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Topic: Olympia Review Return to archive Page: 1 2
07-12-03 03:32 PM
Mathijs O.k, just back from Paris, here’s my review of the Olympia club show. Most of you know I am not so fond of the Stones since 1994, and I have been quite critical of their live performances. The Olympia Halle was received quite badly by me, as I really thought Keith had lost it completely. Here’s a warning: this was the BEST EVER INCREDIBLE SUPER SHOW I HAVE EVER SEEN OF THE STONES!!!

We arrived in Paris the day before and immediately met up with several friends. After some heavy drinking a short night sleep, and on to the Olympia. Wrist bands were received within one minute, and then the big wait started. We decided to queue at 13.00 O’clock, but this was a big mistake: if you had arrived at 18.00 you would have gotten the same spot at the Olympia. The hall is incredible: it’s fairly small, but due to a large balcony still holds something like 2200 people. The floor had place for about 1000, and due to a rising floor it really didn’t matter were you would stand: the view was excellent everywhere, whether it was 5th ot 15th row. The opener was “The Burn”, but I can’t recall anything. Then, after a big (big!) wait, the Stones entered blistering with a rousing Start Me Up. It immediately got me: there are no superlatives enough to describe the thunder of Richards and Watts screaming through you’re head at full volume in small club! Jagger looked extra pumped as there were plenty of camera’s filming the concert. But I got me first shock here: Ronnie appeared to be completely loaded, as drunk as one can be. His face in a strange grin, pale as the moon. His solo in SMU was too late and out of tune, and Jagger and Leavell looked quite worried. Next Live With Me, started with a major intro by Keith –but unfortunately too late in the wrong key. He noticed, laughed and grinned to Jones, whom gave it a restart. Again, Ronnie seemed not to know where he was or what he was doing. Then the first “rarity’’, Neighbours. It was played fast, and I noticed Keith getting more and more in to it. At solo timing, both Chuck and Mick gave pointers at Ronnie, but he again did not know he is part of the group. Keith immediately filled the gap with an impromptu solo, one of the best solo’s of the last 10 years. From this moment on, Keith seemed to be sharper then ever, like he knew he had to fill in Ron’s place. On to a whish of mine: Hand of Fate. Simply said: horrible! Nobody, including Jagger and Leavell knew how the song went. Jagger did the first line, the started to read from the telepromter the next two, and gave up. For the first solo, Mick shouted twice to Ronnie to play his guitar, and Ron answered (you could read his lips!) “what the fuck should I do”! The second solo part was again a mess, with only Keith remembering a bit what to do. A complete mess. No Expectations was started by Keith, while Jagger should have started it. Keith seemed to be getting sharper and sharper, and started to play really beautiful. Ron’s last minute was counted I thought: his head was wobbling above his acoustic lap steel, ready to crash his nose into the body. I noticed Mick talking with Pierre the technician, and after this Ron was out of the PA mix: Mick had apparently ordered Ron to be turned down, and Pierre literally walked towards Ron amp and turned it down. From this point on, magic started. Both Mick and Keith knew they had to carry the show, and we started to witness the sole reason why they are the greatest band in the world: when those two are concentrating and really on, they are these magic Glimmer Twins from the 70’s again. Worried About You shined from beauty. Jagger’s vocals were howling beautiful, Keith’s lines were on the spot. Near the ending Jagger wanted to take it down, but Charlie kept on drumming, making Mick improvise some loud screams; beautiful. Heartbreaker was too slow, and didn’t work for me. It's Only Rock'n Roll was rocking the house down, and even I enjoyed this song, which I just heard too many times. Stray Cat Blues was mean and pacing, with Keith really chopping away. Darryl’s bass solo is nice, but I still don’t think bass solo’s are a good thing in Stones music. The again one of my wishes: Dance. It was a mixture of the Part 1 and Part 2 version’s, and was incredible. It really grooved, and was rocky and funky at the same time. I loved this one. Everybody Needs Somebody To love turned the Stones into a nasty cheap Las Vegas band, so on to the sole ever best performance of a song by the Stones I can recall ever witnessing: That's How Strong My Love Is. This literally brought tears in my eyes…Mick sang his heart out, being aware of all the camera’s, but also being aware of the fact that the band was on. Keith’s line of on a capoed stratocaster were beautiful and on the spot, but again, Jagger was magical here. I have never seen this guy sing so good, like he really had to prove himself. He noticed it too, as he nodded to Chuck a “man, I did it” signal with his face. The song kept going and going, and I really hoped they would never stop. Beautiful. Going To A Go Go was started by Ron softly, and not everyone recognised it immediately. In my opinion this is one of the great songs from the early 80’s, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. During introductions Mick handed Charlie his mike, and Charlie said “I would like to sing a song, but they won’t let me. Goodnight”. Ronnie was introduced as “on banana Ron Wood”. Woody eating a banana could mean he didn’t drink too much, but had a few too many party cigarettes… Then on to next highpoint of the night: The Nearness Of You. What a beautiful song, wonderfully played and sung. Only Keith’s guitar was a bit too loud and biting, which spoiled it a bit. Before They Make Me Run was the re-entrance of Ronnie: he clearly wanted to show Keith he was back, and he kept on soloing, making the song a 2 minutes longer. Love Train was nice, but again reminded a bit of a bad Vegas karaoke band. It is a bit lightweight I think. But Mick really seems to like singing these soul tunes. Respectable was bad, but it rocked, which is good. Period. Rip This Joint was a real treat. Keith played it in open tuning instead of open G, the band didn’t seem to know the song very well, but Mick kept everybody heading the same direction, and it was played very fast and excellent. Honky Tonk Women was standard, but here it struck me: Stones music isn’t meant to be heard in a 60.000 stadium, but in a club! Having the Stones blast at you from 10 meters distance is incredible, and even the most boring hot rocks songs gets a lift and start to rouse again. The same for Tumbling Dice, Brown Sugar and Jumping Jack Flash. They were better, faster and meaner than ever!. All in all, this was my best ever Stones concert. With such an amazing set list and Mick and Keith being on and hot at the SAME time, I can’t imaging it ever getting any better. No, they are not the Stones of Hampton 1981 anymore, but this sure was damn fine too!

