They say don’t meet your heroes, and they also say that those you have idolised all your life will never really live up to the expectations you build up in your head. I’d frankly like to say that when it comes to the legends that make up The Rolling Stones, ‘they’ couldn’t be more wrong. Seamless, effortless professionals with talent seeping from under their sparkly jackets, The Stones proved on this night, and indeed across their whole ‘No Filter Tour’ so far this summer, that music and performance isn’t simply a talent, it’s a gift.
After being suitably introduced by The Verve’s Richard Ashcroft, with the sun beaming down on the packed and buzzing stadium, The Stones finally took to the stage with vigour and energy, ready to put on what will turn out to be an outstanding performance. Knowing how to please the crowd of adoring fans, they began with ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’, not pausing before jumping straight into ‘It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)’. For men in their seventies, the members, especially the charismatic Mick Jagger, move around the stage with reckless abandon, pacing up and down the catwalk into the crowd with passion in his eyes, and a few suggestive shakes in his hips.
The bangers just kept coming as ‘Tumbling Dice’ and ‘Shattered’ amongst others graced the setlist and the adoring audience’s ears. Clearly trying to prove that the band, though old in age, are far from behind the times, the social media accounts of the band have held polls for each night of the tour, so that the audience are able to pick from four possible songs, which one is performed by request on the night. The Stones have such an incredibly large repertoire of music that I think it makes perfect sense to hand over some control, because having played all of these songs hundreds of times before, I doubt they really mind what gets left out and what doesn’t.
Our date had the choice between ‘Bitch’, ‘Let’s Spend The Night Together’, Respectable’, and ‘Sweet Virginia’. All great choices, but after casting my vote on ‘Sweet Virginia’, I was a tad disappointed to see ‘Let’s Spend...’ take the crown. My worries were soon gone however when the song started, it’s not like virtually any of the band’s songs are not enjoyable listens, and frankly any random setlist of their music would probably please myself and any crowd of fans just the same.
Next came ‘Like A Rolling Stone’, with Mick casually remarking in the introduction that ‘Bob Dylan very kindly wrote this for us’. I haven’t yet had the privilege of seeing Bob live, but the fact that I was seeing a band who even had the contact to him to have this song written, still made the Bob fan girl in me very happy. From here onwards the energy and excitement only escalated further with classics ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ and one of my personal highlights of the night, ‘Paint It Black’. It’s amazing that after all this time, I could have closed my eyes and easily been watching this band in the sixties or seventies, the tight arrangements and effortless melting of each instrument with Mick’s voice was simply awe inspiring to behold.
Shortly following this, it was guitarist Keith Richards’ turn to take some of the limelight as he performed lead vocals for ‘You Got The Silver’ and ‘Before They Make Me Run’. Keith is always remarked in the press as the one who baffles everybody simply by still being alive; the fast paced and dangerous life he has led with the Stones certainly doesn’t allow that he should still be standing. He certainly has some problems with guitar as the arthritis in his hands has been documented by the press and was still a little noticeable as he played on this night. Nevertheless, Keith is still certainly one of the most talented blues/rock guitarists out there and has been since the dawn of The Stones; it was still a privilege to watch him front these two songs in between all of the Jagger action. Keith is not one to avoid a joke about his physical state either as he jokingly remarked ‘I’m really happy to be here...to be honest I’m really happy to be anywhere’, which definitely dissipated any worry we all may have had about the old guy.
As the set was beginning to make its climax, the band did not hold back in delivering banger after banger; all classics covered from ‘Sympathy For The Devil’ to ‘Brown Sugar’ - all of which were screamed out in delight by the crowd word-perfect. An undisputed highlight of the night has to be ‘Midnight Rambler’. As I said, Keith isn’t quite up to speed guitar wise, meaning fellow guitarist Ronnie Wood had the pick of the solos for pretty much every song, and THIS was one that he absolutely nailed. The way his fingers effortlessly moved along the fretboard with no regard for difficulty, meant that this was the moment Wood really stole the show for me. To execute every solo, especially such a drawn out one as this that lasted at least a couple of minutes, with a casual expression and complete ease was honestly unbelievable to watch. I have wanted to get back into guitar lately and seeing the licks of this under appreciated legend made me more inspired than ever.
