This has been the trip of a lifetime for her and, I, for one, am so happy for her.
She represented the US well.
Mary Rocks!!!!!!!
LJ.
And it seems our European ambassedors did a great job too...
Gold rings on ya' all...
I'm sure I speak for LJ, the only thing wrong, was we couldn't have been there too...
30th June 2007 01:18 PM
Gazza
You Tube clips : (various sources)
Intro/Start Me Up :
Lets Spend The Night Together :
Monkey Man :
You Can't Always Get What You Want :
Night Time :
You Got The Silver :
Happy :
Miss You :
Miss You/IORR
HTW
Sympathy For The Devil :
Paint It Black :
Jumpin' Jack Flash :
Brown Sugar :
The final bows :
30th June 2007 05:20 PM
VoodooChileInWOnderl
Pix by Juanillo from La Coruña, Galicia, España posted at our forum in Spanish BdP http://rocksoff.org/foro
1st July 2007 09:43 AM
montana
thank you for posting the pix gerardo, looks very nice from up there... i will be posting my pix as soon as i have some free time, btw last pix didnt work...any chance to fix the links? thanx
1st July 2007 05:29 PM
GotToRollMe
quote:luxury1 wrote:
Ouch! How old is that man in black??
Calendar material, boys--all those shots above. WHen I grow up, I want to look as cool as these guys...
When he was dancing around to Sympathy I turned to Gazza and said, "The music makes him young. He could pass for 25 up there!"
1st July 2007 06:28 PM
glencar
Nor can I!
1st July 2007 06:30 PM
glencar
quote:Gazza wrote:
Trust me, Ronnie is doing more than merely playing. Utterly fabulous in both Lisbon and Madrid. He's had a new lease of life of late.
I think his stints in rehab have done him a world of good. I remember how bad he was back in 1999 at Wembley & on scattered Licks dates but drying up has been what he needed. Keith though, he's hurting, it seems.
1st July 2007 06:48 PM
GotToRollMe
A couple more pics from Madrid, courtesy of Gazza.
GotToRollMe & Gazza at the stadium pre-show
Gazza, JoStorm & GotToRollMe at a tapas bar post-brownies (the sign that Jo is holding says "light-sensitive")
[Edited by GotToRollMe]
1st July 2007 07:04 PM
Gazza
Nice pix by Juanillo. They give a really good view of the stage and the crowd.
Finally I can get around to reviewing this gig. I thought the Stones were excellent in Lisbon and that show would be hard to top, but we had been pleasantly surprised by how good they had been and, having read all the horror stories, how on form Keith was. Hopes were high of a similarly good show in Madrid.
The day of the show and with some of our party already being at the hotel and others flying in from various cities, we'd found a nice little bar/cafe at the Hotel Europa the night before which was convenient to one of the major squares and the metro.
Firstly, Mary & myself went to have lunch with jostorm, who had also flown in the night before and was staying with family in the city. Unfortunately she could only stay with us until about 4, because her family had thrown a little party for her and then about 15-16 of them were all going to the show together. The three of us went back to the Europa and joined some of the others and Johanna duly produced one of her little gifts for Mary of a few hash brownies, which set me up nicely for the next few hours
More of our crowd came and went and then later in the afternoon, we were joined by another Rocks Offer, Timeisonmyside (Mike) who was in Madrid for the show with his charming wife. As Mary & I had General Admission tickets, we left around 7.30 pm for the stadium via metro. After a longer walk than we'd imagined, we got to the stadium to find tens of thousands milling around outside. On the ticket it listed 6 gates which were for GA ticket holders, but only one was open and the queue was snaking its way halfway around the stadium. Absolute chaos. We elected to jump the queue by alternately acting stupid and talking loudly as if we were walking back from the front of it looking for some non existent friend who had kept our place but whom we couldnt find as he was probably closer to the front.
