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A Bigger Bang Tour 2007

The O² Arena, London, 26th August 2007
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Topic: Slane Castle, Slane (near Dublin), Aug 18, 2007 - Setlist, Photos & Reviews Return to archive Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
18th August 2007 09:01 PM
parmeda
quote:
VoodooChileInWOnderl wrote:



...oh, my lord.

Talk about taking something and running with it? LOL!

I think the only thing funnier would have to be the look on Gazza's face when it was presented to him!

18th August 2007 09:24 PM
MRD8 Is Slane an example of the "special" shows they are going to play in London? One song they haven't played on this leg so far...what a joke!
18th August 2007 10:01 PM
Gazza
quote:
steel driving hammer wrote:


Thanks but I thought you said "Digital"



Hmmm...Its quite hard to send a photo with a digital camera unless you happen to have a computer next to you....
18th August 2007 10:05 PM
mrhipfl
quote:
Gazza wrote:


Hmmm...Its quite hard to send a photo with a digital camera unless you happen to have a computer next to you....



well Gazza, I know you must be tired and drunk at rocked outta your skull and all......BUT, if you would read some more posts about the subject you would see that the whole thing about "digital" was a joke. (That is if I read it right)
18th August 2007 10:06 PM
SweetVirginia Fantastic job of reporting from the field, Gazza.
Many thanks to you and Meg for bringing us the show.

18th August 2007 10:09 PM
Gazza
quote:
Mr Jurkka wrote:
I really tought they would change the 'warhorses' for this night or to the London shows.



Not me. For probably about 80-90% of that crowd, it was probably their first Stones show. Taking that into account, the setlist worked just fine. The crowd ABSOLUTELY loved it from start to finish. Wonderful to see so many young people coming out afterwards and saying how great they were.

Just got home. very high energy show for probably the youngest crowd I can remember at any Stones gig I've been at. The band were all in good form, Mick especially just continues to defy description. Keith seemed lively enough. A few bum notes here and there but I certainly didnt see any cause for alarm. 'You got the silver' was really nice.

Highlights for me were 'Dead Flowers' (with Keith on backing vocals), 'Midnight Rambler' and 'Tumbling Dice'. Local boy Ronnie got the biggest ovation I've ever heard him get - Mick had to stop the intros until the crowd finished chanting his name. Ronnie of course absolutely milked it to death.

I'll write a bit more tomorrow after some sleep. Really enjoyable show. Roll on Tuesday.
[Edited by Gazza]
18th August 2007 10:25 PM
GotToRollMe
quote:
VoodooChileInWOnderl wrote:




New official Rocks Off t-shirt, Voo?
18th August 2007 10:33 PM
GotToRollMe
quote:
Gazza wrote:


Not me. For probably about 80-90% of that crowd, it was probably their first Stones show. Taking that into account, the setlist worked just fine. The crowd ABSOLUTELY loved it from start to finish. Wonderful to see so many young people coming out afterwards and saying how great they were.

Just got home. very high energy show for probably the youngest crowd I can remember at any Stones gig I've been at. The band were all in good form, Mick especially just continues to defy description. Keith seemed lively enough. A few bum notes here and there but I certainly didnt see any cause for alarm. 'You got the silver' was really nice.

Highlights for me were 'Dead Flowers' (with Keith on backing vocals), 'Midnight Rambler' and 'Tumbling Dice'. Local boy Ronnie got the biggest ovation I've ever heard him get - Mick had to stop the intros until the crowd finished chanting his name. Ronnie of course absolutely milked it to death.

I'll write a bit more tomorrow after some sleep. Really enjoyable show. Roll on Tuesday.
[Edited by Gazza]



So glad you enjoyed the show, Gazza. Also great to hear that Keith sang backup on "Dead Flowers." Thanks for sharing it with us. Now go raise some hell in London, kid.