Another unbelievable highlight came in the form of first encore song ‘Gimme Shelter’. Always performed as a duet, even before ever seeing The Stones, I knew this was going to be something special. Backing vocalist Lisa Fischer had filled this role for many years, as the song has a very important female part, but now was the turn of another incredible vocalist Sasha Allen, who momentarily snatched the stage right from underneath Jagger, which is not an easy task, marvelling all of us with the otherworldly power of her voice. The repeated lines of the song ‘it’s just a shout away’/ ‘it’s just a kiss away’ were belted out over and over by Jagger and Allen, facing each other at the head of the stage’s catwalk so that the emotion of the song was tenfold of the original recording. I was stunned to silence after this one.
My silence didn’t last however as it was, very sadly, time for the last song of the set, but not sadly at all, it was of course ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’. After experiencing the gig so far in a bubble of utter shock, it was this riff kicking in that I really realised ‘oh my god, that is actually The Rolling Stones in front of me’. This song encapsulates everything great about this band of musical legends and it was more than a privilege to see it live, something I honestly never expected would happen in my lifetime.
What truly made me beam from ear to ear about this gig was that this band don’t really have to do this, or at least not with as much enthusiasm as they choose to. They know they’re one of the most famous bands in the world, and have performed the same songs for most of their adult lives. The problem with people of this status is that they often come across that they are doing the crowd a favour by even being there, my boy Bob Dylan is often guilty of this in my eyes, but not The Stones. They came out and gave it their all like it was the first time they’d played a stadium or the first time they’d played these songs. They were there to give the people a good show and willingly threw themselves into it, and that positive energy was tangible from start to finish. Having a music taste like most people’s dads, I sometimes have to accept that I’ll never see some of my heroes live, so I feel so incredibly lucky that this tour happened and that I could be there.
I really haven’t got enough good things to say about this performance and it is safe to say that no matter the age of this band, they still have a firm grasp on their talent and aren’t letting go any time soon. They have, indisputably, still got it.
H x
After being suitably introduced by The Verve’s Richard Ashcroft, with the sun beaming down on the packed and buzzing stadium, The Stones finally took to the stage with vigour and energy, ready to put on what will turn out to be an outstanding performance. Knowing how to please the crowd of adoring fans, they began with ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’, not pausing before jumping straight into ‘It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)’. For men in their seventies, the members, especially the charismatic Mick Jagger, move around the stage with reckless abandon, pacing up and down the catwalk into the crowd with passion in his eyes, and a few suggestive shakes in his hips.
The bangers just kept coming as ‘Tumbling Dice’ and ‘Shattered’ amongst others graced the setlist and the adoring audience’s ears. Clearly trying to prove that the band, though old in age, are far from behind the times, the social media accounts of the band have held polls for each night of the tour, so that the audience are able to pick from four possible songs, which one is performed by request on the night. The Stones have such an incredibly large repertoire of music that I think it makes perfect sense to hand over some control, because having played all of these songs hundreds of times before, I doubt they really mind what gets left out and what doesn’t.
Our date had the choice between ‘Bitch’, ‘Let’s Spend The Night Together’, Respectable’, and ‘Sweet Virginia’. All great choices, but after casting my vote on ‘Sweet Virginia’, I was a tad disappointed to see ‘Let’s Spend...’ take the crown. My worries were soon gone however when the song started, it’s not like virtually any of the band’s songs are not enjoyable listens, and frankly any random setlist of their music would probably please myself and any crowd of fans just the same.
