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50 years on, the Stones prove they’ve still got it
Monday 26th November 2012 | David
Was it worth the extortionate price tag? Absolutely!
I’m still pretty much on a high from last night. The Rolling Stones’ 50th anniversary gigs have attracted massive media interest focused chiefly on the price of the tickets, as well as the question of whether or not the veteran rockers can still hold their own. If their O2 show was anything to go by, that question has been answered with interest.
The reception Mick, Keith, Ronnie and Charlie got as they came on stage was enormous. It seems like the ticket costs didn’t put people off – I could count the empty seats on one hand. Opening with a cover of the Beatles’ I Wanna Be Your Man, the band launched into several crowd favourites, with Get Off Of My Cloud and Paint It Black getting the audience going. The German man next to us – who, it seemed, spoke no English other than lyrics to the songs being played, was going mental, thrusting away like he was Jagger incarnate.
The man himself still has that signature strut going on, prancing around the stage like he was in his 20s. How on earth he does it at 69 is beyond me. “How are you doing up in the cheap seats?” he joked, before adding “Except they’re not cheap seats, that’s the problem.” It was good of him to acknowledge how much we were paying to see the band – Richards added later “I’m happy to see you – I’m happy to see anybody!” (Cue fist pumping from our elated German neighbour.) The guitarist wasn’t quite as mobile as he has been, but he was still giving it his all, laying down his usual quality standard of guitar riffs. Ronnie Wood, at a mere 65 years old, was more active, tearing up the solos with energy to spare.
They were certainly not short of help. Jeff Beck joined them for a cover of I’m Going Down, adding even more guitar genius to an already stellar line-up. Mary J Blige was on hand to provide vocals on Gimme Shelter and even Jagger sometimes had trouble keeping up with her incredibly powerful voice. Former bassist Bill Wyman came on for some old favourites and, as if the guitar core wasn’t awesome enough, Mick Taylor added his prowess on Midnight Rambler – at this stage, our German friend next to us absolutely lost his shit. Taylor’s looking very old now – I suppose they’re all somewhat wrinkled – but he’s sure as hell not past it yet.
They saved some of the best till last, with Bobby Keys’ gnarly saxophone solo on Brown Sugar as perfect as it was on the record – check out the fan-filmed video below for that one. The London Youth Choir joined the band in the encore for a beautiful version of You Can’t Always Get What You Want, before the night ended with a bang with Jumpin’ Jack Flash. There was no time for Satisfaction, but we certainly got ours.
The tickets may have been expensive, the band may be old… but I’d happily pay to see them do it all again. I wouldn’t put it past them to keep it up for a few more years and I hope they manage it without doing any damage to themselves, because 50 years on, they’re still the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band in the world.
By Dave Rees
@DavidWRees
