The Rolling Stones
Rhein-Energie Stadion, Cologne, Germany
Sunday July 23, 2006

Thanks to the fact that we entered the Stadium when the doors opened, I must say that we had an excellent view over the stage. We were 3rd row on Ronnie's side and I believe that this is the best place to be. Ronnie never goes over to Keith's side of the stage, but Keith visits both sides nearly equally as does Mick.

Jumping Jack Flash was the perfect opening song and I noticed that Keith was really back, having a great time and he was playing very well. I noticed that Mick just read the German opening texts from the autocue and such details are always nice to see. You can�t see those things when you�re way back. Ron also played very well but Charlie was the man. He refused to say anything at the introductions but his drum playing was powerful and remarkable.

A Bigger Bang made its first appearance in Cologne when Oh No Not You Again was played as the third song. The nice solo by Keith on this song really tears the house down. She�s so Cold and As Tears Go By are great classics and I really like them �live��Mick sings his heart out when they do those songs and you wonder how it�s possible that the Stones are still up there. They�re simply the greatest Rock �n Roll band. The four-song set on the B-Stage was highlighted by the inclusion of Get Off Of My Cloud! After the return to the main stage, Sympathy was followed by Start Me Up.

The Stones ended with Satisfaction as usual but the Stones are still doing this song really well and after the hundreds of times that they must have played it, it�s so nice to see that they can still put such energy and emotion into Satisfaction for us to enjoy. Up to Paris�

Exactly at 8:55 PM the familiar intro began and then 2 minutes later the Stones were out on the stage and the clear, hard-rocking sound of Jumping Jack Flash was everywhere. The crowd in the FOS area went wild and gyrated to the music. Keith's hard riffing guitar was extremely loud from where we stood. Mick was also in great form, already going from side to side as he welcomed us to the show. It was over before we knew it, and then It's Only Rock and Roll began almost immediately. A really hard-rocking version with Keith's Chuck Berry-esque solo slicing into my eardrums from where we were.

Oh No Not You Again and then Let's Spend the Night Together were a great one-two punch. The latter was highlighted by Lisa's choice of dress - a gold sparkly number open down the front to nearly her navel, exposing a great looking black bra. Ronnie and Keith seemed to be really enjoying the view!

The next number was a slight change from previous shows on this tour with the return of She's So Cold. Really chunky guitar work from Ronnie.

The stool was brought out for Keith to sit on for the next song and they began As Tears Go By. It really sounds beautiful on a hot summer evening with Mick's perfect vocal phrasing bouncing off the far stands. Keith kept smirking as the crowd up front were obviously yelling to him. This was followed by my first exposure to Streets of Love. It was with a little trepidation that I began listening to it. It has gotten such bad press since the album came out last year. But the arrangement really was special. Ronnie made a lot more of the guitarwork than is on the album. Keith was riffing hard on the acoustic and Mick did a great job putting his unique vocal emotions into the song. I had to admit when it was over that I was impressed.

Tumbling Dice was the first big war horse to come out after the acoustic set. Never failing to ignite an audience, the Stones really came to life on it. Mick ran out to both wings, keeping Keith waiting by the edge of the left side while he picked the audience up. Then as Mick ran by, Keith got the biggest grin on his face and sauntered out to the end, madly riffing away. Mick came out to the front stand as he always does on this tour during this number and the crowd around me got very excited, thinking that he would come out further. But he just teased us this time, and turned around and ran back the way that he came. The song went on and on, and we thought it would never end. When it finally did, Mick took a well-deserved bow and Charlie finished it with his customary drum flourish.

As Lisa had re-appeared before Tumbling Dice in her long red dress, I expected that Night Time would be the next number up. It was and she really tore the house down. My wife had not seen them yet on the Bigger Bang Tour and she kept getting a wider and wider smile on her face as Lisa stormed through her verses. It really is amazing how good her singing is on a number like this. She received a great cheer at the end from the German crowd. This led right into the intros and Charlie and Keith were the highlights of this portion. Keith actually said a few different things this night, but I can't remember what they were! He started his set again this evening with Before They Make Me Run, which is a new way of playing his set, and it is refreshing to see him do it this way. It really kept the energy level high.

Slipping Away was back to the old familiar way with lots of drawn out solos and choruses. I think Mick must have really enjoyed his respite from the hot air during the song.

The B-Stage set of four songs was just like I had seen it the last time in Chicago in January: Miss You, Rough Justice, Get Off of My Cloud and Honkey Tonk Women. I managed to get a couple of great pictures of the band as they went by. The B-Stage was so far out that it was almost at the end of the stadium floor.

The return to the main stage was marked by Sympathy For The Devil. We really loved it even although the gas explosions from the top of the stage were not necessary when the temperature was still 85 degrees F. or 29 C. Keith's solos were great and the song went on and on for at least 7 minutes.

Start Me Up was next, and they started it with a huge gas explosion extending all the way down the front of the stage from left to right. More heat! Great solo from Ronnie and lots of power to it. Then the regular set was completed with Brown Sugar. A very good version that went on for at least 7-8 minutes. Mick got the crowd really lathered up all along the ramp out front.

