i will be your knight in shining armor.

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Natlanta
i will be your knight in shining armor.

Just thinking the same thing, love that line.

Great reports everyone, thanks much. Can't wait to see them in Philly!

i've seen a lot stones + guests ... but Gwen .. what a mistake .. worst EVER wild horses ... for the rest GREAT SHOW

it's true...

we got there at 4:30... waited at will call till 6:30. Line opened. The Stones video crew interviewed us and asked what we would do if we got tongue pit tickets??!! That kinda got us amped up. Then the lines got huge behind us.
My girl and I showed her id and cc and got a white envelope. We opened it amd got section 306, the last row up in the rafters. my sister in line behind me got section 106... my other friend and his date got 106...
my other friend got VIP premier tickets. So the envelopes were all random.
Truthfully we were a little disappointed we got the worst seats possible. Especially since we were the ones that told our friends about the 85$ tickets and they weren't big fans. They got the. vip necklaces. It wasn't disappointment at the stones though. Our friends scattered to their vip area. We went to 306 and got over it. But when the stones came on, I grew very disappointed at the PA's acoustics. The upper ceiling seats in the back had no speakers directed in that area. The bass was muffled. Lots of delay and odd reverb. You could barely hear Mick Jagger's voice or what he was saying. I read what he said on google news. Didnt realize he was telling jokes etc... Keith Urban was rad. We could hear his guitar very loud. But that was about it.
About halfway through, my girl and I decided to take a smoke break. We
were really sad bc it was her first stones concert and I at least wanted her to
be able to actually hear the stones (if we couldnt see them)..
On our break, I told her we should just leave now amd mot spoil the rest of the show. This is terrible. So i was thinking we'd leave. But I asked guest services about changing seats. I wasnt trying to hustle a closer seat whatsoever. Im jus really picky about the audio (it's my line of work)... The 300 sections shouldnt be sold whatsoever until they get the PA tweaked out more and add lots of speakers. Like I said, I wouldve paid 600$ per ticket had I known the $85 seats were going to be so bad. I don't recommend section 300 anything. Big disappointment.

Anyway, I told guest services, can you just give us tickets to a louder section? we dont need to be closer... just wanna be able to hear the show. So, they gave us two tickets... they ended up beong VIP stage right. Section P1/obstructed. We were stoked. didnt care about obstructions. We ram from the third floor to the vip section an found our seats in row 11. It was phenomenal. It sounded amazing. We saw their backs for a lot of the show. Could see Charlie stomping the kick... could see there is a stage desk behind his drum kit... where a audio tech stands tuning amd checking keefs guitars before handing it off for the next song. Could see the backstage area behind the set. Saw Mick changing into the Jacket. Ronnie Woods smoking back there... etc. We got down there a song before Missed you... Jager was really getting warm at that point. Dancing like mad man.

It was miraculous that we got better seats.
We were happy again... very.

I was most impressed by Jager's voice. So inspiring.

I really wanna go back again to May 20th... but honestly...
Very bummed out about the whole $85 ticket process.

Here's a quick recap:

1. Registered several days ago for the $85 ticket sign up about 20 secs after the tweet came out. System indicated we'd get an email today about purchasing the tickets. We never got that email from AEG.


2. Thursday saw the tweet about $85 tickets going on sale. 10 seconds later i was on the site and calling friends. I was able to get my pair and call friends for their credit cards and order their pairs too.
All the tickets came up GA-Pit. But we realized that was no guarantee.

We were all in will call together... about place 100 in line. Random white envelopes:

We got sec 306, 106, 106, and a Premiere Package

ISSUES:

1. GA-PIT on the email and website before you buy the ticket is very misleading.
If it's a generic placeholder tag, why choose GA-PIT before the purchase is made?

2. It seems illegal to advertise only 1,000.... $85 tickets are available. Blatantly untrue. Fictitious ad. Probably illegal bc you are buying the ticket knowing there are only 500 pairs and your odds for good seats are good.