[Edited by GotToRollMe]
19th August 2007 12:42 AM
mojoman
quote:
Gazza wrote:


Not me. For probably about 80-90% of that crowd, it was probably their first Stones show. Taking that into account, the setlist worked just fine. The crowd ABSOLUTELY loved it from start to finish. Wonderful to see so many young people coming out afterwards and saying how great they were.

Just got home. very high energy show for probably the youngest crowd I can remember at any Stones gig I've been at. The band were all in good form, Mick especially just continues to defy description. Keith seemed lively enough. A few bum notes here and there but I certainly didnt see any cause for alarm. 'You got the silver' was really nice.

Highlights for me were 'Dead Flowers' (with Keith on backing vocals), 'Midnight Rambler' and 'Tumbling Dice'. Local boy Ronnie got the biggest ovation I've ever heard him get - Mick had to stop the intros until the crowd finished chanting his name. Ronnie of course absolutely milked it to death.

I'll write a bit more tomorrow after some sleep. Really enjoyable show. Roll on Tuesday.
[Edited by Gazza]



Gazza above and beyond the call...the last call!!!
Do you ever sleep? Bless Ya!!!
19th August 2007 02:14 AM
Strange_Stray_Cat
quote:
Gazza wrote:


Not me. For probably about 80-90% of that crowd, it was probably their first Stones show. Taking that into account, the setlist worked just fine. The crowd ABSOLUTELY loved it from start to finish. Wonderful to see so many young people coming out afterwards and saying how great they were.

Just got home. very high energy show for probably the youngest crowd I can remember at any Stones gig I've been at. The band were all in good form, Mick especially just continues to defy description. Keith seemed lively enough. A few bum notes here and there but I certainly didnt see any cause for alarm. 'You got the silver' was really nice.

Highlights for me were 'Dead Flowers' (with Keith on backing vocals), 'Midnight Rambler' and 'Tumbling Dice'. Local boy Ronnie got the biggest ovation I've ever heard him get - Mick had to stop the intros until the crowd finished chanting his name. Ronnie of course absolutely milked it to death.

I'll write a bit more tomorrow after some sleep. Really enjoyable show. Roll on Tuesday.
[Edited by Gazza]



Glad you enjoyed it!
19th August 2007 02:46 AM
axl79 I'm glad they are playing good and that Keith seems to be fine.

Thanks for bringing us the setlist, Gazza and PartyDoll MEG !
[Edited by axl79]
19th August 2007 03:13 AM
montana video report

http://www.rte.ie/ under video highlight banner
19th August 2007 03:29 AM
montana from polfoto.dk









19th August 2007 04:36 AM
albert
quote:
parmeda wrote:


I think the only thing funnier would have to be the look on Gazza's face when it was presented to him!





Gazza: ' bastards,.....fucking bastards..........'

gr,
Albert
Holland
19th August 2007 04:46 AM
albert
quote:
Gazza wrote:


Not me. For probably about 80-90% of that crowd, it was probably their first Stones show. Taking that into account, the setlist worked just fine. The crowd ABSOLUTELY loved it from start to finish. Wonderful to see so many young people coming out afterwards and saying how great they were.

Just got home. very high energy show for probably the youngest crowd I can remember at any Stones gig I've been at. The band were all in good form, Mick especially just continues to defy description. Keith seemed lively enough. A few bum notes here and there but I certainly didnt see any cause for alarm. 'You got the silver' was really nice.

Highlights for me were 'Dead Flowers' (with Keith on backing vocals), 'Midnight Rambler' and 'Tumbling Dice'. Local boy Ronnie got the biggest ovation I've ever heard him get - Mick had to stop the intros until the crowd finished chanting his name. Ronnie of course absolutely milked it to death.

I'll write a bit more tomorrow after some sleep. Really enjoyable show. Roll on Tuesday.
[Edited by Gazza]





Gazza, got home safe? walking through all the mud?? Had a reaL good time yesterday. Have a good time in London.
(did you sleep well in your t-shirt??)

