November 04, 2005

The Rolling Stones (A Bigger Bang Tour), Toots & The Maytals 
Angel Stadium, Anaheim, Ca. Section Stage Right, Row 13 (on stage)

On August 26, 2007 The Rolling Stones performed the 147th and final concert of their 2 year A Bigger Bang World Tour. Mick and Keith interrupted the blistering, soulful set at multiple times throughout the night to thank the millions of fans that attended shows in over 25 countries across the world, along with their crew, for making the tour the most successful of all time. The crowd watched as Mick and Keith expressed their gratitude on the final night of the tour before treating the crowd to the rarely played gem, “She Was Hot”.

When the Rolling Stones wrapped up their Bigger Bang world tour on August 26th, they finished witht he highest-grossing tour of all time. The Stones took in $558,255,524 crushing the previous tour record of $389 million, which U2 set on their 2005-06 Vertigo Tour. The Stones, who kicked off the tour on August 21st, 2005, in Boston, sold 4.68 million tickets while playing 144 concerts on five continents. “It was a long trip.” Mick Jagger says. “I'm sort of glad it's done. I need to do a bit of resting.” Jagger denies rumors that the Stones are planning to return to American arenas in the spring when Shine A Light, Martin Scorsese's documentary about the band, is scheduled to hit theaters. “Even if I did want to do that, I don't think anyone in the band is going to want to listen to me,” says Jagger.

Well the newspapers were right

But I missed the opportunity to attend until I noticed this ad

I was fortunate enough to get 'On Stage' tickets!

This is the page we received upon entering Angel Stadium

This is the badge we wore

This is the badge with lanyard we wore

This is the wristband which states 'on stage'

This is Angel Stadium without a concert being held

This is the stadium with the Stones playing

This is the construction of the Stones set going up

The stadium filling up with people

I'm there!

Our view from the balcony of the other balconies across the stage from us

The stage below us with Keith Richards out front

Myself while in the wings with view of stadium filled behind me

The band plays

Mick out front on stage (from our view perspective)

The band plays on

Taken from the on stage balcony

The keyboardist adds to the experience

A view of the crowds from our perspective

Mick out front and center

Mick and Keith out front

Mick, Keith and Ron Wood play on

The massive security in front of the stage (approx. forty men)

Another view of keyboards and drums under the cover of clear plastic

Mick doing his thing

Keith and Mick strutting the stage

They play on

With three backup singers and keyboards

Keith with Ron Wood accompanying on guitar

The Sympathy for The Devil flames from behind 'our' stage

The stage 'from behind' which is how we climbed the stairs to our balcony

After the show is over I'm standing next to the fireworks display setup

A closeup view of the fireworks setup

With the huge center screen, our balcony was to the left side

The band, Keith, Mick and Charlie

Mick and Ron Wood

Mick playing Mick Jagger on stage

The whole group

The Bigger Bang CD Cover

The Set They Played For Us

Start Me Up
You Got Me Rocking
She's So Cold
Tumbling Dice
Oh No Not You Again
Ruby Tuesday
It's Only Rock & Roll
Bitch
Night Time
Slipping Away
Infamy
Miss You
Rough Justice
Get Off Of My Cloud
Honky Tonk Women
Sympathy For The Devil
Paint It Black
Brown Sugar
Satisfaction
Can't Always Get What You Want
J J Flash

"A Bigger Bang Tour" Schedule

 

