Some nice changes so far — Rocks Off, Waiting on a Friend in the ballad spot, and Mayer on Champagne and Reefer.

OFF TOPIC...I will be in Anaheim June 21-26 ( trying to cut it short to get to the DC show)

I need some cool bars/clubs to go to...no car...just taxi/hotel vans...HELP!!!

I will be at the Hilton by the convention center...across the street from Disneyland...

thoughts, suggestions...what is the free weekly in Anaheim...or is it covered by LA Weekly???

Setlist-watching really has gone downhill here. Can no one be bothered posting it?



Get Off Of My Cloud

It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (But I Like It)

Paint It Black

Gimme Shelter

Rocks Off

Waiting On A Friend

Champagne And Reefer (with John Mayer)

Emotional Rescue

Doom And Gloom

One More Shot

Honky Tonk Women

BAND INTRODUCTIONS

Before They Make Me Run (with Keith on lead vox)

Happy (with Keith on lead vox)

Midnight Rambler (with Mick Taylor)

Miss You

Start Me Up

Tumbling Dice

Brown Sugar

Sympathy For The Devil

ENCORE

You Can’t Always Get What You Want (with the University Of Southern California Thornton Chamber Choir)

Jumpin’ Jack Flash

(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (with Mick Taylor)

(Thanks Greenlady from IORR)

Just got back.  My ears are ringing.  I don't think I've ever been to a Stones show as loud as this one was.  By the end of the show, Keith's guitar was all you heard.  "Jumpin Jack Flash" shook the entire building.  Keith seems to be getting stronger on each show.

So we had a pair of $85 tickets.  My buddy and I got there around 7:30pm or so...we found the area for where we had to pick up our tickets and we got in line.  There was hardly a line, actually.  Just a small group of people here and there.  Anyway, my buddy and I are waiting in line, and there is a couple in front of us waiting for the next usher to assist them.  An usher waves her hand saying "Next!" so I begin to head towards her.  I realized the couple in front of me were waiting as well so I tapped the woman on the shoulder and said "That woman is available for you."  They head over to the usher to get their tickets.   I turn over to  my buddy and say: "Just watch...they get Pit tickets."  We both laugh.  Another agent becomes available so I approach with my ID.  He checks my name off the list and hands me an envelope.  As I step to the side to begin to head in, I take a look inside:  Section 440.  The nosebleeds.  Before heading inside, I look behind me and I spot the couple that I had let go ahead of me just a few seconds ago.  They were still at the desk: GETTING WRISTBANDS PUT ON!  They had gotten pit tickets.  Had I just went ahead to that very same ticket agent instead of letting them go ahead of me...that would've been US getting pit tickets.  I was speechless.

We head inside and go up to our seats. These are true blue nosebleeds.  I told my friend that I was planning an upgrade plan a few songs into the set. About 4 songs in...I saw the craziest thing.  The couple next to us was being called out by the usher.  The usher was pointing at random people and asking them to come forward.  The couple approached the usher and handed them their tickets, next thing i Knew, they were being escorted down the stairs.  On the way down, I heard the dude say to his girlfriend:  "We're getting floor seats!"  The ushers were randomly picking people out of the nosebleeds and literally handing them floor seats.  I decided it was my turn.  At that moment, John Mayer was coming up to play on "Champagne and Reefer" I thought this was the prime opportunity to head to guest services for an upgrade.  We walked all the way down to the main lobby and made our way to guest services. Once there, I told the lady behind the counter that we were really having trouble with our seats...the sound was awful and really not a pleasant experience..."was there anything else available?"  Her answer was confident and firm no.  She said the $85 seats weren't upgradable.  And all the floor seats that the usher in my section was handing out just a few minutes ago were "all gone."  This lady shot me down at every turn.  She apologized saying that there was nothing she could do.  We were defeated.  On our way back to our seats, I caught another usher so I told him the situation and he said to check out the box office--they might have something available.  We walked over there:  the lights are off and they were closed.  We were losing here...big time.  A few more steps and I ran into another usher with a walkie talkie, I told her the situation that our seats were pretty rough and that we'd totally appreicate anything that could be done...the next thing she does is radio her supervisor.  A few seconds later, another man with a jacket, and ear piece on comes towards us and was briefed on our situation.  "Do you have any upgrades?" she asked him.  He pulled a stack of tickets from his breast pocket.  And handed us section 221, Row A...the first section right in front of the tongue pit---first row.  WE SCORED!!  