3. The acoustics in sec 300 sections are horrible. No speakers angle in that direction whatsoever. Get someone who can design a touring rig that reaches those levels if you are going to sell tickets there.

This is not an angry rant btw. I just want others to have my full experience incase you are hedging bets on the $85 last minute offer.

I think the Rolling Stones management totally dropped the ball on fans and so did AEG. Obviously these issues have nothing to do with the band.
And obviously the ticket receipt said it's not the ticket... but it also says 2xGA-Pit for 170$. Which is obviously confusing. Two competing legal clauses. I think the one on the receipt next to the $ amount paid should he controlling. Not the email confirmation box. Anyway, staples center staff made our night.
And the stones were awesome. VIP area we got into had a lot of open seats. Anyway. Very touching performance by the stones. I wanna go back for May 20th but the $85 thing rubbed me the wrong way. The last thing you wanna do is lie about how many were available. And i'd never expect they would be the very back row on the top level.

Good moments: Carrying around a sign that said "50" and having people stop and asking me if i was selling tixs for 50$? Im like no. It's 50 years of this band dumbass. Got interviewed by the stones film crew, usa today, and la weekly for cheerleading outside hahaha!

Final thought: just buy the tickets you want... dont gamble on the 85$...

btw nobodies ass is gonna escort you to section 306 last row.

Will we go again ? Probably not now. The Stones need to fire the ticketing execs and legal team that concocted this mess. I honestly wouldn't mind suing AEG for the false ads. And the GA-PIT phrase. I could spot about 20 laws broken off the top of my head. I'd also classify it as an $85 lotto, probably unlicensed in Cali and other states... and they lied about the odds. I'll get over it. but hopefully this helps someone make a fully informed decision when purchasing tickets for the rest of the tour.

Well... good luck to everyone at future shows. I honestly hope you get in the pit!!! And that you're excited to see them. They were rad! Many amazing moments.

-mixed emotions. haha

All condensed here

Carlitos
Tenerife

Emotional Rescue? Could of been worst. They could of played Plunder my Soul.

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JumpinJeppeFlash
Great set! People are never satisfied here and i'm very happy they only use MT on one song. He is a guest and nothing more. Looking good for future shows.

Someone needed to say it. As far as the set list, it was a greatest hits show. It has been written that the Stones are not touring behind an album. Well, it looks like they are touring behind Grrr! That said, it is only one show, L. A. is an industry town, it was the opening arena show, etc. I have faith we will be getting our Chuck Berry along the way.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-05-04 16:53 by Carnaby.

What about the merchandise? Are they selling programs this year? How about tongue pins?

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latebloomer

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Natlanta
i will be your knight in shining armor.

Just thinking the same thing, love that line.

Great reports everyone, thanks much. Can't wait to see them in Philly!

chicks!

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Munichhilton

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tatters




Was there no teleprompter available? What's the point of having a "special" guest if it's going to result in a train wreck like this? Worst-ever performance of this song.

She's all dressed up like Cher on an off day...plus she rewrote the words to this classic...what's not to like?

She sounds like someone who might have been picked out of the audience at random to come up onstage and sing with the band. Someone who decided she was a Stones fan a couple days ago when her boyfriend asked her if she wanted to go to a concert Friday night, and who heard "Wild Horses" for the first time in the car on the way to the show.





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2013-05-04 17:12 by tatters.

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JumpingKentFlash

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gagi

Mick: Gwen, I'm in room 405.
Gwen: Ok, I'll be there after the blow... I mean show.

Hahaha Great blow, sorry line, sorry remark
jeroen

MIIICCCCKKK TAYYYLOOOOORRR ^^ Nice cri du coeur !

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maxx
Midnight Rambler - vinylPiper




VinylPiper other vids here.
[www.youtube.com]

good god, how can gwen stefani (who is she anyway?) be allowed to ruin such a great song???