Good show, very nice crowd and venue!!
I'm not good at giving a song by song report but DeadFlowers and Midnight Rambler were highlights.
All by all the Stones seemed to be enjoying it very much same as the crowd. Just to Dublin now for two days and then back home. Ireland is great!!

gr,
Albert
Holland
19th August 2007 07:22 AM
PartyDoll MEG
quote:
albert wrote:


Gazza: ' bastards,.....fucking bastards..........'

gr,
Albert
Holland

Oh wouldn't we have loved a video of that one..
Great one, Albert!! One for the books..

Thanks for your review..short and sweet like mine
19th August 2007 08:34 AM
open-g Some nice pics from IORR's BV











19th August 2007 08:38 AM
Steel Wheels What a great set list! I love it! The photos are great as well. The Rolling Stones are really kicking ass. Go lads!
19th August 2007 08:49 AM
corgi37 hahaha - cool shot of the chick in red falling down! Ewww, that must stink.

Glad ya liked the show, Gazza. Looks an impressive place. Hope you can remember the "hilarious intros" so you can tell us.

Cheers mate.
19th August 2007 09:20 AM
PartyDoll MEG

LMAO!!

Did you get any like this one, Gazza? If so...produce them please!!




[Edited by PartyDoll MEG]
19th August 2007 09:53 AM
VoodooChileInWOnderl A review of the show with am off-topic intro

Satisfaction is guaranteed, even after all these years

Tools
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Go Sunday August 19 2007


In November, 1963, Mick Jagger, master of the Martini-dry one-liner, observed: "I give the Stones another two years." It is some feat that they have made it this far, not least Mr Limping Hack Trash himself.


In 1985, Charlie Watts, the legendary sticks-man with The Rolling Stones, almost knocked Jagger out in a hotel in Amsterdam after a moment of classic Jagger insolence.

The singer with the bee-sting lips had phoned Watts from the suite where he was having a meeting with Keith Richards and curtly asked: "Where's my drummer?"

"He annoyed me," Watts recalled, with the genteel diplomacy for which he is known, "so I went storming upstairs and told him not to say things like that."

Keith remembered it slightly differently, however: "There's a knock at the door and there's Charlie Watts, dressed in a Savile Row suit, tie, hair done, shaved, cologne. He walks across to Mick, grabs him and says: 'Never call me your drummer again'. And then bang! Mick is almost out cold on this table in a great silver platter of smoked salmon."

There was plenty of smoked salmon and the like in the Shelbourne on Friday night where Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood was holding court at the bar with his burly security guard and three friends.

With the trifling matter of the band playing to a sold-out crowd of 80,000 people in Slane Castle -- 25 years after the Stones first performed in Lord Henry Mount Charles's back-garden in Co Meath -- the skinny-legged guitarist obviously had no plans to stay up seven nights on the trot. Like he did that famous week in New York in the late Seventies with Keith Richards -- with the assistance of a small mountain of cocaine. These days, Ronnie doesn't even drink.

On Friday night, he was possibly pondering the sobering thought that tight-as-two-coats-of-paint Mr Jagger kept him on a mere salary for 17 years until, over Jagger's objections, Ronnie was reluctantly made a "junior member" of one of the world's biggest bands. (Clearly, Jagger's time at the London School of Economics has stood to him, despite leaving in 1963 without his degree.)

There was a rumour that Mick's ex-wife Jerry Hall had been seen in the restaurant of the hotel. I heard another rumour that Jagger was in the bar of the Four Seasons in Ballsbridge with the Honourable Desmond Guinness and his granddaughter, Irish supermodel Jasmine Guinness.

Still, the Stones have lived with rumour as a matter of course. My favourite is that in the late Seventies, Jagger, then the undisputed homo-erotic prince of rock, had decided he wanted to have a sex change. Mick was, allegedly, only dissuaded from becoming Michelle when the band protested that they didn't want to tour with a moody girl singer.