05-08-21	Boston	MA	Fenway Park
05-08-23	Boston	MA	Fenway Park
05-08-26	Hartford	CT	Rentschler Field
05-08-28	Ottawa	ON	Frank Clair Stadium
05-08-31	Detroit	MI	Comerica Park
05-09-03	Moncton	NB	Magnetic Hill
05-09-06	Minneapolis	MN	Xcel Energy Center
05-09-08	Milwaukee	WI	Bradley Center
05-09-10	Chicago	IL	Soldier Field
05-09-13	New York	NY	Madison Square Garden
05-09-15	E. Rutherford	NJ	Giants Stadium
05-09-17	Albany	NY	Pepsi Arena
05-09-24	Columbus	OH	Nationwide Arena
05-09-26	Toronto	ON	Rogers Centre
05-09-28	Pittsburgh	PA	PNC Park
05-10-01	Hershey	PA	Hersheypark Stadium
05-10-03	Washington	DC	MCI Center
05-10-06	Charlottesville	VA	Scott Stadium
05-10-08	Durham	NC	Wallace Wade Stadium
05-10-10	Philadelphia	PA	Wachovia Center
05-10-12	Philadelphia	PA	Wachovia Center
05-10-15	Atlanta	GA	Philips Arena
05-10-17	Miami	FL	American Airlines Arena
05-10-19	Tampa	FL	St. Pete Times Forum
05-10-21	Charlotte	NC	New Charlotte Arena
05-10-28	Calgary	AB	Pengrowth Saddledome
05-10-30	Seattle	WA	Key Arena
05-11-01	Portland	OR	Rose Garden
05-11-04	Anaheim	CA	Angel Stadium of Anaheim
05-11-06	Los Angeles	CA	Hollywood Bowl
05-11-08	Los Angeles	CA	Hollywood Bowl
05-11-11	San Diego	CA	Petco Park
05-11-13	San Francisco	CA	SBC Park
05-11-15	San Francisco	CA	SBC Park
05-11-18	Las Vegas	NV	MGM Grand
05-11-20	Fresno	CA	Save Mart Center
05-11-22	Salt Lake City	UT	Delta Center
05-11-24	Denver	CO	Pepsi Center
05-11-27	Phoenix	AZ	Glendale Arena
05-11-29	Dallas	TX	American Airlines Arena
05-12-01	Houston	TX	Toyota Center
05-12-03	Memphis	TN	Fedex Forum
06-01-10	Montreal	QC	Bell Centre
06-01-13	Boston	MA	TD Banknorth Garden
06-01-18	New York	NY	Madison Square Garden
06-01-23	Chicago	IL	United Center
06-01-25	Chicago	IL	United Center
06-01-27	St. Louis	MO	Savvis Center
06-01-29	Omaha	NE	Qwest Center
06-02-01	Baltimore	MD	1st Mariner's Arena
06-02-11	San Juan		Coliseo de Puerto Rico
06-02-18	Rio De Janeiro		Copacabana Beach
06-02-21	Buenos Aires		River Plate Stadium
06-02-23	Buenos Aires		River Plate Stadium
06-02-26	Mexico City		Foro Sol
06-03-06	Los Angeles	CA	The Forum
06-03-07	San Antonio	TX	SBC Center
06-03-09	Little Rock	AR	Alltell Center
06-03-12	Ft. Lauderdale	FL	Bank Atlantic Center

The Rolling Stones launched in "Start Me Up," kicking off their latest North American tour Sunday night at Boston's historic baseball stadium Fenway Park, a fitting venue and fitting opening song for the aging but irrepressible rockers.  We sat in our "On Stage" tickets which were 'standing only' and saw the performance from about forty feet away and the entire Angel Stadium from The Rolling Stones viewpoint which consisted of 50,000 people.

It's been 43 years since the Stones first took shape and three years since they launched their "Forty Licks" world tour, which many mistakenly believed would be the last for Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and the crew.   On Sunday, fans across the age spectrum converged on the stadium, many in T-shirts emblazoned with the band's trademark lips and tongue logo.

 

"I tease them about geezer rock and now they're seeing it themselves," said Richard Tucker, of Chatham, Massachusetts, who brought his 19-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter.  The 37-city tour gives the Stones' new album, "A Bigger Bang," plenty of exposure. It hits U.S. stores Sept. 6, and with 16 tracks, it's their longest studio album since the 18-song "Exile on Main Street" in 1972.

 

"A Bigger Bang" has a stripped down, back to basics sound, returning the band to its hard-driving, bluesy roots.  One song, "Sweet Neo-Con," is already generating noise for its overt political tone. While controversy is hardly new for the Stones, the band has only sporadically dabbled in politics or current affairs during its long history.  The tour may well test the band's stamina. The three remaining original Stones - Jagger, Richards and drummer Charlie Watts - are 62, 61 and 64 respectively. Guitarist Ron Wood, now going on 30 years touring with the band, is the baby of the bunch at 58.

 

Sixty-something or not, the Stones aren't having trouble selling tickets, even with prices ranging up to $400 in some venues.  At Fenway, they're playing one of the biggest stages in rock and roll. According to a publicist for the band, it took about 70 trucks to bring it piece by piece from Toronto, where the band rehearsed for the tour.  While the Stones rocked the stadium Sunday night, the noise police stood guard outside Fenway - noise meters in hand.  If the music surpassed 70 decibels on surrounding streets, the city was prepared to tell concert producers to turn down the volume.