Please, no more special guest bimbos, either have guests that bring something that core stones don't have, or just give us the stones, who do a great job on most songs all by themselves.

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roby
MIIICCCCKKK TAYYYLOOOOORRR ^^ Nice cri du coeur !

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maxx
Midnight Rambler - vinylPiper




VinylPiper other vids here.
[www.youtube.com]

This is my absolutely favorite song, but listening to the whole 11:15 I have to say and I know I will be slapped all over the place MT adds musically little to nothing to this song.

Like so many times before he's overplaying the song from the first to the last second and therefore ruining the mood and the vibe of MR. To me it seems he wants to put a whole show in just one song.

Musically sometimes less turns out in much much more.

Make breaks instead of noodling 11 mins and he'll sound way way better. Just listen to YaYa's or Brussels.

Anyway the rest of the band is doing fantastic.

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barbequebob


Please, no more special guest bimbos, either have guests that bring something that core stones don't have, or just give us the stones, who do a great job on most songs all by themselves.

Well said that man!

Great comments on Gwen Stefani. She was an absolute disgrace to a band that had everything clicking. For as bad as she botched that tune, I thought Keith Urban made Respectable one of the highlights of the show. Looking forward to seeing them again in a few weeks for my 50th birthday.

Gwen Stafani is awful. She's a terrible singer as a solo artist and with her band No Doubt. Listen to her! She doesn't sing one note in key. She worst than a Kareoke singer. Go away forever Gwen and stay away from the boys.

why do they have these idiots as special guests??...the chick from No Doubt and some contemporary Country bumpkin...yes he can play guitar...EVERYBODY IN NASHVILLE CAN PLAY GUITAR...big deal...

yuck...as always...they make bad choices...they just don't have a clue...

hell they let Mick Taylor play more back in 81 during the Kansas City show...and yes...he DOES add to the show...any idiot listening can tell the difference...

Found this in this mornings new.

By Sue Zeidler

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Rolling Stones rocked a packed house in Los Angeles on Friday on the opening night of their North American "50 and Counting" tour, but only after websites slashed ticket prices and the band released additional cheap seats at the last minute.

The 17-date tour is the veteran British rockers' biggest in six years and follows a handful of dates in London, Paris and New York at the end of 2012 marking 50 years since they burst on to the music scene at London's Marquee Club in 1962.

"We first played LA in 1965. Thank you for coming to see us. We really appreciate it," frontman Mick Jagger said late on Friday during the show at Staples Center.

The 69-year-old strutted and gyrated in his trademark style through a string of classic Stones hits including "Gimme Shelter," "Paint it Black" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash."

Celebrities like Jack Nicholson and Melanie Griffith attended the show, which also featured guest performances by singer Gwen Stefani on "Wild Horses" and Keith Urban on "Respectable."

Days before the show, hundreds of seats were still available and secondary sellers scrambled to unload tickets by slashing prices from the original $250 (160.52 pounds) to $600 (385.26 pounds) price range which had irked many of even the most die-hard Stones fans.

The band also released additional seats at a modest $85 on its official website this week, the only price point that quickly sold out for the May 3 concert.

Buyers who opted to buy the $85 seats online were instructed to line up at the arena just before the show, and were told they would be notified of their locations which could range anywhere for prime seating to further back in the venue.

"It's very thrilling. It's like gambling and the Stones all rolled into one," said Los Angeles realtor Kelley Miller, who had bought a pair of $85 seats along with some friends, and stood in line to find out where they would be sitting.

Miller and her friends said they were happy to be seated anywhere at that price.

They never did say where this guy sat. But it appears they had to unload a lot of tickets at more reasonable prices to fill the place up. And after seeing the set list I am glad I didn't go. I prefer to remember them when I saw them at their best. Although ER was a treat. But the rest was a typical Stones set. Very safe . Very Vegas now.