Just like Lisbon, we got into the stadium near the end of Jet's set and found a nice spot close to the rail on Ronnie's side. Quite by chance we bumped into LondonPat, who presumably had left the Europa just after us, so the 3 of us stood together. A really nice girl from Madrid (whose name I cant remember, sorry) noticed Mary's Rocks Off t-shirt, and came over to us and chatted to us for a while. She said she reads RO every day, occasionally posts on the Spanish forum, asked me who I was and was quite surprised when I answered. I felt like a celebrity. LOL.
It was now about 9.45 and whilst the pitch was quite well filled (but never at any time uncomfortable), the stands looked about 75% empty. By the time the show began about half an hour later, they were probably about 80% filled. The Spanish really do like to leave things to the last minute.
Around 10.15 or so, the crowd are starting to sing all their football chants and shouting wildly, then the lights go down and the show starts. 'Start Me Up' drives them all nuts and the Stones play what seems like a REALLY long version of it, with lots of extended soling and riffing. Usually its a song thats a huge yawn for me in concert, but this was as good as I've ever heard it. They follow it with a solid 'Lets spend the night together' and again they seem to be extending it. The sound is monstrously good, apparently theyve done some work recently in this stadium to make the acoustics more concert-friendly and it shows.
Mick then apologises to the crowd (in Spanish) for the cancellations in 2006. I expected 'Rough Justice' to be next, but its a pleasant surprise for me to hear Mick introduce "She's So Cold" - the first time I've witnessed it played since my first ever show 25 years earlier - and they nail this one as well. Midway through it, Keith & Ronnie are playing side by side and Keith hits this superb solo. Woody looks at him in disbelief, then looks at the crowd open-eyed as if to say "what about this guy? Whats he on?"
It gets better, "All Down The Line" follows - Mick has got into this odd habit of prefacing the lines by campily singing "yesssss - hear the diesel drummin'" etc instead of the "yeahhhh" on the record - and then they follow that with 'Monkey man' with Ronnie on top form. Next up is a bit of a surprise, as in the ballad slot they play "You Cant always get what you want". That, plus the fact that so many of the songs seem to be featuring more soloing than normal, gives me the impression that Mick is being a little careful with his voice. It's also the first of three songs in a row which were regulars or semi-regular in 2006 but which are getting their 2007 debut. The crowd goes nuts at the end of YCAGWYW and starts an "Ole Ole Ole" chant, which Jagger absolutely milks.
Very nice version of 'Sway' follows, and then they do what is the best version of "Night Time" I've heard yet. I've never heard Lisa sing as brilliantly, she gets into it so much that at the end, her tits almost fall out of her top. (When I met her the next afternoon, I complimented her on the performance but omitted any reference to the quick 'flash')
'Tumbling Dice' has been superb this tour so far and they do another great version here. Keith goes to walk down the catwalk on his side and as he gets to the end of it, on the big screen it appears that he stumbles and almost loses his footing. We shoot each other a "Yikes! Did you see that?" look, but the man isnt too bothered and recovers to nail the solo, repeating that beautiful little jazzy-style improvisation that he did in Lisbon.
Keith definitely looked more 'delicate' in Madrid than in Lisbon. Whereas in Lisbon he was kicking his legs up, running across the stage, etc, in Madrid he didnt move so sprightly and didnt come down the catwalk on Ronnie's side at all. That said, I should point out that while I thought he played really well in Lisbon, overall he sounded better to me in Madrid.
Huge ovations during the band intros (Ronnie absolutely milks his for all its worth) and Keith sings 'You got the silver' beautifully. Now, Ive read elsewhere that he fell on his ass during this song. Thats not how I saw it. He did his little squat at the end and didnt quite get his balance yet and leaned back on one of his hands to support himself. Not quite the same and easy to not quite get your balance right doing that regardless of what age or level of sobriety you are. Ronnie came over to him while he was doing this and pretended to bash him over the head with his guitar.
Up to now, this is as good a stadium show I've seen them do in years. Theyve nailed absolutely every song and theyre enjoying it immensely. I was saying that I'd love a DVD of this show for the facial expressions theyre shooting at each other alone. Hilarious.