Mathijs
p.s. A big thanks to Duijf, Rik, Hendrik, Angie, Mark, Kariem, Erwin, Lia, Andre, Jeroen and Dirk for two splendid nights in Paris!
p.s.2: and guys, no I will NEVER go to a stadium show again, I promise!

07-12-03 03:41 PM
marko Thanks man!great review!Just going back to krone,after that
show,i also decided,that after helsinki,i won´t go to any
stadium show,only theatres and arenas!
was ronnie really drunk,or just off?
07-12-03 03:59 PM
Moonisup thank you to Mathijs,

I had great fun, yesterday was AWESOME
[Edited by Moonisup]
07-12-03 05:00 PM
sirmoonie Thanks Mathjis, that a good to read. Those club shows are something else. Smokin' rhymes with pokin'!

I hope you were just exagerrating about Ronald. That would be a real shame if he uprompting piss again. Remember what Keith said though, you can't tell if Ronnie is drunk or sober since he acts like a flake no matter what.
07-12-03 05:00 PM
LadyJane Thank you Mathijs! An outstanding review!! You made me feel like I was in the club!!

How great it is to know that Mick and Keith can still pull it together as if it were 1973, not 2003!! Now if they'd only take that attitude into the studio and write some new tunes TOGETHER!!!

LadyJ.

Hope Ronnie didn't fall off the wagon!!

07-12-03 05:12 PM
Strange_Stray_Cat Excellent review Mathijs, I couldn't agree more.
07-12-03 07:02 PM
TheSavageYoungXyzzy Hahaha, party cigarettes... kickass review, thank you.

That is a touch disheartening about the Ronnie-boy, but from what you said it sounds like he managed to pull it together towards the end of the night. And I'm glad Keith realized he had to do something instead of letting the show float on *no* guitars, like what's been happening before.

We have had nights this tour that he's gone on drunk, and people have noticed. He takes it a day at a time, and maybe he just picked a bad day.

Still, again, at least he pulled it together towards the end. The fact that he was at least responding to Mick at the beginning with a "What the fuck should I do?" seems to me to imply, as you said, 'the party cigarette' option. Which we know Keith does all the time. I heard he really went wild on "Dance" as well.

Did Keith kiss Ronnie at the end of "Before They Make Me Run"? That's so sweet.

So you really think this is "The best show ever"?
07-12-03 07:53 PM
brussels affair I was at the Olympia and Ronny was not drunk, he was to the point and played very well!
07-12-03 07:55 PM
sirmoonie I think this "Ronnie is drinking" again bit is honkhockey started by the bitter Taylorites, as they re-flagellate with increasing irrelevance in their lonely squalor.

07-12-03 09:28 PM
Maxlugar It is so obvious that Mick Taylor is needed back in the band from mathy's review.

I would like to hear the boot.

I bet the video of this show will not be released because of him.
07-12-03 09:30 PM
beer It looks the boot is already available over at the Buy/Sell/Trade section of IORR. That was quick.
07-12-03 10:20 PM
TheSavageYoungXyzzy
quote:
sirmoonie wrote:
I think this "Ronnie is drinking" again bit is honkhockey started by the bitter Taylorites, as they re-flagellate with increasing irrelevance in their lonely squalor.



I heartily agree, Moonie!

Furthermore, the offer I made to Mick Taylor at the beginning of this tour way back last September still stands.