 

About a dozen California nurses also stood outside protesting California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger with signs reading: "Sticky Fingers for corrupt corporate cash," a reference to the classic 1971 Stones album, "Sticky Fingers."   The Republican governor had a fund-raiser planned during the concert, with guests contributing $100,000 apiece invited to watch with Schwarzenegger from a luxury box.  Stephen Ingerson, a critical care nurse at the University of California-San Francisco, said the protesters oppose the governor's efforts to halt the state's mandatory 5-to-1 patient-to-nurse ratio.  Midnight. Not a sound from the pavement.

The Stones strut into their 60s


One could argue that there are enough Rolling Stones albums out there. After all, the group's gritty, swaggering sound has changed less in four decades than that of their Liverpudlian rivals did in seven years.  But perhaps there is something life-affirming about the fact that a roving band of intermittently drug-addled sexagenarians can still churn out a solid 64 minutes of rock and roll, as if they were still jamming in a garage and preparing to take over the world. If "A Bigger Bang" comes up short of "Exile on Main Street," we should know better than to hold them to that heavenly standard. Despite some missteps, the Stones come closer here than they have in decades.

"A Bigger Bang" is the Stones' first studio album since 1998's "Bridges to Babylon." The geriatric rockers have since toured incessantly (and profitably: their 2003 tour raked in just short of $300 million.) They bring their road ethic to the studio. Even on the poorer selections they put in a tight, energetic performance. The stripped-down production of Don Was and the Glimmer Twins (Mick Jagger and Keith Richards) allows the Stones' sleazy charm to shine through in a way it has not since 1978's "Some Girls."

The album's finer cuts are concentrated in its first half. The crunchy opening riff of "Rough Justice" announces the Stones' return as Jagger snarls with lewd indignation: "Once upon a time/ I was your little rooster/ But now I'm just one of your c*cks." Ronnie Wood enters with the first of several searing slide guitar parts, and all is well with the Rolling Stones.

"Let Me Down Slow" is a country rocker that features perhaps the album's best hook, a descending melodic line that is reminiscent of "Sweet Virginia" from "Exile." Jagger's titular demands have a self-assurance worthy of one of the most promiscuous men on the planet.

"Rain Fall Down," another highlight, is a slippery, funky ode to a dingy nocturnal encounter. The song owes more to Parliament than to early Stones. Daryll Jones lays down a slinky bass line as Richards chimes in with a ringing strum, and Ronnie Wood adds staccato flourishes.

Despite their best efforts, the band can't quite recapture the inebriated grandeur of "Sticky Fingers"-era ballads like "Sway." On "Streets of Love," unnecessary and artificial strings, not to mention embarrassing lyrics ("The awful truth, it's really sad/ I must admit I was awful bad") holds back what could have been a gem.

It might be unfair to constantly harken back to years-old work, but the acoustic blues and country numbers that have graced almost all their studio work are sorely missed here. The one straight blues cut on the album, "Back of My Hand" (with Jagger on nearly every instrument in addition to requisite lead vocals) fails to build the necessary lyrical momentum. Nevertheless it is a compelling electric blues number, featuring soulful harmonica and buttery slide guitar lines.

The two songs on which Richards takes lead vocals, "This Place is Empty" and "Infamy," add somber hues to the album's palette. Though the indestructible guitarist's gruff baritone doesn't have the cachet of Jagger's growl, he provides a respite from the latter's perpetual aggression. The grizzled 61-year-old's plea to "bare your breasts/ make me feel at home" is guaranteed to melt the coldest of hearts.

The album loses momentum in its second half, where Jagger's lyrical shortcomings becoming increasingly prominent and the band's hooks become fewer and further between. "Driving Too Fast," is one of several generic, if adequate, rockers; it's a pity that the Stones cannot muster more than hackneyed automotive metaphor.

The band's biggest misstep is the album's "controversial" song, the political protest "Sweet Neo Con." Over an uninteresting melody, Jagger rants "You say you are a patriot/ I think that you're a crock of sh*t." Ouch. Mick and Keith should stick to sex and drugs and rock and roll.

Songs like "Neo Con" and "Too Fast" leave the listener with the aftertaste of mediocrity, which is unfortunate. At 16 songs, "A Bigger Bang" would have been a far superior album had it been culled to its 10 or so highlights. But perhaps we should just be grateful that the Stones are still around to be making music that is, all things considered, this good. It may only be rock and roll, but how can you not like it?

 

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