As we head inside, we were practically jumping up and down as we headed to our seats.  There we were, heading lower and lower into the bowl.  We were ecstatic.  I have never heard Keith's guitar as loud as it was this evening.  He was his old self again.  Gone was the walking zombie from the ABB tour.  Back was the driven and focused guy we used to remember.  My buddy with me, is a professional drummer so it was a thrill for him to be able to study Charlie from where we were sitting.  He was mighty impressed and just blown away by the band.  It was his first Stones show ever and he honestly couldn't get enough.  "Midnight Rambler" had a few rough patches, issues with the transitions and Charlie jumped the gun a little bit at the end when the tempo picks up.  He goes ahead without Keith and a small traffic jam occurs.  

"Rocks Off" was played very well as was "Waiting on a Friend"...both tour debuts tonight.  The rest of the show was business as usual but still was riveting to watch because of the high level of playing by the members.  Truly a great time to catch them on tour.  Our night started a little rocky with awful seats and seeing our tongue pit tickets literally slipping from our fingers but everything ended well in our upgraded seats.  

Once again, some pics/video I took:

JJF
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9YifpJPQUI&feature=youtu.be

Once again..good job Justin!    Great Photos!

Teiz wrote on May 16^th, 2013 at 4:27am:


Youre in Holland, mate. I'd hardly expect you to be posting setlists at about 6 am!

Drop "One More Shot" and replace it with "Plundered My Soul" WITH Mick Taylor.

Yeah, I know. Keep dreamin'.

PS. Thanks again Justin!

LadyJane wrote on May 16^th, 2013 at 6:48am:


You would think...right?!?
Plundered is just as "new" as those 2 new songs that are very forgettable...

r.e. The pics are FANTASTIC...but that crowd looks like they are at a Timeshare seminar...rally lame...not excited at all it seems.

I know the answer...but did MT join them on Waiting On a Friend??

Pdog wrote on May 16^th, 2013 at 7:29am:


I thought he was properly credited for the song...however...maybe "airbrushed"...but who would know that ecept this psycho ward?

very little enthusiasm from the Home Team, sadly.

The neglect of the band's catalog is pathological. I cannot for the life of me figure out how Jagger can get excited about performing this setlist, night after night. If you were him, wouldn't you want to keep it interesting for yourself?

I know people don't want to hear it...and I'm not making a comparison at all....

But Pearl Jam does so well with set list variation, brings in diehards at every show. I guess it's a different mindset. I really think the people going to Stones shows are people that only listen to classic rock radio. Give them the hits.

they did not start with 19th at the Phonix

Boomy wrote on May 16^th, 2013 at 10:00am:


Thats basically it. The self-styled greatest rock n roll band in the world has increasingly got what amounts to the least rock n roll audience of any major act in that genre. It wasnt always like that. Even as late as the 90s, this was a band who would regularly play 4-6 songs off their new album in stadiums per night and sprinkle it with deep cuts like No Expectations, Memory Motel and the like. They could get away with it then because they charged audiences much the same for a ticket as other acts and as a result the audiences was a mix of tourists and diehard fans who knew their back catalogue and bought their new records.