If they invite you to a show, Taylor, those bitter fans of yours, say no and I'll buy you a few hot dogs. We'll watch the show, have a good time, and I'll buy you a T-shirt to... umm... use as a sweat rag or something, like Elvis. And maybe another hot dog.

Especially at the Astoria. Although then I don't think they'll serve hot dogs, what with it being England and all.

-tSYX --- You led me away from home...
07-12-03 10:23 PM
J.J.Flash Oh man, thanks Mathijs! I really loved to read your review. Seems to me that really was probably one of the best shows, so far.

Great! Thanks again fella!

After reading this great review, that made me feel like I was at Olimpia in the first rows, I think my "thirst" only increased and seems to be endless.

Well, while almost everyone are having a good time attending some shows of this "Licks World Tour", I can only read and hardly try to imagine the scene.

Congratulations Aussies, Japanese, Europeans and North Americans. You had, are having and will always have your "Licks".

See you later. Take care everybody! God bless ya! Keep Stoned!
07-13-03 09:11 AM
Mathijs To Brussels Affair: I was standing with about 10 friends, and we ALL noticed how far Ronnie was gone. Also, even Jagger, Leavell, and Richards had worried expressions, all focussing on Wood. Wood even had a conversation with Charlie after No Expectations, with Wood shrugging his shoulders in a "I can't help it' kind of way.

Further, I am not saying he is drinking again (how would I know), but he was most probably just Stones to death. He did manage to get a grip around Before They Make Me Run.

I am a Taylor fan, but the Olympia was fan-fucking-tastic, I could see shows like this for the rest of my live without thinking of Taylor for one minute.

Mathijs
07-13-03 09:31 AM
hotlicks When was ronnie's amp turned up again?
07-13-03 10:27 AM
parmeda
quote:
Mathijs wrote:
Here’s a warning: this was the BEST EVER INCREDIBLE SUPER SHOW I HAVE EVER SEEN OF THE STONES!!!


LOL..welcome back, Mathijs! Deep down, I knew you'd "come around"...

(Great review btw...thanks!)
07-13-03 12:05 PM
sammy davis jr. Good ole' Ronnie.....there when you need him. Not. WTF is up with this guy? People pay big bucks to see a guy who can't even play his instrument? After 50 shows, he doesn't know the songs? Puuullleeeaaasse.
07-13-03 05:08 PM
Angiegirl
quote:
brussels affair wrote:
I was at the Olympia and Ronny was not drunk, he was to the point and played very well!


Ok, ever been to either an eye or an ear doctor? No? You should. Really.
Ronnie (with ie not with a y) was on something, I don't care what it was. It was so obvious, come on, jeez...
07-13-03 05:10 PM
Angiegirl
quote:
hotlicks wrote:
When was ronnie's amp turned up again?


Just before Before they make me run.

Ronnie played very well this tour, you should have heard his solo during CYHMK in Bercy!! All credit. But at Olympia he was gone for the first half, dangerously far gone that is.
But it was a fantastic show, I will always remember it, hearing my fav. songs, Worried, That's how strong, Stray Cat, Rip this joint, Respectable, Neighbours, etc.
I loved it, despite Ronnie's problem. Keith filled in and tried harder, I love him for it and Mick was awesome, his vocals on Worried, That's how strong, my God, how can anyone say Jagger has had his best days years ago!! He's by far the best performer ever. I adore him for it.

Olympia: I'm so glad I got in!!! One of the few lucky ones that morning, I feel blessed.
Hope that Vredenburg will be that good.

[Edited by Angiegirl]
07-15-03 02:13 AM
marko ha ha,he wasn´t gone at the krone.
07-15-03 05:45 AM
stonedinaustralia a few points re this thread:

1. thanks Mathjis that was an excellent review

2. JJ Flash - 'tho we got the licks tour i can feel your pain - down here we were built up to expect a 75/76 tour that never happened same again in '78 (after which most of us down here wouldn't believe the reality of any tour until we had the tickets in opur hands) - i'm thankful for what we got but i sympathize with you (meaning you particularly and south america generally) as you are obviously devoted fans who perhaps haven't got all they deserved

3. Ronnies condition is a real worry even on the basis that he isn't drinking anymore - this inconsistency and cutting in/cutting out i.e. one show he's great the next he's lost it - doesn't send a good vibe about his condition - but who knows what the problem is - maybe it was just an overindulgence of something on the night (which in itself isn't a great sign) but on the other hand maybe he has fried/soaked his mind so much that he teeters between coherence and oblivion at the drop of a hat





[Edited by stonedinaustralia]
07-15-03 06:40 AM
luxury1 Oh man, Great review Mathjis. I have never seen the Stones in a club, and I have always known in my heart of hearts that that would be the gig for the Stones. (I would also be satisfied with hanging in the hotel suite just listening to the boys jam and tinker). Next tour.
It was most heartening to hear that Mick and Keith realized they had to work together to pull this one off. Poor Ronnie, he never did seem like the sharpest tool in the shed.
07-15-03 08:06 AM
TheSavageYoungXyzzy Well, at least we now know for sure that Ronnie is intentionally having his amp turned down on "bad nights", which is pretty degrading, considering Keith's had plenty on full volume.