Other made-up rubbish that made it into print include the one about Richards having his blood changed in a Swiss clinic in the early Eighties to cleanse him after years of heroin use and the like; that the Stones worshipped Satan (film-maker Kenneth Anger once said -- ridiculously -- that Richards' then girlfriend Anita Pallenberg was a witch); that Mick had sex with David Bowie (denied by both -- despite the claims of Bowie's ex-wife Angie); that Richards snorted the ashes of his father.

A voracious reader, Richards was humorously referring to Sir James Frazer's The Golden Bough and the Stone Age custom of the king of the clan having his body "snorted to ward off the guilt of his malevolent spirit and to absorb his powers."

Yesterday, every road in Ireland seemed to be leading to Slane Castle as 80,000 people hoped to absorb the mythical powers of the kings of the rock 'n' roll clan, Richards and Jagger. They were due to unleash their mythical power on a suitably king-sized stage at 8pm last night.

The sense of expectation in the town was palpable as thousands of high-spirited fans in Stones lip-logo sweatshirts took turns to murder ageless classics like Angie, Sympathy For The Devil and, of course, I Can't Get No Satisfaction. They had all come to see the men who were once symbols of excess, the Sixties' answer to Baudelaire and Byron. There were no impromptu acts of sex on the streets of Slane village brought on by listening to Stones records. The concert-goers, rather, were depressingly well-behaved and polite. So in the end, Mick 'n' Keef haven't -- as was feared in the late Sixties -- undermined Western civilisation with drugs and amoral music.

In the VIP area, Louis Walsh, Mai Frisby, Stephen Rea and Sarah Owens mingled with VIP magazine publisher Michael O'Doherty and the Lipsett sisters, Roz et al. "Everyone is looking forward to an historic evening," Justin Green of MCD told me yesterday at lunchtime "It is historic -- the Stones coming back to play Slane after 25 years."

The aforementioned Louis Walsh was at that show in 1982. "I will never forget it. It was a brilliant show and it was a big event. I know tonight's show is sold out," Louis told me, "but back then the Stones were the biggest rock band on the planet. I don't think they are anymore.

"I took photographs and hung out in the castle. Jagger looks a bit old now. All the great artists like the Bowies and the Bonos all look old now," Louis added with a charming cattiness.

"Jagger is an amazing performer but he couldn't sell a solo album to save his life. But I am a huge fan of the Stones," said Louis.

(The Stones' second-biggest fan after Louis, my big brother Paul, had to cancel his Slane pilgrimage after he got some great news: his beautiful French wife Delphine gave birth yesterday to Joshua, a 7lbs 8ozs bundle of joy.)

The Stones left their hotel, the Four Seasons in Dublin, in a fleet of limos at 5pm yesterday evening before travelling in another fleet of helicopters to the venue by the River Boyne. (And they will possibly need a fleet of cars to carry the money MCD's esteemed Denis Desmond is paying them for the show.) Before the show, Jagger, as English as treason, watched a special satellite link-up to the English County Cricket final. Ever the picture of scruffy elegance, Richards was probably skulking in his backstage lair, drinking Jack Daniels -- like General Gordon in his tent at Khartoum with the Mahdi's dervishes wailing at the walls of his encampment.

Jagger and Richards, Wood and Jagger's drummer -- sorry, I mean the incomparable Charlie Watts -- are still the greatest rock 'n' roll band in the world. And like the old bluesmen of the Mississippi Delta, the Stones just get better with age.

It's only rock 'n' roll but the 80,000 people at Slane Castle like it.

