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Enough steam to keep rolling along
By Iain Shedden, Music writer
February 18, 2003
A STEAMROLLER that you can't stop � that's how guitarist Keith Richards describes a Rolling Stones tour.
That steamroller got moving yesterday, when the so-called greatest rock 'n' roll band in the world launched its fifth Australian tour in Sydney.
"Australia has always been a very warm place for us," said 59-year-old Mick Jagger, nursing a cold on the eve of the Stones' first show, at Sydney's 2000-seat Enmore Theatre.
Flanked by Richards, 59, guitarist Ronnie Wood, 55, and Charlie Watts, 61, Jagger said Australian audiences had always been "very friendly".
The veteran rockers were in good spirits, joking with reporters who had been following their every move since flying in last week.
"We've been well received and we feel at home here, so it's not a difficult place to slip into," Jagger said.
The Stones' memories of Australian concerts are like a rollcall of the country's great sports venues. Since they first came here in 1965, they have played racecourses, cricket grounds, football stadiums and tennis courts.
This time, however, relatively small arenas are the favoured venues, giving many fans their first opportunity to see the veterans in such an intimate atmosphere, particularly the lucky 2000 at the Enmore show.
"It's going to be brand new to us too," said Jagger, fired up at the suggestion that nostalgia would play a part in the coming gigs. "I don't think we've ever played a theatre in Australia, so it's not a nostalgia thing for us. How can it be nostalgia when you've never played it?"
The tour celebrates the band's 40th anniversary and all members agreed that former tensions, particularly between Jagger and Richards, were locked in the past.
"You can't go on the road after 40 years thinking about the disagreements you've had," said Jagger. "You have to think about the agreements."
Richards was equally diplomatic. "You can't do this if you don't get along. You don't even think about it. It's all, 'How you feeling today?', 'Can you hit the high C?' and 'How's the knee?' "
Apart from breaking new ground on venue size, the group is also playing new territories, including China and India later this year. "We are very excited about going to those two new places," Jagger said.
Richards, too, was full of enthusiasm for this latest chapter in their lengthy career.
"The momentum builds and we always feel that there are new places to conquer," he said, flicking another cigarette into the ashtray. "Whether the Chinese are ready for that is another thing."
In Australia, some of the Stones will be holidaying with family members between concert commitments. Richards spent his first few days in the country with his wife and daughters in Byron Bay, NSW.
The Rolling Stones play in Sydney tonight, Thursday and Saturday, before shows in Brisbane and Melbourne.
Read Iain Shedden's exclusive interview with the Rolling Stones in the Features section of the newspaper today. |
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