From Licks on, that target audience changed with the sky high prices. The show became a nostalgia exercise aimed primarily at ageing box-tickers for whom the Stones were just another band that they had to see before they died. That demographic conveniently happen to have more disposable income but are also largely not the sort of people who listen to a lot of music. As a result, the song choices became more and more 'safe' and hits-friendly.  The Stones seem to think that to most of their audience, their music doesn't exist outside of '40 Licks' and that the post-Tattoo You albums never really happened.  Jagger also seems to have developed a terrible fear in recent years that he'll lose the interest of the audience if he doesnt play it safe. Chuck Leavell is on record as saying that when he pitches song selections, that Mick will just veto ANYTHING from the Brian Jones era that isnt a classic rock radio staple and that he's reluctant to play more than one ballad per show. Its a strange mindset from a man who is one of the most dynamic, charismatic performers in history but who seems to lack confidence in holding an audience's attention if he doesnt pack a show with the same tried and tested formula of hits. I've said it before, but it bears repeating. The Stones' back catalogue speaks for itself and is unrivalled in brilliance by pretty much anyone. They've long ago earned the right to play what they want and everyone by now has had ample chance to hear their best known songs. They really shouldnt have to be a jukebox for people who wont buy their records but who seem to feel that because they spent silly money on a ticket, it entitles them to pick what the band should and shouldnt play.

Gazza wrote on May 16^th, 2013 at 1:40pm:


Spot-on, Gazza.

One thing I'd add is that it's probably too late to reverse course. Using Springsteen as an example, since reuniting in '99, Bruce has worked hard to cultivate and tend to his audience. It's a community of likeminded fans. Everyone knows going in that they should expect an adventure: plenty of hits, some deep cuts, some goofy covers, and whatever happens to strike Bruce's fancy on a given night. The E Street guys command a deeper repertoire because they've been woodshedding and performing an insanely wide array of songs fairly regularly for the last six years.

The Stones started to crack their catalog on the Licks tour, but they've released only one album since then, and the tour to promote it saw the band retreat into a play-it-safe shell. Too much time has passed. The garden got weedy. The band got rusty. One can only imagine how things would've played out post-2003 if Keith had stayed healthy, if social relations hadn't soured, and (most important) the band worked more regularly. They could've built on the Licks tour and its theater shows. In retrospect, they turned out to be an all-too-infrequent novelty in major-market cities.

This tour hung in the balance for much of 2012 and then was finalized in haste. After not having played together for five years, we shouldn't expect a well-oiled, E Street-like machine capable of cranking out "Miss Amanda Jones" and "Who's Driving Your Plane?" and "Summer Romance" just because they feel like it.

That said, my expectations are nothing if not realistic: I see no reason why they can't play songs they actually did rehearse: Sway, CYHMK, etc. I'd be perfectly content if Mick Taylor was confined to one slot in the regular set each night, with a rotation of five or six songs. The thought of him playing the *same song* for 20-odd shows seems an unthinkably colossal waste of an opportunity.

With each passing show, it's becoming more thinkable.

And what is likely the band's last U.S. tour of any significance is in danger of becoming a perfunctory through-the-motions snoozefest.

I have ( sadly) said it before...as much as i love them...The Stones are the best Stones cover band around!!!

I can only dream of a show w/o SMU!!!

My pleasure everybody...glad everyone enjoyed the pics! 

One other thing I forgot was that during Satisfaction, Taylor apparently couldn't hear his guitar at all.  He constantly mouthed to Keith that he couldn't hear anything.  He began to air guitar a little bit and even danced around because his guitar was useless but he seemed very happy just to be up there, all the same.  He did not take a solo during the song but he did go over to Darryl and help out on background vocals which i thought was cool. 

It seems every damn time Taylor is on stage he seems to be having sound issues.  I don't think I've seen one performance of Rambler without him motioning to the backline to give some volume (either from his amp or through the monitors).  What the hell are they doing back there?  Give the man what he needs!  He's only up there for one song and they can't make sure it's without issue?  So frustrating.

