The opening was fantastic and Get Off My Cloud is a great opener. They really hit the ground running and the energy of the band was fantastic. It then got a little choppy on IORR and Paint It Black. They seemed to be getting tempos mixed up and I was worried that it was going to be a disjointed night but boy was I wrong. It started to seriously pick up with Gimme Shelter. For all the guest spots on this song, no one has ever got close to her live performance of it and she was really on top form tonight and held the higher notes with real power and texture to her voice. All Down the Line was great but for these first five songs, it was almost impossible to hear Ronnie's guitar. When Mick said we are going to Far Away Eyes I was jumping for joy while a few fair weather's looked around aimlessly around me. Ronnie's pedal steel was beautiful, although not perfect, but it's just so wonderful to hear him actually play again and not be hammered the whole time. The feel he has on the pedal steel is really quite magical.
And then came the moment where the night became unforgettable for everyone and it became one of those nights among Stones fans where you can say: I WAS THERE. Mick nonchalantly said we're going to have Mick Taylor join us for Sway and all the hard core fans just about embarrassed themselves in front of thousands in all kinds of unsavory ways. The band just sounded so rich and deep with the great man on stage with them and I hate saying things like this but if you haven't seen the Stones with Mick Taylor, you haven't seen the Stones. They were enjoying themselves so much that Mick affectionately ruffled Mick Taylor's hair at the start of Sway. His solo was the first treat in a night packed full of them.
Doom and Gloom started off really powerfully but then got a little mixed up which was a shame because the crowd seemed to be enjoying it at the beginning. It's amazing how powerful Charlie is. You'd think the booming drums on the single edit is hard to top but he really is a lion and without bashing away like a charlatan, he gets so much power out of the drums that it's quite astonishing. One More Shot was unfortunately a bit of a mess but the song really comes alive when they do it live and the live version doesn't compare to the album version. I was happy enough to go home with Sway but then I heard Keith play the opening riff to Can't You Hear Me Knocking and I quickly looked around to see if Mick Taylor was up there and it was almost as if it was too good to be true but he was. He played such a blindingly beautiful solo and showed that he is inseparably imbued into the essence of this band. It was so great that you got the feeling from all of the people around you that something really special happened here on this song. Keith, Ronnie, and Mick were smiling and just enjoying listening to what was a truly special moment.
HTW was fine but, and I hate harping on about this, but it would help if he
joined them again for some of these warhorses so that it takes on a different feel like Satisfaction in San Jose. Still, I can see why they really have to have it in there because the people who spend the whole show giving the rock salute and head banging, start getting impatient if they don't get their hit of the war horses. Keith's set was wonderful for one reason: You Got the Silver. It really was beautiful and Ronnie played some lovely slide which Keith acknowledged at the end. Before They Make Me Run was fine but it was hard to hear Ronnie's solo again but the harmonies of Keith with Bernard and Lisa was wonderful. There was a weird synthesized sounding bit in the middle which sounded a little odd though.
Next came Midnight Rambler and you could tell the band knew that they were nailing it. It was absolutely mind blowingly fantastic. Mick Taylor, once again took the band to another level. Although I know that they don't really give a toss about the fans, one thing I felt when hearing Mick Taylor was that if anyone ever twats on to me about how Keith and Ronnie are not technically good enough, I can always point to Mick Taylor and say be quiet, we've got someone who can hold his own against anyone. The whole band were just riding high knowing that they were blowing the roof off the Staples Center with this version.
I've had enough of warhorses, but after tonight, I definitely want to hear Miss You again if they play it like this. The crowd really went crazy for it and because Darryl Jones has that wonderful solo now, it really gives the song a different feel. One thing I missed though and which is a big highlight for me is Ronnie's solo which has been phased out. The ending was a wonderful high energy ride through their rock block with a nice break of YCAGWYW where Ronnie played his best solo and absolutely killed it. Mick Taylor gives Satisfaction a new breath of life but I would prefer to hear him solo like in San Jose. I really wish the band would fully integrate Mick Taylor eventually. He could bring so much to stuff before and after his time, not to mention on songs like Winter and Time Waits for No One. The only show I can see topping this one is possibly New York but more likely London. And please, no more wanky guests, this was so much better.
Short Notes:
- Mick and Keith shared a great moment on Sympathy at the side of the stage when Keith put his arm around Mick's shoulder. The band seems to be very united and they shared some affectionate glances here and there.
- Ronnie's guitar was very low in the mix on some songs which was a little annoying.
- The overall sound was very high for some reason and the treble was a little too dominant.
- I'm a little gutted that Emotional Rescue was cut. I'd lose IORR or Tumbling Dice or alternate them.
- The new songs should be split up because the fair weather's start sucking the atmosphere out of the place because they want to give the rock salute and say rock and roll baby or whatever else they feel is necessary to do at every concert.
- Bernard and Lisa had some great dancing going on in addition to their usual stellar singing.
- You can hardly hear Mick Taylor on Satisfaction
- The place was packed with only a very few empty seats.
- Charlie Watts, Charlie Watts, Charlie Watts
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Los Angeles #2 - 20/5/13 - Setlist, Pics, Reviews (Read 23,869 times)