Still, one "off" first half, especially playing rarities they don't do very often, is somewhat forgivable when you've been out on the road for months. I did hear from many others that the solo on "Before They Make Me Run" was a downright Ronnie-tastic redemption, and also that he was pretty good on "Dance". But that first set of songs, fudging it, does seem to indicate that he wasn't ready at all for this show.

The version of "Live With Me" from my Japanese Licks set is one of the best versions since '81, I'm willing to wager, everyone on, everyone grungy, Keith and Ronnie both in top form, Leavell very quietly clinking away at the back. It's not the songs or a question of talent for our boy Ronnie, I think, it's getting him so that he knows where he is and what he's playing.

As a student, I get this feeling a lot more than you guys probably do nowadays, but if you walk into a class and you *know* you haven't done the required assignment and pray they aren't going to quiz you on it and then see, up on the board, a big long quiz thing, you tend to have quite a bad time of it. Same thing looks like it happened to Ronnie, looking at the setlist and going "holy fuck, I don't remember *any* of these songs when they first came out, much less now..."

Still not good, *especially* for a club show, but I think this might just be another "off night" for Ronnie in a place where everyone could see it loud and clear.

-tSYX --- On banana...
07-15-03 08:30 AM
gotdablouse I think they should just put Ron out of his misery and shoot the poor feller'. Maybe Keith could hire Spanish Tony for the job. If he takes it, I'll throw in a couple of bucks so he takes care of the guy with a beard too.

So Savage, are you going to write a post "A Guitar God is Dead"...looks like you were completely off mark with your "A Guitar God id Born" post of last year. Can't say we didn't tell you.
07-15-03 08:31 AM
Jumacfly hi guys!!
i have to say Ronnie was the only one who played in a correct level in stade de france...he saved the show...seems he had a night off at thez olympia...
07-17-03 07:01 PM
gotdablouse Ronnie "saving the show", uh ohh... that must have been a scarry night :-(
07-18-03 08:10 PM
Highway Child Thanks Mathijs for this Olympia review!!
I'm from Paris and was in this fucking theatre !!!
Only a dutch fan could write such a review 'cause dutch fans are true fans, and it makes me pleased 'cause I know you're very critical about Stones show and you're a fan of Micky Lovely Taylor area!!! Ronnie is fucking great on this tour!! And Jagger look like a teen ager with anger, Keith, no comment and Charlie is as good as ever !! "but they don't allow him to sing!!!"
I think the DVD will be released on November!!
A show like this ??? Everyday of my fuckin' life!
07-18-03 09:58 PM
TheSavageYoungXyzzy
quote:
gotdablouse wrote:
So Savage, are you going to write a post "A Guitar God is Dead"...looks like you were completely off mark with your "A Guitar God id Born" post of last year. Can't say we didn't tell you.



Hey, at least I stand by that article. I know some on this board who are very keen on the ol' Edit button.

And I still do stand by it. That show, that night, Ronnie carried Keith, possibly for the first time ever. Was it an uneven opener? Hell yes, looking back on it. How much did I care - absolutely zilch. It was fan-fucking-tastic to hear Ronnie unleashing solos like that. And he did it again in January, although this time Keith really beat the hell out of his guitar too.

The boy had a bad coupl'a openin' songs. Take a look at Osaka and see what happens when Keith has a bad song. You don't see Ronnie doing that, do you? He picks up his guitar and keeps going. And damnit, on his good nights he's better than Taylor.

The fact that his good nights and Keith's good nights seem to run on the menstrual period cycle and at different times of the month is rather disconcerting, though. They need to get their acts back together, Ronnie and Keith both.

-tSYX --- Take a look at the guy...
07-18-03 11:22 PM
sammy davis jr. On his good nights he's better than Taylor? I don't see that at all my friend. Granted, Mick T just stood there like a statue, but no way Ronnie ever played as good as Taylor. I for one though, do like Ronnie's stage antics- they make up for his lack of skills.
07-18-03 11:47 PM
TheSavageYoungXyzzy
quote:
sammy davis jr. wrote:
On his good nights he's better than Taylor? I don't see that at all my friend. Granted, Mick T just stood there like a statue, but no way Ronnie ever played as good as Taylor. I for one though, do like Ronnie's stage antics- they make up for his lack of skills.



He stands like a statue, becomes one with the machine...

...and if you compare '72 to '75, I think it all comes down to personal preference.

-tSYX --- But the air is perfumed by the burning firewood...
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