorabilia collection and must be absolutely delighted to get name-checked by Mick Jagger, even if it was a bit sarcastic.
From my seat on the floor, the sound seemed awfully muffled, and Mick's vocals were lost during much of the set on the b-stage.
Congratulations to the fan who evaded security and ran onto the small stage at the conclusion of the third song, "Like A Rolling Stone." He was quickly bundled off by security. The bridge stayed up after they took their places and I feared it might have got stuck. But it retracted after "Little Queenie," during which Mick briefly danced on it. And I read that it happened in Minneapolis too.
By now, it's become painfully clear that Charlie HATES walking over that bridge. Most nights, he's the first one on, scampering along with little baby steps. This time, he followed Mick. Just before Mick was about to step off onto the stage, he turned around and taunted Charlie by jumping up and down on the bridge. Charlie kept a brave face, but was probably planning to beat Mick up again afterwards.
"Respectable" was the Internet choice, and the Stones gave it a respectful rendition. But why did "All Down the Line" appear twice on the voting form? I wonder whether the Stones will kick off the New Year with a completely new list?
I get the impression the Stones will have forgotten this show by next week. It just seemed to drag. They played as smartly as ever, but the over- heated indoor venue had a soporific effect. "Saint of Me" and "Out of Control" got decent responses, but the the audience was there to be entertained -- to paraphrase Mick's Hyde Park comments -- and didn't really seem energized.
Most depressing sight at a Rolling Stones concert EVER! An elderly woman (at least 80) was wondering about in a wheelchair, looking dazed and confused.
The set list:
Anyways, the during the opening song (Satisfaction), Mick knocked himself in the head with the microphone stand. Didn't actually see what lead up to it, so I'm not sure what the circumstances were, but I saw it kind of bounce of his forehead over his left eye. He must have really hit it a good one, as he kind of shook his head (seeing stars??) and he rubbed it quite a few times during the set. However, it will never be said that a rap on the head will slow him down! He pranced, danced and skipped the entire stage area as usual as if nothing ever happened. I think the only time he actually stood in one place was during "Sister Morphine."
The web choice was "Respectable" and Mick commented on rarely playing it live and this being the first time on this tour. If I'm not mistaken, I don't think they played it in the States during Voodoo Lounge either. Due to that lack in frequency, it did kind of have a rough start, but leave it to the boys to make a quick recovery and get right into the groove.
I am clear on the center stage set: Little Queenie, This Could Be The Last Time and Like A Rolling Stone.
Songs from the new album: Flip the Switch, Anybody Seen My Baby, Out of Control, Saint of Me and You Don't Have To Mean It. People have a tendancy to go on and on about Mick, and don't get me wrong, he deserves every bit of it. But in my mind, Keith is the soul of the Rolling Stones and doesn't always get the credit he deserves. But I also think he appreciates not being the center of attention! Who could blame him.
This show didn't seem to have all the theatrics and clothes changes as Voodoo, and to be quite honest, I really appreciated it. It felt like they were more into delivering some serious rock & roll, rather than giving a show. Felt more personal somehow. Even without the center stage, it felt like they were trying to make the 49,000 fans feel like thay were getting a club show rather than a stadium show.
When they played a excellant version of Jumping Jack Flash, I knew the party was almost over. It goes by so fast!! Brown Sugar was the encore, as at other venues. Two hours and twenty minutes of pure rock & roll heaven.
I had read that they were having trouble pulling off Anybody Seen My Baby earlier in the tour, but they have apparently worked out the bugs, because it sounded incredible live. I think I even like it better than the recorded version. A little bit rougher, but that is the way I think rock and roll is meant to be. And Saint Of Me was awesome. Being one of my favorites from the album, I was thrilled to see it live complete with the facial expressions only Mick can deliver and seeing Ronnie strut his stuff in the limelight was great!
Now, I've got another nine weeks until Portland. Seems like a long time away. I can only hope time passes by quickly.
Read all about the Bridges To Babylon tour in the It's Only Rock'n Roll magazine issue IORR 31 out Jan, 1998.
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It's Only Rock'n Roll 1997 -
© The Rolling Stones Fan Club Of Europe |