The last time in U.S. for Rolling Stones?
The Rolling Stones perform the final show of the US leg of their 50th anniversary tour, and possibly their last show ever, as a group, in the US.
by Mike Snider, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – If this was to be the last time for the Rolling Stones to perform in the U.S., the band left fans with a blast of Satisfaction.
That song, the Stones' first track to hit No. 1 in the U.S., served as the finale for a 2 hour-plus whip-smart set of 21 songs spanning five decades. An always-energetic frontman, Mick Jagger preened across a mammoth stage underneath a giant set of psychedelic lips. He took several turns traversing a tongue-shaped walkway that surrounded a pit full of standing fans at the front of the stage.
So did guitarists Ron Wood and Keith Richards, who acknowledged fans while nailing riffs during Sympathy for the Devil, and regularly smiled and seemed to be having a good time. He tossed off his patented line: "It's great to be here. It's great to be anywhere."
While some $85 tickets were made available, there were seats priced at $650 or more. But fans such as Mike Allen, 37, of Cleveland, were happy to be in attendance. Having seen the Friday show in Philadelphia, he decided to head down the line to the Washington show, too. The band, he said, "is just unreal. The live show is the best."
Whether this is the Stones' last U.S. show remains to be seen, but that possibility was "a selling point" for Allen. "Charlie is 72 years old, " he says. "But they are still kicking a--."
Another fan Randy Bennett, 65, of Orcutt, Calif., hopes this isn't the last time he will see the band. "They were so good," he said. "They've stayed in reasonably good shape. Our generation ages a lot better."
And the band sounded as good as in recent memory. Jagger spat out the lyrics for the still-ominous sounding Paint it Black, the third song of the night. During Satisfaction, Richards' playing cut through the mix like a buzzsaw.
The nation's capital was the last U.S. stop on the band's 50 and Counting tour, which now goes to the U.K.
Just before 9 p.m. ET as the floor lights dimmed, fans were stacked up five deep at the merchandise vendors, perusing everything from $5 key chains and $20 water bottles to $600 limited edition leather jackets. Nearly all of the items prominently featured the red lips and tongue logo designed by John Pasche in 1971.
Over the past weeks, the Stones' set list had solidified with some shuffling of songs, depending on guest musicians and Richards' lead vocal offerings. On this night, no special guest was brought to the stage other than one-time band member Mick Taylor, who had rejoined the band for certain songs on this tour. For those who don't know, Taylor in 1969 replaced the late Brian Jones on guitar and participated in a prolific period for the band that included the albums Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main Street.
Richards has enthusiastically ceded the spotlight to Taylor during numbers such as Midnight Rambler. In the documentary Crossfire Hurricane that is also timed to the band's 50th anniversary, Richard calls Taylor "a virtuoso."
Taylor's presence on stage only added to the energy. "It was worth twice what I paid. I hope they play again," said Charles Plymale of Vienna, Va. "I don't see any reason why they wouldn't."
SET LIST:
Get Off Of My Cloud
It's Only Rock 'N' Roll (But I Like It)
Paint It Black
Gimme Shelter
Worried About You
Street Fighting Man
Emotional Rescue
Doom And Gloom
One More Shot
Honky Tonk Women
You Got The Silver
Before They Make Me Run
Midnight Rambler
Miss You
Start Me Up
Tumbling Dice
Brown Sugar
Sympathy For The Devil
Encores:
You Can't Always Get What You Want
Jumpin' Jack Flash
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
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