19th August 2007 10:49 AM
GotToRollMe
quote:
albert wrote:

Gazza: ' bastards,.....fucking bastards..........'

gr,
Albert
Holland



LOL!!! Priceless, Albert! Nice job!
19th August 2007 11:01 AM
GotToRollMe
quote:
VoodooChileInWOnderl wrote:
A review of the show with am off-topic intro

Satisfaction is guaranteed, even after all these years

Tools
Print Email Search
Search
Go Sunday August 19 2007


In November, 1963, Mick Jagger, master of the Martini-dry one-liner, observed: "I give the Stones another two years." It is some feat that they have made it this far, not least Mr Limping Hack Trash himself.


In 1985, Charlie Watts, the legendary sticks-man with The Rolling Stones, almost knocked Jagger out in a hotel in Amsterdam after a moment of classic Jagger insolence.

The singer with the bee-sting lips had phoned Watts from the suite where he was having a meeting with Keith Richards and curtly asked: "Where's my drummer?"

"He annoyed me," Watts recalled, with the genteel diplomacy for which he is known, "so I went storming upstairs and told him not to say things like that."

Keith remembered it slightly differently, however: "There's a knock at the door and there's Charlie Watts, dressed in a Savile Row suit, tie, hair done, shaved, cologne. He walks across to Mick, grabs him and says: 'Never call me your drummer again'. And then bang! Mick is almost out cold on this table in a great silver platter of smoked salmon."

There was plenty of smoked salmon and the like in the Shelbourne on Friday night where Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood was holding court at the bar with his burly security guard and three friends.

With the trifling matter of the band playing to a sold-out crowd of 80,000 people in Slane Castle -- 25 years after the Stones first performed in Lord Henry Mount Charles's back-garden in Co Meath -- the skinny-legged guitarist obviously had no plans to stay up seven nights on the trot. Like he did that famous week in New York in the late Seventies with Keith Richards -- with the assistance of a small mountain of cocaine. These days, Ronnie doesn't even drink.

On Friday night, he was possibly pondering the sobering thought that tight-as-two-coats-of-paint Mr Jagger kept him on a mere salary for 17 years until, over Jagger's objections, Ronnie was reluctantly made a "junior member" of one of the world's biggest bands. (Clearly, Jagger's time at the London School of Economics has stood to him, despite leaving in 1963 without his degree.)

There was a rumour that Mick's ex-wife Jerry Hall had been seen in the restaurant of the hotel. I heard another rumour that Jagger was in the bar of the Four Seasons in Ballsbridge with the Honourable Desmond Guinness and his granddaughter, Irish supermodel Jasmine Guinness.

Still, the Stones have lived with rumour as a matter of course. My favourite is that in the late Seventies, Jagger, then the undisputed homo-erotic prince of rock, had decided he wanted to have a sex change. Mick was, allegedly, only dissuaded from becoming Michelle when the band protested that they didn't want to tour with a moody girl singer.

Other made-up rubbish that made it into print include the one about Richards having his blood changed in a Swiss clinic in the early Eighties to cleanse him after years of heroin use and the like; that the Stones worshipped Satan (film-maker Kenneth Anger once said -- ridiculously -- that Richards' then girlfriend Anita Pallenberg was a witch); that Mick had sex with David Bowie (denied by both -- despite the claims of Bowie's ex-wife Angie); that Richards snorted the ashes of his father.

A voracious reader, Richards was humorously referring to Sir James Frazer's The Golden Bough and the Stone Age custom of the king of the clan having his body "snorted to ward off the guilt of his malevolent spirit and to absorb his powers."

Yesterday, every road in Ireland seemed to be leading to Slane Castle as 80,000 people hoped to absorb the mythical powers of the kings of the rock 'n' roll clan, Richards and Jagger. They were due to unleash their mythical power on a suitably king-sized stage at 8pm last night.

The sense of expectation in the town was palpable as thousands of high-spirited fans in Stones lip-logo sweatshirts took turns to murder ageless classics like Angie, Sympathy For The Devil and, of course, I Can't Get No Satisfaction. They had all come to see the men who were once symbols of excess, the Sixties' answer to Baudelaire and Byron. There were no impromptu acts of sex on the streets of Slane village brought on by listening to Stones records. The concert-goers, rather, were depressingly well-behaved and polite. So in the end, Mick 'n' Keef haven't -- as was feared in the late Sixties -- undermined Western civilisation with drugs and amoral music.

