It's Only Rock'n Roll
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It's Only Rock'n Roll |
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Stones
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A very wet night for all. Saturday night. A remarkable evening as the Stones put on a show like rock and roll vikings claiming new territory in the primal driving mist. They opened with Paint It Black just like they did in Boston a few nights ago. There were many technical problems early on, no doubt caused by the wet weather. Keith looked frustrated at one point, shaking both fists in frustration and desperation. Once again Woody did most of the heavy lifting tonight, mostly early on. Mick was fabulous in spite of the severe weather. He braved it like it was nothing, coming out in silver longcoat and a hat, looking like mephistopholes himself. His voice was amazing and unfaltering. He really led the performance tonight. Woody was in good spirits too.
Keith sang You Got The Silver as Wood played along on guitar, followed by Little Tapm,;&A. Keith talked alot, about the weather and how he couldn't get it to stop and "This is your town not mine". He did a thirty second comedy stand up routine that was welcomed by all, no doubt trying to lift our spirits - it did. It seemed at one point that Mick and Keith weren't eye to eye on something. Mick was trying to get Keith's attention during a song, but Keith just ignored him and wouldn't look at him. Mick said something to him into the microphone which I couldn't make out. They also did IORR, Oh No Not you Again, Streets of Love, Miss You, Rough Justice, Jumping Jack Flash, Sympathy For The Devil, which was surreal as flashpots and firework smoke covered the area in a red apocalyptic haze, the primal rythym infusing the mist itself. I'll never forget the image of the movable centre stage returning and the Stones leaning into the driving mist, their longcoats flowing as they ripped Honky Tonk Women with an incredible solo from Keith, misty rain back-lit. Keith came over to within twenty feet of us, struck a singularly sloppy discordant note with flair, twisted his mouth tonge-in-cheek and rolled his eyes like a drunken pirate, smiling. A great moment! The show was cut short I think because they could sense the audience loosing it's fortitude. They also played Bitch, Tumbling Dice, Start Me Up. Ultimately it was a loosing fight against the driving mist. They played Brown Sugar, then Satisfaction for the encore. Everyone of us was wet, Mick said his shoes were soaking, he used a funny word for it. I want to thank Mike, Charlie's drum tech, for taking the time out to show us all around. He took us into one of the buses for a smoke break, then onto the back stage area while Alice played (a smouldering set). It was like walking through an Orc lair in Sarumans subterranean workshop - everything black, a skyscraping constructor set with trolls keeping everything in order. There were pools of standing water in runoff areas and everywhere dripping water. Thick cables of super voltage snaking all around us. The guitars were all lined up like heavens music shop. Mike took us into the VIP area next where we had free drinks and tons of buffet style food - steak, shrimp, salmon, roast beef, salads, and desserts! Ron came out for a second and disappeared again. Alice was right beside me for a moment, just the two of us, so I pulled a near-mint copy of Billion Dollar Baby - the book - and a Sharpie felt pen and politely asked him if he would sign it. He said, "Hey, Billion Dollar Baby". I said it was rare, he said "It is" and signed the inside page. He spent the next 15 minutes posing for pictures and horsing around with people. He squeezed by me and I put my hand softly on the back of his shoulder as he went through. Very nice man. Diminutive. Mike really went out of his way to accomodate us. This is Charlie's drum tech! Playing the host! Wonderful guy! This just goes to show you the kind of dedication these pros have in hosting and accomodating their fans - it goes all down the line to each of them in a gracious spirit of selflessness and dedication. Long may you run. Media reports said they were staying in town until Monday, but one of the guys on the crew said they'd be flying out tonight around 2 a.m. Oh well, bad weather and all. |
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As noted above, Keith � wearing an X-Pensive Winos t-shirt -- packed two mini-tantrums at the beginning of two of his showcase songs, �It�s Only Rock �n� Roll� and �Tumbling Dice.� He yelled into Pierre�s ear on the first song, but Pierre appeared to ignore him the second time. Keith�s guitar cut in and out, a possible indication of the technical challenges faced by everyone. Sometimes, it would be deafening, other times you couldn�t hear much of what he was doing. His turn in the solo spotlight was curious to say the least. He �sang� �You Got the Silver� while clutching the collar of his coat to his throat, as if he as trying to protect himself from a blizzard. It�s odd seeing him up there with no guitar � it�s like he just got his 5th limb amputated. I�d never heard �Little T&A� live before, so was obviously thrilled, even if it needs a bit of work. His sense of humor remains intact, though he could discuss �Schindler�s List� and still get a laugh.
The crowd giddily applauded the fireworks. Do they not have them in Canada?! Anyway, the smoke from the fireworks burst after �Satisfaction� completely obscured the stage, making the final bows pointless.
So much for the brand new set list though!! The absence of any cool �new� material was disappointing. Maybe they�re keeping that for the markets they have already bled dry.
And on another note, the hiring of Kanye West as a support act did raise some snickers on the message boards. But the crowd loved him, and he returned the love during a brief, energetic set backed by a group of �masked� ladies on strings. Whenever an opening act humbly expresses gratitude to the Stones, as Kanye did, I�m instantly on their side. And I�m sure Mick wishes he�d had the balls to write �Gold Digger.� Alice Cooper also did a great job under trying circumstances, rolling out his radio hits but dispensing with any chit-chat.
Started the afternoon viewing Ron Woods paintings in the Holiday Inn across the street from the Commons. He is a fine artist albeit he may have issues with Mick that come across in his art.
The show ripped open with PIB and charged into IORR. In spite of the rain coming in torrents the Stones hit Oh No Not You Again right on the nose. Streets of Love was absolutely nailed and anyone who is in their 40's that can't relate to it is probably brain dead. Keith put forward a masterful performance on You Got the Silver, Little T&A was a little rough. Rough Justice was plain rough. Considering it was live music and in a down pour no complaints. Honky Tonk Women - hell the place was full of them and what would be a Stone's concert without the country-rock classic. Brown Sugar was a pleasant delight. Would have been nice to hear Sweet Virginia and You can't Always Get What You Want, but it was a great set and with no duds.
Considering what the band played thru you could not have asked for a better show - I think it in many ways it was superior to Moncton last fall - except for the weather, but that in itself made this past Saturday night a night to remember. Live music rocks and no one does it better than the Stones!
All in all, it was one hell of a show. I'd gladly do it again, even if the weather was twice as bad.
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Thanks to Keith Dodge for news link!
It's Only Rock'n Roll 1980 - 2006