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headly123
Very safe . Very Vegas now.

but why doesn't it stay there like it's supposed to??

Yes... and I will go see them when they are 'a Vegas act'. Sinatra's old stomping grounds ain't too shabby. You don't judge a book by it's cover. Don't judge an opening show by a setlist, or an internet video clip captured via smartphone.

Report from UK newspaper.....

[www.thesun.co.uk]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2013-05-04 19:03 by GuessWho.

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bye bye johnny


Who says LA crowds arrive late? Almost show time. #stones50

[www.facebook.com]

Great picture. That's me near the middle of the photo standing up in the aqua blue shirt. Don Was was six rows in front of me. Eddie Murphy and Tracy Morgan were in front of him. Jack Nickolson was two rows in front of them. Enough star gazing!

Now for my thoughts.

Great show. For those that have groused about slow ticket sales/a sell out, you where proved soooooo wrong. If you don't have tickets for the remaining shows, get them now. Micks comments about Jack, The Lakers and the crowd not being from LA but Hollywood, Brentwood and parts of Santa Monica made me laugh. Was very surprised at some of the songs. Factory Girl was awesome! Emotional Rescue was a surprise but in my opinion it didn't work. Just didn't translate well live. But my hats off to them for giving it a shot. Fans wanted something other than warhorses and they delivered. One More Shot fell flat. Get rid of these two and insert two Mick Taylor songs. One song was not enough. Keith Urban was fun. No problem with his appearance/performance. Wild Horses with Gwen was, well, yawn. Sympathy was a train wreck. Mick was off key/flat for most of the song. You could see the perplexed look on Chuck's face. Oh well, that's what makes live performances great. Keith was kinda stationary for most of the show. Only made one venture out on to the ramp near the end of the show. Ronnie looked like he was having a great time. Charlie seems to never stop smiling. He's awesome! Some of you might think I'm nit picking but that's what thought. Overall, one of the best Stones shows I've seen. They rocked!! They showed younger bands how it should be done. Can't wait for MGM and live reports from the next shows to see how they adjust the set list.

Scotty



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-05-04 19:49 by micknkeef@cox.net.

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VT22

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NICOS

Genius noodling, Ron. It suits the song. Weeks of rehearsals and practise do the trick.

I couldn't figure this out, either. Everyone in my section was shocked to see (hear) this.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-05-04 22:39 by SundanceKid.

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barbequebob
good god, how can gwen stefani (who is she anyway?) be allowed to ruin such a great song???

Please, no more special guest bimbos, either have guests that bring something that core stones don't have, or just give us the stones, who do a great job on most songs all by themselves.

maybe we could suggest Susan Boyle for Hyde Park shows...

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rubyT

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barbequebob
good god, how can gwen stefani (who is she anyway?) be allowed to ruin such a great song???

Please, no more special guest bimbos, either have guests that bring something that core stones don't have, or just give us the stones, who do a great job on most songs all by themselves.

maybe we could suggest Susan Boyle for Hyde Park shows...

At least Susan Boyle can sing. LOL.

Scotty

IORR............but I like it!

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SundanceKid

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VT22

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NICOS

Genius noodling, Ron. It suits the song. Weeks of rehearsals and practise do the trick.

I couldn't figure this out, either. Where I was sitting everyone was shocked to see (hear) this.

Behave yourself, Sundancekid.

Great setlist. Hope everybody enjoyed the show.

"Lyin' awake in a cold, cold sweat. Am I overdrawn, am I going in debt?
It gets worse, the older that you get. No escape from the state of confusion I'm in.

It's a shame that Mick & Keith have a reenergized & rededicated Mick Taylor at their disposal and they only used him for Rambler. I was at the show last night in the 3rd row, 1st seat. Mick Taylor, along with Keith Urban on Respectable, were clearly the highpoints of the show. I mean MT played 2 songs at the club date, he should come out for Midnight Rambler and simply finish the show.