Justin wrote on May 16^th, 2013 at 4:03pm:


All true. In fairness to Mick, he has drawn a line in the sand as regards these 50th Anniversary shows. The December 2011 and May 2012 rehearsals (unheard of events for the Stones without a tour in their short term future) were unquestionably set up to give Mick an idea of whether the band (and especially Keith) could be a functional performing unit again after such a long hiatus. Thats what I was told at the time when I reported here that these secret sessions had taken place. The absence of Blondie Chaplin was also at Jagger's insistence. Either Keith got his act together and performed without that safety net or the band didnt perform at all. Other decisions were taken to exclude people who were determined to be a 'de-stabilising' influence on the two guitarists. So, I do think Mick does deserve some credit for what hes done to put a band together for this tour thats functional and playing as well as can be expected when its two guitarists are not only ageing but recovering alcoholics and drug addicts (and in Keith's case, someone who has come back from a potentially life-threatening accident which ended up giving him seizures at a time when the band were last touring).

In that respect, I think they've all done pretty well to be capable of putting on shows which are certainly better than the ones they were playing for much of the last tour, a tour which to me was very good in spells (Nov '05 - spring '06 and the final run of shows in London in '07) but which was for the most part pretty inconsistent and at times below par. Musically, maybe its possible that the trade off is that there are simply a smaller pool of songs that they feel they can pull off at this stage of their career of the standard that theyre used to.

Gazza wrote on May 16^th, 2013 at 5:50pm:


I love surrounding myself with smart people!

Gazza wrote on May 16^th, 2013 at 5:50pm:

I believe the word you're looking for is justify.

"I think Keith's reliance on Blondie was always overstated. I never saw it. More precisely, I never *heard* it."

Keith relied on Blondie for FAR more than help with guitar.
That's why he's out.

Do we know that about Blondie?.....putting him in the Bobby Keys role in the 80"s..cast out by Mick?

Gazza wrote on May 16^th, 2013 at 5:50pm:


Indeed he does.  Mick has really stepped up to the plate especially on this tour...I'm actually seeing him take more control and clear leadership rather than relying on Chuck as often.  It looked as if both he and Keith had constantly played hot potato with actually leading the band by constantly handing it off to Chuck.  This year, I'm seeing both of them actually responsibly taking charge.

It could just be a coincidence but I think Mick's flings with different bands and musicians last year has reminded what it's like to be in a functioning band that has members that are all in it together.  I think performing with Foo Fighters and Arcade Fire reminded him what it was like to be working with a non dysfunctional group.  It seems some of that direction and focus had carried over to the planning and performing of last year's shows and this current tour.  Just my interpretation but I definitely see a shift in Mick on this tour.  Not only is he on top of the ball more than ever, his performances are lightyears better than they were on ABB.  "Factory Girl" "Emotional Rescue" and "The Last Time" come to mind.

nankerphelge wrote on May 16^th, 2013 at 6:39pm:


Not the first time I've heard that.

gimmekeef wrote on May 16^th, 2013 at 7:24pm:



Pretty much.

You could look at it another way. Keith's public humiliation of Mick in his autobiography, if anything, weakened even further his own degree of control in the band which has already diminished over the last decade.

It would have been very easy and understandable for Mick to just say 'fuck you, I dont need this' and put the kibbosh on any future plans for the band to work together.  For Mick to even consider working with the band again (and you can see the hints a mile away in his recent 'Rolling Stone' interview) there had to be a few ground rules. A very well rehearsed and sober couple of guitarists for one, and the removal of a few factors which might destabilise that objective.

I was personally amazed that the Stones were able to deliver shows of the quality that they did when they got together last year. Especially at their age and after a five year break where some of them had hardly played at all and had had to deal with other issues in that time. The 02 show that I was at - which was their first large scale show since 2007, remember - was so much better than what I thought they could possibly be capable of under the circumstances. It was the best I'd seen them in almost a decade.

Its great what sobriety, focus, a few weeks rehearsals and a lead singer cracking the whip can do!