Then it was time for a short break before the encore. You Can't Always Get What You Want was highlighted for me by a tremendous solo from Ronnie. He has added a lot to it since last winter in the US. I liked it a lot. Then before we knew it, Keith jump-started Satisfaction. Whew! A very fast pace and Mick just would not stop running back and forth from side to side. Where does he get the energy?

It was over too soon in just 2 hours. We had a wonderful time and made lots of memories. Paris is in 5 days and I can't wait. I'll be on Keith's side of the FOS section and I'm heading for the end of the ramp during the last half of the show. Keith and Mick spent so much time out there last night that I'm sure I'll get some more great camera shots.

Awesome show from the Stones!! Thanks guys!

This Concert was the best I ever heard, better than Bon Jovi and Springsteen, no chance for the Boss in the comparison, and better than any other Stones-Show I watched. The Setlist was just great, and the band-performance and the sound also were. There were no unecessary breaks between the songs and they rocked through their set.

Mick was fantastic as ever, clear and loud voice, working the crowd all night, manifesting his role as the best frontman in rock'n roll. Keith seemed to have a lot of fun, so you saw him laughing whenever he was on the videoscreen; maybe because of the plastic-palm-tree following the Stones all over Europe, yet. He was very mobile, running from one end of the stage to the other and it seemed that he sometimes made his own show with the fans celebrating him. His guitarplaying was awesome and very rough, and as in many other shows he missed one solo here and one there, but that's just Keith and I think everyone loved that. "Anyway, its good for me to be back anywhere" than skipping his halfburned cigarette on the stage, playing Before They Make Me Run, than taking up the stillburning cigarette and with a smile and an eyetwinkle smoke it to end. No doubt, he is still the soul of the Band.

Ronnie was strong and obviously highly motivated, no sign of the described weak performances in the last weeks and his destroying solo of You Cant Alwys Get was awesome!!! And he always looked at Jagger, showing and encouraging him "go here, go there, dance here, dance there". Charlie was NOT just the Charlie I knew the last 11 yrs. He drummed so crazy and wild all over the show, just great and the sound of the drums was as loud as Richards guitar.

And of course there was Lisa Fisher. Her Performance of Night Time was worth the 100 Euros you have to pay for the ticks. The crowed in the full packed stadium thanked the band, with clapping, shouting, singing and jumping - yes, fans in the mid 50ties can jump - the whole show. Everyone in the arena knows after Satisfaction the show is over, but no one left, everybody was shouting "Zugabe" (engl: encore) and just stay in there. Only the final firework, wich made the Stadium a very foggy place, ended a fantastis an unforgetable night.

Detailed setlist:

1. JJFlash - unbelievible loud guitars of Ronnie and Keith and energetic
2. IORR - as good as it could be, Keith was fantastic; after that Jagger say in Cologne Accent: "es ist geil wieder in k�ln zu sein, habt ihr eine joote zik" (f***ing great to be in Cologne, have a nice time?)
3. ONNYA - right, Jagger rocked as this song is a personal thing for him
4. LSTNT - great to hear and 2 classes better than at BtB, crowd loved this one, and making party from that point
5. Shes So Cold - Awesome, hard rocking
6. As Tears Go By - hightlight of the evening, Jagger and Richards with 12-string were awesome, just beautiful
7. Streets of love - also very fine, Richard celebrated himself and his acustic guitar. Jagger rulz.
8. Tumbling Dice - best version I ever heard, very long and fine solo of Ronnie
9. Night Time - Lisa was unbelievable great, next highlight, Lisas dress worked very good with the ventilators...
10. BTMMR - some mistakes from Ronnie and Keith, but great
11. Slipping Away - nice song, I love that one
12. Miss You - just grooving, everyone clapping the whole song, better than ever
13. Rough Justice - kept things going, very hard rocker
14. GOOMC - surprise of the evening, fans sang the refrain enthausiasticly, Mick was all over the B-Stage working the fans
15. Honky Tonk - the stadium exploded, again best Version I heard so far
16. Sympathy - Jagger was fantastic and the guitars, again very loud, made this one a party, although Keith missed the beginning of his solo, whatever he made behind the drums?! 2nd solo was great That's the way Sympathy should be.
17. Start Me Up - Just one thing: loud; thought fans were in heaven
18. Brown Sugar - very nice vid during the song, this was the "Keith-Song" of the evening, wow
19. YCAGWYW - Mick: "sing this to D�sseldorf", well knowing the rivalry between the 2 cities; alldestroying Woodie-Solo f a n t a s t I c
20. Satisfaction - the whole combo gave all they could give, especially Jagger/Richards/Watts. Mick running all over the place; this guy has a stomach, normally 20-30yrs pro-sportsmen have, wow. Charlie was drumming, like there will be no tomorrow.

This was a very hard and fast rocking stones-show. It was good to see, that the Brass-Combo played a less-important role than in the past tours. These 4 guys, meanwhile in the mid 60ties, are the best you can get in the rockmusic-szene. So take all chances to see them, cause no-one knows, if they could be so great in the future again. For sure I know, that this were the best Stones ever!