“If
I could stick my pen in my heart
And spill it all over
the stage
Would it satisfy ya,
would it slide on by ya
Would you think the boy
is strange?”
The Rolling Stones sold
out the Key Arena in late October, attracting around
14,000 fans with deep-pockets.
The show opened with
the anticipated Start me up and ended with
the encore set of You can’t always get what you
want and Jumping Jack Flash. Other songs
included hits from all five decades since their
genesis in the early 1960s, including Get off
my cloud, Satisfaction, Shattered
and She’s so cold. Songs performed from the
new CD included Oh no not you again, Rough
Justice, Infamy and Rain fall down.
The new song Sweet neo-con, interpreted as
highly critical of the current US government, was
missing from the set. Perhaps the “Stones” have
seen more than their share of concert brawls and
nowadays prefer to spread harmony instead of political
statements.
Show highlights included the song Night time
is the right time, a tribute to Ray Charles
featuring back-up singer Lisa Fisher. For the song
Miss you, the entire band was transported
to the rear of the main floor on a smaller stage
that traveled along rails. Surrounded by fans on
all sides gave this part of the show a feeling of
watching the band in a small, intimate club setting.
Considering their amazing resilience, the “Stones”
could probably go on like this until most of their
fans are well into retirement. But should they?
Well, I have come to the conclusion that I hope
they will not. Not because one can
only speculate how expensive their shows will become,
considering that my ticket showed a price of $160
(thank god for press passes) and the Seattle PI
reported secondhand tickets sold as high as $3.400
each.
And not because many fans had to sit down
to rest while a 60-plus-year-old Mick Jagger ran
up and down the stage like a spring chicken. The
musicians’ physical fitness is an inspiration in
itself as is the obvious fun they are having. Definitely
not because they didn’t meet the fans’ expectations,
on the contrary, the Bigger Bang album and
tour have been getting great reviews. The Seattle
show is no exception.
I suppose it would be great to see them go out on
top of their game. There is something to be said
about leaving the stage when grace and greatness
remain abundantly present, and as far as that is
concerned, I am not quite sure if Time is still
on their side.
Looking through binoculars at the beginning of the
show revealed guitarists Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards
glancing at each other with drawn facial impressions
that could have been subtitled “Are we going to
make it through this show?” Watching “Stones” drummer
Charlie Watts walk off stage after the show, white
hair, big bald spot, dressed comfortably like someone
ready to plunge down on the living room couch to
watch the day’s ball game, was like saying farewell
to a close family member. His recent bout with cancer
made the big grin on his face after another successful
show an even more memorable moment.
Then again, journalists
have retired the band so many times that it has
become kind of a joke, especially since many of
the journalists are now absent. So I believe it
when I see it and until then it’s always good to
see the “World’s Greatest Rock and Roll band” come
to town.
For more Rolling Stones pictures by Erik Schultz
click here
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2006 All content property of European Weekly unless where otherwise
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