In the VIP area, Louis Walsh, Mai Frisby, Stephen Rea and Sarah Owens mingled with VIP magazine publisher Michael O'Doherty and the Lipsett sisters, Roz et al. "Everyone is looking forward to an historic evening," Justin Green of MCD told me yesterday at lunchtime "It is historic -- the Stones coming back to play Slane after 25 years."

The aforementioned Louis Walsh was at that show in 1982. "I will never forget it. It was a brilliant show and it was a big event. I know tonight's show is sold out," Louis told me, "but back then the Stones were the biggest rock band on the planet. I don't think they are anymore.

"I took photographs and hung out in the castle. Jagger looks a bit old now. All the great artists like the Bowies and the Bonos all look old now," Louis added with a charming cattiness.

"Jagger is an amazing performer but he couldn't sell a solo album to save his life. But I am a huge fan of the Stones," said Louis.

(The Stones' second-biggest fan after Louis, my big brother Paul, had to cancel his Slane pilgrimage after he got some great news: his beautiful French wife Delphine gave birth yesterday to Joshua, a 7lbs 8ozs bundle of joy.)

The Stones left their hotel, the Four Seasons in Dublin, in a fleet of limos at 5pm yesterday evening before travelling in another fleet of helicopters to the venue by the River Boyne. (And they will possibly need a fleet of cars to carry the money MCD's esteemed Denis Desmond is paying them for the show.) Before the show, Jagger, as English as treason, watched a special satellite link-up to the English County Cricket final. Ever the picture of scruffy elegance, Richards was probably skulking in his backstage lair, drinking Jack Daniels -- like General Gordon in his tent at Khartoum with the Mahdi's dervishes wailing at the walls of his encampment.

Jagger and Richards, Wood and Jagger's drummer -- sorry, I mean the incomparable Charlie Watts -- are still the greatest rock 'n' roll band in the world. And like the old bluesmen of the Mississippi Delta, the Stones just get better with age.

It's only rock 'n' roll but the 80,000 people at Slane Castle like it.





Great read, Voo! But "...All the great artists like the Bowies and the Bonos..."? I'd hardly put Bono into the same class as Bowie or Jagger.

[Edited by GotToRollMe]
19th August 2007 11:46 AM
PartyDoll MEG
quote:
GotToRollMe wrote:


Great read, Voo! But "...All the great artists like the Bowies and the Bonos..."? I'd hardly put Bono into the same class as Bowie or Jagger.

[Edited by GotToRollMe]

No...but the Irish do!!!!!
19th August 2007 11:57 AM
The Wick Gazza tell us more about the intros. Thanks.
19th August 2007 12:32 PM
GotToRollMe
quote:
PartyDoll MEG wrote:
No...but the Irish do!!!!!



Oh snap...forgot about that.
What an insufferable arse he is though.
(With apologies to all our wee Irish friends...LMAO...)
19th August 2007 12:59 PM
Gazza LOL..I think I built this thing about the intros to be more than it was. A lot of the fun was visual, with much clowning about.

Ronnie was introduced as the "Boy from Naas", and then, resplendent in a green shirt for the occasion came out and stood rubbing his arms as if he was freezing his bollocks off. Being something of a 'local', he got a massive reception. Never seen anything like it, a long chant of "Ronnie, Ronnie, Ronnie" which he of course absolutely milked, prowling around the stage and getting the crowd to keep it going. Mick had to delay Charlie's intro because it went on and on. Ronnie eventually went over to Mick, grabbed his microphone and shouted "Up The Royals" (I assumed this was some Gaelic football reference as I dont know of any football team in ireland with that nickname - with the benefit of research, it seems that Meath (the county where the show took place) is known as the "Royal County", so presumably the local team are known as the 'Royals')

Charlie got introduced as "Charlie O' Watts", Keith got a huge welcome and made some sarcastic wisecrack about the weather. I dont know...I didnt find it THAT cold, to be honest. Depends what youre used to, I suppose.

