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Topic: Can I get a witness? Backstage with the Stones Return to archive
January 13th, 2006 06:53 AM
Ten Thousand Motels Can I get a witness? Backstage with the Stones
The Gazette (Montreal) 2006

Published: Thursday, January 12, 2006

One beefy member of the Bell Centre security detail nudged his co-worker backstage.

"Where are they?" he asked.

"They're right in front of you!" the beefy security guard was informed. "Can't you see them?"

"Are you serious? That's not them! No way! I can't believe it," he muttered to his co-worker.

"Trust me, that's them!" the dubious fellow was informed.

Small wonder, the security guard had difficulty identifying the Rolling Stones backstage at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night. Though they may be the world's biggest rock 'n' roll band, the boys therein, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood and Charlie Watts, are decidedly - um - little. (Guess-timate average height: maybe 5-foot-4.) And lean. (Guesstimate average weight: maybe 120 pounds soaking wet.)

And, for that matter, not exactly boys, either. Jagger and Richards are 62; Watts, 64; and Woods, the baby at 58.

And when they are surrounded by their own beefy security detail and their statuesque wives and girlfriends, the Stones can easily get lost in the shuffle.

But the leanness goes a long way toward explaining their longevity. No matter what kind of lifestyle they project to the world, these guys are taut and in shape. No way Jagger could strut two hours on stage, night after night, if he were an out-of-control party animal. Nor could Watts and Wood afford to overindulge. And "Keef" Richards - well, that's another story, because he has clearly inked some kind of deal with the devil. As has oft been stated, in the event of nuclear war, only Keef and cockroaches will survive.

The Stones came out of their various backstage dressing rooms minutes before they took the stage Tuesday night. Prior to their arrival, VIPs and members of their entourage were cleared away from the back of the stage.

Aside from tour promoters Donald Tarlton and Michael Cohl, security and wives and girlfriends of the band and this fly on the wall, only a dynamite-sniffing German shepherd - bigger than any of the Stones - had full access to the area.

The rock 'n' roll biz may appear laid-back, but the Stones are no-nonsense off-stage. Hell, Watts could easily pass as a staid Brit banker. Jagger could play the role of an economics prof -which would be no stretch for this London School of Economics alumnus. Wood would be right at home in an avant-garde art colony - or on the set of The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings. And Keef - well, he still looks the part of a buccaneer, which may explain why Johnny Depp used him as a role model for Pirates of the Caribbean. But even Keef ain't exactly swigging bottles of Jack Daniels backstage.

No high-fives were exchanged between the Stones and the few on hand to greet them before they took to the stage. It was all gentle handshakes and oh-so-polite British boarding-school patter.

"Great to see you again," Jagger told Tarlton. "So great to be working with you again."

Richards confided to Tarlton: "Don't know what to do when I'm at home. Home for me is the road."

And with those pleasantries, the Stones morphed into Peter Pans once again, raced on stage and leapt into a dyna-charged rendering of Jumping Jack Flash and two hours of unrelenting, crowd-pleasing rock.

Tarlton was in awe: "These guys are the best. They don't phone it in. They could easily get by on oldies alone and no rehearsals. But they spent six hours the day before (Monday) rehearsing here."

It's worth noting that none of the backstage partying before the Stones performed involved the guys themselves. At the VIP Rattlesnake Lounge backstage, the Stones travelling entourage and sundry visitors were feasting on giant shrimp, scallops, jerk chicken, cheese, fruits and veggies. They also tended to go more for the assortment of fine wines than the fruit juices offered.

The Stones arrived at 5 p.m. Tuesday, but remained ensconced in their dressing rooms for the next four hours. Wood's room was dubbed Camp Recovery. The ever-cool Watts had the Cotton Club. Keef, natch, occupied Camp X-Ray. Mick chose the aptly titled Workout Room, which contained both state-of-the-art exercise equipment and a jogging track.

The Stones' back-up singers and musicians shared two other dressing rooms, and had access to the Leisure Room, equipped with a pool table.

"People have such misconceptions about the Stones and, for that matter, most other rockers," said Rick Annett, production manager for Gillett Entertainment at the Bell Centre. "These guys take their business very seriously. That's why the Stones are still going so strong more than 40 years later."

But Annett, too, was taken aback when he first encountered the Stones up close. "We always have this illusion that stars are big, but it's amazing because it's almost always the opposite. They may seem so much larger than life, yet Shania Twain, Cher, Bono and the Stones are anything but big."

But Tarlton, who towers over all the Stones, doubts the guys are much fazed about their size. "They're big where it matters - at the box office. It's not an accident the Stones were the No. 1 rock touring attraction last year, taking in almost $200 million. They're rock 'n' roll giants."
January 13th, 2006 07:02 AM
Nellcote Thanks Man!
January 13th, 2006 07:14 AM
Jumacfly cool article thanks!
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