Keith introduces "Happy" next (I posted earlier that it was "Wanna Hold You" - whoops) and the wheels come off for this one. Vocally, it's an absolute trainwreck with lyrics in the wrong verses and cues missed galore. The band go to bring it to a close and for some reason Keith reckons he has more singing to do and starts another chorus. A few seconds later he realises he's cocked up, turns to Chuck and makes a "cut throat" gesture to tell him he wants the soung to be wound up and they bring it to a close.
B-stage time next and the camera lingers long on Darryl's bass as they tease us with the intro. I'm hoping this means 'Under My thumb' but instead it's "Miss You", which as they didnt play Spain in 2006, is what I expected. We dont go to the b-stage this time. The pitch is too crowded and the audience too wild and no way will we get our place back. So we watch it from beside the main stage by looking at the video screen (the sound is much better than when youre actually AT the b stage itself). 'IORR' and 'satisfaction' are absolutely superb. Keith's guitar is like a chainsaw cutting through your head. Marvellous stuff. They play 'Honky Tonk Women' on the way back and in absolute contrast to the 2 songs that preceded it, the guitar solo is an absolute mess.
The standard run through the warhorses follows. "Sympathy" is pretty good, the Spanish sounding "Paint it Black" naturally drives the crowd nuts and then to close the main set they play the most brilliant down and dirty version of "Jumpin Jack Flash". 'Brown sugar' sends everyone home happy, the crowd are singing and chanting like crazy and I'm absolutely deafened by the double whammmy in my earhole of GotToRollMe screaming "woo hoo" in the way that only American women can and a fusilade of fireworks and explosions which make me feel like I've been transported to downtown Baghdad.
Not without it's flaws, but a fucking brilliant show all the same. Dont let anyone tell you that this band can no longer cut the mustard when they feel like it.
[Edited by Gazza]
1st July 2007 07:13 PM
GotToRollMe
quote:VoodooChileInWOnderl wrote:
Pix by Juanillo from La Coruñ¡¬ Galicia, Españ¡ °osted at our forum in Spanish BdP http://rocksoff.org/foro
Can't see the pix again. Argh!
1st July 2007 07:19 PM
Gazza
quote:GotToRollMe wrote:
Can't see the pix again. Argh!
Take your shades off!
1st July 2007 07:30 PM
GotToRollMe
Never!
Thanks for the review, G. I've absolutely no idea what you mean about American women and their woo-hoo's though.
1st July 2007 07:37 PM
Gazza
quote:GotToRollMe wrote:
Never!
Thanks for the review, G. I've absolutely no idea what you mean about American women and their woo-hoo's though.
I guess you had to be there...
oh, wait....
1st July 2007 08:07 PM
TomL
So happy for you guys. Looks like a blast was had by all. What were you drinking in that one pic G, wine. Your not turning into a pussy on us are you. Fuck you, will ya. All kidding aside hope the memories last forever. Was that pic with Mary after you got done with Charlie? Voo I thought you were going????????
1st July 2007 08:22 PM
Gazza
quote:TomL wrote:
So happy for you guys. Looks like a blast was had by all. What were you drinking in that one pic G, wine. Your not turning into a pussy on us are you.
It's beer!
1st July 2007 08:39 PM
TomL
Thank God. Mary is a sweetheart isn't she. Hope you had a blast and hope to see you soon. Long live rock n roll, long live the stones. I see mary brought you a pair of shades.
1st July 2007 10:27 PM
time is on my side
Just got back from Madrid. Really had a great TIME there. It's a beautiful, wonderful city with bars, great restaurants, flamenco shows (my wife dragged me to a few), and world class art all over the place just to touch the surface. It felt good to be back again and can't wait to return to Spain. I'll be back there again hopefully next year.
We had planned this trip before the STONES had announced they were coming. The dates just happened to coincide. It was an unexpected, incredible surprise. An added bonus to our trip.