Musically, they sounded really good. Keith made a bit of a botch of the first part of the solo in 'Rough Justice' - Roadster and I shot ourselves a quick look that said "Eek!" but things soon recovered. His solo in 'Sympathy' was pretty short and ragged, but the song picked up and the latter part of it was pretty glorious. At one point, Mick missed a cue, sang in a place where he wasnt supposed to and Keith looked around in bewilderment with this pricless expression which seemed to say "Jagger - what the fuck ARE you doing?". Otherwise Keith seemed sharp enough. You kinda knew it was gonna be a good night when he absolutely bounded onstage, hit that first chord of 'Start Me Up', kicked his leg in the air and the crowd went absolutely nuts. He came out to both catwalks at various points, got down on his knee to the crowd when playing his solo on 'Tumbling Dice - generally he seemed to be moving around quite well.

Ronnie though was absolutely superb. He really has risen to the challenge this summer when it was needed.

Mick said a few lines in Gaelic before one song. No idea what it was as I dont speak it, and it was probably phonetically strange for some of the locals too., but a nice touch nonetheless. When doing his spoken intro to 'Dead Flowers' he asked 'Do you want me to say it in Gaelic?" and then did! 'Dead Flowers' was really beautiful. Great to see Keith singing back up vocals on it, although it was noticeable that when doing so, he didnt play guitar (it seems to be a Gerald Ford 'dont walk and chew gum at the same time' thing).

'Midnight Rambler' - well, I dont need to say much about it, other than it was utterly explosive. They just always seem to manage to nail this one.

'I go Crazy' went down really well. Helped partly by Lisa wearing a skirt which was flapping around so much in the breeze that at one point you could almost see what she had for breakfast. At the end of it, it just segued into 'Tumbling Dice' without a break which was really nicely done. I've really liked the versions of this song on this tour - Keith's added some extra little touches to the coda at the end which come across as a bit jazzy.

Keith's set worked fine. Sang 'You got the silver really nicely and 'Wanna hold you', a train wreck on some early shows, seems to be working out nicely.

Hard to really judge the b-stage because when youre standing there, youre hearing two sound systems competing with each other and sonically its a bit chaotic. Crowd absolutely went nuts during it though. We were at the back behind Darryl so it was hard to get too many good photos. They went through the closing warhorses really well, with JJF being really good and Brown Sugar was quite flawless.

There was one moment more than any other that took me back to my first show at the same venue in 1982. I distinctly remember watching Mick towards the end of that show on JJF sprinting from one catwalk to the other and thinking "he's almost 39. How the fuck can he do that. He'll never be able to do THAT again in two or three years". Back then, I was 19 and you just associated musicians over 40 in the way we'd see the likes of Chuck Berry nowadays. Well, during 'Brown sugar', Mick just TOOK OFF and SPRINTED like a young gazelle down the catwalk to where the b-stage was. Cue a quite audible mass "GASP" from 60,000 people wondering how the hell a 64 year old man who has been moving like he does for two hours be capable of that.

This was the first time I'd been to Slane in twelve years (my 6th visit overall with 1982 being the first). Theyve certainly organised it a bit better than was the case many years ago and those responsible (and the local police) deserve a lot of credit for doing so, plus the local villagers for putting up with this influx every summer. The ONE sore point was the walk from the buses to the castle itself which took about 75 minutes. Easy enough for someone able bodied like myself, but an absolute nightmare if (like a mate of mine) you're not so lucky. the rain stayed off for most of the day once we arrived, with just a couple of showers during the opening acts. Incredibly muddy in parts though, although we had a bit of canvas to stand on at the b stage which made it easier. dreadful getting out back up that hill in the mud, however. Took at least half an hour to get out of the castle grounds.