Never a fan of get off my cloud, especially live. Certainly would like to see another opener. 19th would be awesome. Some zooming bass! 100% agree that Taylor's main spot should vary. If not MR, then he could guest on 2 shorter songs. Sway & Love in vain for instance. One more shot gone, street fighting man in. I mean, its the same bloody song anyway! ANd for something really different, rock and a hard place would slot in nicely somewhere. Shouldnt complain though. This IS the last time.

Mel Belli wrote on May 16^th, 2013 at 8:14pm:



Haha yeah I honestly can't believe they would allow that performance to be on any official release.  I can barely even watch the concert film because all I see is a very tentative and unsure band trying to get through this performance in one piece. It's a frightful snapshot of how bad things had gotten on that tour.  I mean we've seen Keith not play guitar on songs like "Slipping Away" as early as the Licks tour....he would actually remove the guitar as he sang...but this was very different.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1JwpgaoTyo

I think at the time we all were like WTF?  But then we let it slide because it was a slower song and we all thought "oh, well he's just trying to focus on the singing."  So he got a pass.  But really, this was a huge turning point.  This was the beginning of Keith getting lazy.  I mean, "All About You" was an even slower/gentle song yet he kept his guitar on and played throughout that song.  

And so here we have "Little T&A" a fast rocker, one of his signature tunes and he he barely plays any guitar at all?  And him not even having a guitar on at all for "You Got The Silver" also in the film?   He couldn't be bothered.  And why should he when he has two of his mates taking care of it for him?  Sad.

Justin wrote on May 17^th, 2013 at 12:09pm:


The transition from 50 to 60 was kind to the band. From 60 to 70, not so much.

Justin wrote on May 16^th, 2013 at 6:38pm:


The fall 2006 US leg and European tour the following year saw Keith pretty much cease from playing and singing simultaneously.  He had held things together pretty well all things considered post-Fiji on the Europe 2006 leg but something alarming seems to have happened during that three week period between the last European show in '06 and the US leg that started in Foxborough - during which time he filmed his cameo for Pirates 3. Lot of very concerned reviews on here at the marked deterioration in his condition and playing, although (as was the case in Europe in '07) he did seem to improve as the tour progressed.

I still think the decision not to play and sing at the same time was medically related. He had admitted that as a result of his accident he had started taking epileptic-style seizures. And one way of triggering something like that is to do something which requires a lot of concentration and co-ordination. Playing guitar and singing could well have been a combined activity that would have aggravated it. Seems to have been a condition that is under control now, however.

Gazza wrote on May 17^th, 2013 at 1:48pm:



Very interesting.  A quick review of a few videos from that period confirms that Keith consistently didn't play guitar whilst singing.  It could very well be possible that it was at the suggestion of his doctors to not do both activities at the same time.  What was his excuse during "Slipping Away" on the Licks tour, though!

2007 was a very rough time for the band...it's really hard for me to watch these performances and see Keith in this state.

Happy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f97yb0GVG9k

I have to say one thing in Blondie's defense as a guitar player.

I go to most Waddy shows and Blondie is often there as part of the band. One of the only songs that you will ever see Waddy relinquish the lead is Bitch. I have seen many guest guitar players take that lead...and nobody kills it dead on like Blondie, and I think 95% of the crowd would be with me on this. No matter how drunk, wasted or stoned he looks, Blondie's performance never seems compromised. I guess that's a place Keith was at a number of years back (but not any more).

Justin wrote on May 17^th, 2013 at 2:23pm:



It was the Frank Sinatra in him coming out. He fancied himself as a crooner. That was the tour where he also sang 'Nearness of You' - and it was terrific.

andrews27 wrote on May 18^th, 2013 at 9:34am:

Yeah OFMC isn't a very inspiring opener. Too mellow. They should open with a rocker. ALDTL wou;d actually make a good opener. Considering they play it a lot anyway.

What a great performance of Emotional Rescue! It's a shame that the crowd was lame.