Before seeing the STONES, we had the great pleasure of meeting and having a short greeting session with fellow rock offers GAZZA and GTRM. I instantly recognized them from their photos (they were with four other people who we did not know- it seems they post on another message board). Everyone was very nice and gracious to us. Thank you all for being so kind. Both me and my wife had been drinking heavily at some nice spots near the Prado (man what great art that place has!!) so we did not arrive until late in the afternoon. Pictures do indeed exist of this meeting. Unfortunately, the picture CD that my wife made for me was not in my suitcase when I returned. It's unclear what happened to it. My wife is staying in Spain to do some graduate studies & will not return until August (she has the digital camera and memory stick). As soon as I'm able, I'll post the pictures here (for what I was able to see of them, they really turned out great so it's a little disappointing that I'm not able to post them here now).
GAZZA and GTRM had to leave as they had GA tickets while we had seats so we were in no hurry (we continued to drink and eat). A shame it was such a short visit. Our tickets were only average (we had great seats but got screwed- they, a ticket broker, told us the tickets were being mailed so I assumed that they would be arriving by the date given; after further inquiries it turned out there would be further delays so we got the order cancelled and the charge taken off our credit card). We bought the tickets in Spain and they actually turned out better than I thought they would be.
On the metro ride to the stadium, it was complete chaos. A pick pocket stole my wallet. Fortunately, I never carry lots of cash in my wallet (only enough to last a day, the rest I keep back at the hotel so they only got about 100 euros). They did get one credit card which we immediately cancelled. I had my wallet in my front pocket with my hand right on top of it. Because of this, I was able to save a few other credit cards and my driver's license as this fell on the floor. Got to admit, I was a little shaken by the experience. After cancelling the one credit card, I went looking for more beer.
For those that criticize the STONES and especially, Keith's performaces, all I can do is judge fom what I personally see. I've seen them four times on this tour (2005, 2006, 2007 in Atlanta twice, Charlotte, and Madrid at three arenas and one outdoor show) and each time the performances by the STONES have been great. Keith and the STONES were on fire in Madrid. Gazza in your review you mentioned Wanna Hold You. I thought Keith played Happy and did a very good job of it. Surprisingly, I enjoyed both of Keith's songs.
My only disappointment was not seeing any songs performed I haven't seen before (still hoping for Sweet Virginia), an average seat location (though much better than expected), and seeing Miss You being perfomed on the B stage. Also, I was kind of hoping to see either CYHMK or MR (got neither). Small complaints went you get SSC, ADTL, Monkey Man, and Sway in the same show). All in all a great evening of entertainment that seem to go by very quickly.
If this is my last time in seeing the STONES, I thought I went out with a bang in more ways than one.
GAZZA, GTRM, and the other four we met- thanks again for your hospitality. It was great to have met you.
(edited for spelling)
-----------------------------
[Edited by time is on my side]
1st July 2007 11:17 PM
GotToRollMe
Great to have met you and your lovely wife too, time is on my side. It really was fun hanging out with such a great bunch of people. A shame about your wallet - luckily you didn't lose all your cash and cards. Hope you find that photo disc - I'd love to see the pictures. So glad you guys made it to this show!
2nd July 2007 01:31 AM
The jinn, my friend.
Two roadies die dismatling the Rolling Stones stage in Madrid
By h.b.
Jun 30, 2007 - 3:30 PM
A third man is in a serious condition in Intensive Care
Two men died and third was seriously injured in Madrid on Friday when part of the structure they were dismantling after the Rolling Stones concert in the Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid collapsed.
The dead men have been named as Dutchman Benno Goldewijk, 44, and a Spaniard, Alfredo Pecina Matias, 38.
It seems the collapse of part of the stage structure being taken down the day after the concert was caused by human error.
The union for road-crews have said that the accident is a symptom of the excessive hours they are forced to work, and also a lack of proper safety procedures.
It’s understood that the men concerned were working ten hour shifts. Workers at the scene said it was common for them to start at 9am and not finish their day until 2,30 the following morning.
The collapsed structure at the Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid - Photo EFE
[Edited by The jinn, my friend.]