Probably the youngest crowd I've ever seen at a Stones gig. Maybe even more so than 1982! When people doubted the Stones could sell this show out beforehand I said that the fact that it was at Slane would mean theyd be guaranteed to sell 30-40,000 tickets regardless of who is on, as this has become the biggest musical 'event' in Ireland every summer. So, it was a very youthful crowd, most of whom would have been seeing the band for the first time. the reaction seemed very positive, with them being really into it from the first number. Hopefully the lively reception from this show and the Isle of Wight festival have shown the Stones the positives to be gained in not continuing to ignore a younger audience.

Also it was probably the most drunken crowd. As the great Spike Milligan once said, "All over the world, people are dying of thirst - but it seems the Irish were born with one". We'd no sooner stepped off the bus at 2.30 pm and there were scores of people already off their tits. Never saw anyone arguing or fighting, though, everyone seemed in high spirits. That said we did see one pair of guys holding on to each other and staggering around in a way where you'd have thought they were siamese twins who had been joined at the shoulder. One of them was a complete bollocks. In the space of 500 yards, he had managed to almost get himself arrested twice by acting the maggot in front of a police car and then a policeman on a horse - and in between that he fell on his arse into a puddle. We were just talking about how much of an idiot he was when we heard this shuffling of feet beside us and looked around just in time to see the silly twat staggering past us and then falling head first into what was probably the deepest and muddiest puddle in the whole of Ireland that afternoon.

So, anyway, a historic day with a bit of an 'alpha omega' to it with the Stones playing what may be their last Irish show (and maybe even their last stadium sized show) back where I'd first saw them a quarter of a century earlier. At that time Mick bade us farewell with a promise "we'll see you again some day". How we laughed at the time of the absurdity of such a remark - then again, it wouldnt be the last time we underestimated how utterly unique this band is.

[Edited by Gazza]
19th August 2007 01:10 PM
Stray Cat UK Just got home from Dublin. I feared the worst as we travelled down on the bus, in torrential rain ,but weather cleared up for Stones - thank god !

Gazza, we have no idea how we missed you .Flairville,his partner and I arrived in golden A , at about 3pm. We "walked the grid" several times before the place really filled up,but no sign of anyone !We ended up against the catwalk,about 25 ft from the front.

On with the show:

What a night ! The crowd were up for it and I think it pushed the boys on to greater heights .

Highlights for me were . All down the line - Keith and Ron on fire !DEAD FLOWERS - if there's a boot with loud frenzied singing it's probably us - Brilliant! Rambler was just fucking awesome.
Never seen Ronnie get a reception like he did last night and the guy deserved it. The apprenticeship is well and truly over.
YGTS - I was tring to film it ,but f**ked up.Probably the tears in my eyes ,it was simply beautiful.
Paint it black was perfect.
JJF - Keith NAILED it and just pounded out the greatest riffs ever, IMHO.He even opened BS right!

Yeah,sure there were some mistakes and mangled solos ,mainly by Keith,but the guy was having a ball,so I'm not going to fret over it.Mick,at 64, defies logic !

My feet are still throbbing from the walk to the buses(trench foot, I think)but it was worth it.

If they scale things down from now on,I think that may have been the last show on that scale.
THE GREATEST ROCK N'ROLL BAND IN THE WORLD - NO CONTEST!

see you on Tuesday !


sc uk
19th August 2007 01:19 PM
GotToRollMe Damn, I just love your reviews, Gazza. They always make me feel as if I was almost there. Thanks so much. All the best to ya this week in London. Have a grand old time, kiddo.
19th August 2007 01:22 PM
LadyJane Great reviews GAzza and sc uk.
Damn this is going to be an emotional week.

I'm crying reading these reviews.
I know.
Big surprise.

LJ.
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