Next came ‘Like A Rolling Stone’, with Mick casually remarking in the introduction that ‘Bob Dylan very kindly wrote this for us’. I haven’t yet had the privilege of seeing Bob live, but the fact that I was seeing a band who even had the contact to him to have this song written, still made the Bob fan girl in me very happy. From here onwards the energy and excitement only escalated further with classics ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ and one of my personal highlights of the night, ‘Paint It Black’. It’s amazing that after all this time, I could have closed my eyes and easily been watching this band in the sixties or seventies, the tight arrangements and effortless melting of each instrument with Mick’s voice was simply awe inspiring to behold.
Shortly following this, it was guitarist Keith Richards’ turn to take some of the limelight as he performed lead vocals for ‘You Got The Silver’ and ‘Before They Make Me Run’. Keith is always remarked in the press as the one who baffles everybody simply by still being alive; the fast paced and dangerous life he has led with the Stones certainly doesn’t allow that he should still be standing. He certainly has some problems with guitar as the arthritis in his hands has been documented by the press and was still a little noticeable as he played on this night. Nevertheless, Keith is still certainly one of the most talented blues/rock guitarists out there and has been since the dawn of The Stones; it was still a privilege to watch him front these two songs in between all of the Jagger action. Keith is not one to avoid a joke about his physical state either as he jokingly remarked ‘I’m really happy to be here...to be honest I’m really happy to be anywhere’, which definitely dissipated any worry we all may have had about the old guy.
As the set was beginning to make its climax, the band did not hold back in delivering banger after banger; all classics covered from ‘Sympathy For The Devil’ to ‘Brown Sugar’ - all of which were screamed out in delight by the crowd word-perfect. An undisputed highlight of the night has to be ‘Midnight Rambler’. As I said, Keith isn’t quite up to speed guitar wise, meaning fellow guitarist Ronnie Wood had the pick of the solos for pretty much every song, and THIS was one that he absolutely nailed. The way his fingers effortlessly moved along the fretboard with no regard for difficulty, meant that this was the moment Wood really stole the show for me. To execute every solo, especially such a drawn out one as this that lasted at least a couple of minutes, with a casual expression and complete ease was honestly unbelievable to watch. I have wanted to get back into guitar lately and seeing the licks of this under appreciated legend made me more inspired than ever.
Another unbelievable highlight came in the form of first encore song ‘Gimme Shelter’. Always performed as a duet, even before ever seeing The Stones, I knew this was going to be something special. Backing vocalist Lisa Fischer had filled this role for many years, as the song has a very important female part, but now was the turn of another incredible vocalist Sasha Allen, who momentarily snatched the stage right from underneath Jagger, which is not an easy task, marvelling all of us with the otherworldly power of her voice. The repeated lines of the song ‘it’s just a shout away’/ ‘it’s just a kiss away’ were belted out over and over by Jagger and Allen, facing each other at the head of the stage’s catwalk so that the emotion of the song was tenfold of the original recording. I was stunned to silence after this one.
My silence didn’t last however as it was, very sadly, time for the last song of the set, but not sadly at all, it was of course ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’. After experiencing the gig so far in a bubble of utter shock, it was this riff kicking in that I really realised ‘oh my god, that is actually The Rolling Stones in front of me’. This song encapsulates everything great about this band of musical legends and it was more than a privilege to see it live, something I honestly never expected would happen in my lifetime.
What truly made me beam from ear to ear about this gig was that this band don’t really have to do this, or at least not with as much enthusiasm as they choose to. They know they’re one of the most famous bands in the world, and have performed the same songs for most of their adult lives. The problem with people of this status is that they often come across that they are doing the crowd a favour by even being there, my boy Bob Dylan is often guilty of this in my eyes, but not The Stones. They came out and gave it their all like it was the first time they’d played a stadium or the first time they’d played these songs. They were there to give the people a good show and willingly threw themselves into it, and that positive energy was tangible from start to finish. Having a music taste like most people’s dads, I sometimes have to accept that I’ll never see some of my heroes live, so I feel so incredibly lucky that this tour happened and that I could be there.
I really haven’t got enough good things to say about this performance and it is safe to say that no matter the age of this band, they still have a firm grasp on their talent and aren’t letting go any time soon. They have, indisputably, still got it.
H x
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