3rd July 2007 06:03 AM
jostorm
I can't find anything else about the accident (since newspaper article June 30th). Does anyone know how those poor people are doing on ICU????
When you log onto RScom all you get told is to buy the new DVD, so no surprises there....
I'm not saying that the Stones may not be looking after their kin and workers in the most amazing way, maybe they are, but I find it disturbing how bad they are at dealing with bad news from thge PR point of view, it just reminds me of how they kept us all in limbo before cancelling all the European gigs last year....
3rd July 2007 08:37 AM
Moonisup
Worst HTW ever
3rd July 2007 02:44 PM
GotToRollMe
Thanks for the great photos, guys! And Gazza, my partner in crime - thanks for posting the YouTube clips - in chronological order, no less...nicely done!
3rd July 2007 04:13 PM
Gazza
Nothing great, but three more off the cellphone :
[Edited by Gazza]
5th July 2007 04:59 AM
Pierre
Thanks for the review Gazza.
Sad to see Keith during HTW, the solo is purely awful, and during the intro the rest of the band has to give aid to him, Darryl seems to show him how to play the riff intro...
[Edited by Pierre]
5th July 2007 08:23 AM
Gazza
Can only assume he had some problem with the sound monitors on that one (when youre standing at the b-stage the sound tends to be poor), because when he did get started it was out of tune and it remained so throughout the whole song. It WAS bloody awful, but worth pointing out again that on the two b-stage songs that preceded it (IORR and Satisfaction) he sounded great and he played well for pretty much the rest of the show. JJF towards the end was especially terrific.
5th July 2007 11:06 AM
GotToRollMe
I couldn't believe how bad the sound was on the B-stage. I have no idea how Charlie can even keep a beat - it sounded like there were 10 gorillas pounding on empty oil drums under there. I'm guessing it had something to do with the venue, or maybe it's like that every time they play in a stadium. The only other time I've been that close to the B was in Atlantic City last year, and the sound was fine, but that was an indoor show.
5th July 2007 11:40 AM
Gazza
quote:GotToRollMe wrote:
I couldn't believe how bad the sound was on the B-stage. I have no idea how Charlie can even keep a beat - it sounded like there were 10 gorillas pounding on empty oil drums under there. I'm guessing it had something to do with the venue, or maybe it's like that every time they play in a stadium. The only other time I've been that close to the B was in Atlantic City last year, and the sound was fine, but that was an indoor show.
it was bad in lisbon when we went back to the b-stage. we stayed at our spot near the main stage in Madrid though and from that spot it was excellent.
5th July 2007 04:50 PM
GotToRollMe
quote:Gazza wrote:
it was bad in lisbon when we went back to the b-stage. we stayed at our spot near the main stage in Madrid though and from that spot it was excellent.
Oops, yeah, that was Lisbon. Keep getting 'em mixed up. True, in Madrid the sound from the B was much better from where we were near the main stage.
5th July 2007 08:21 PM
mrhipfl
quote:GotToRollMe wrote:
I couldn't believe how bad the sound was on the B-stage. I have no idea how Charlie can even keep a beat - it sounded like there were 10 gorillas pounding on empty oil drums under there. I'm guessing it had something to do with the venue, or maybe it's like that every time they play in a stadium. The only other time I've been that close to the B was in Atlantic City last year, and the sound was fine, but that was an indoor show.
When I was by the b-stage in Switzerland, the sound was fine, but Mick was barely audible.
7th July 2007 03:20 PM
GotToRollMe
quote:Gazza wrote:
Very nice version of 'Sway' follows, and then they do what is the best version of "Night Time" I've heard yet. I've never heard Lisa sing as brilliantly, she gets into it so much that at the end, her tits almost fall out of her top. (When I met her the next afternoon, I complimented her on the performance but omitted any reference to the quick 'flash')
Just for the record, Lisa almost "losing it" happened during "I Go Crazy" in Lisbon, right after Mick grabbed her in a tighter clinch than usual. She actually looked flustered when she ran back to the relative safety of her spot between Bernard and Blondie. Lucky girl.
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