| August 21st, 2005 11:54 PM |
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| Gimme Shelter |
I got a feeling the arena show is when the gems will come out such as Sway. But I 'll bet the stadium shows will be a real spectacle. |
| August 22nd, 2005 12:01 AM |
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| scope |
What a day/night. My first opener ever, and it did not disappoint. Yes, the setlist didn't hold many surprises, but the band was tight and everybody was ON. Ronnie, especially as noted by Nanky. I am really exhausted but had to share some of this with you guys. One thing I learned is that starting the pre-show party 7 hours really takes it's toll. From now on, I'm limitng myself to 6 hours.
So Max, remember how good Oh No sounded at Juilliard? Ten times better tonight. Back of My Hand with Mick on slide - fantastic.
Ray Charles' Nighttime (Nigth&Day) was absolutely great. If they were selling a copy of that track outside i would have bought 10 copies for all of you. Lisa was great on this one with that Baaaaaaby line.
Oh yeah, B-stage??? How about an A b c d e f g stage? While singing Miss You, the fuckin stage started moving on tracks out into the audience. They played the whole time it was moving both the way out and the way in. Sound mix was perfect, guitars up, piano down.
Yes there was a little down side. I don't know what was going on with Sympathy. Seemed like they were trying to do a hal rap version of it with Mick sort of speaking the lines...didn't work. She's So Cold ended weird, almost like they weren't sure to stop. But these are picky items. The boys are back and the boys are ON.
Stopped by Shidoobee's gathering on the way - Doug says hi to everyone. Voodoo, I could have sold a dozen t-shirts. I was the envy of everyone there with the black Keithfucious.
More comments and pictures to come tomorrow. i am beat up right now and about to crash.
-scope |
| August 22nd, 2005 12:04 AM |
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| T&A |
Pretty Beat Up, eh Scope? Thanks for taking the time to report. I haven't heard it but isn't SFTD out now in some kind of new rap/mix? Maybe that's what they were aiming for.
The b-stage idea does sound interesting...wonder if it'll have an arena version. |
| August 22nd, 2005 12:05 AM |
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| TheSavageYoungXyzzy |
I'm back!
I'll post a full review in the morning.
Long story short:
-This felt like sitting in on a rehearsal. It took a while for them to get "into the groove." "Shattered" in particular was miserable, although they did show some crowd shots and I think Doug was on the screen. Couldn't tell from where I was sitting.
-I could hear Chuck on maybe two times and both times it was plonk-free and awesome. Chuck, whatever you're doing, keep it up, because that was fantastic.
-New Stuff: fucking awesome. Stuff that they'd rehearsed: fucking awesome. Stuff they think they know: fucking terrible - missed cues, and nonexistent Ronnie. At least Keith knows the songs, he wrote the damn things. With the war horses Ronnie didn't play on originally, it was painfully obvious he'd gone to a chord site as soon as the setlist was posted and went "fuck, fuck, fuck, how does 'Sympathy' go? I've been fucking trashed so long I can't remember how this one goes sober."
-The B-Stage, ah, the B-stage. The B-stage now moves! Charlie's drums are up on a slightly raised platform with a little overhang and that thing moves out to the B-Stage, so during "Miss You" (which kicked ass, surprisingly, probably because they fucking rehearsed it more than once!) they drove out and during "Honky Tonk Women" they drove back (Ronnie leaned over the stage and tried to help them unlatch the thing, leaving Keith free time to be Keith), revealing a giant inflatable tongue perched over the stage!
-The entire set on the B-Stage was gold. It was like getting a whole different band. For one thing, Keith and Ronnie switched roles - Ronnie played steady rhythm and Keith played biting lead, which was how their guitars were set up level-wise anyway. Then Ronnie started working some goofy little solo lines into his rhythm sections and let Keith wail away, resulting in the incredible thing that is "Oh No, Not You Again." Give those boys a medal, they have finally written another classic, lame Jagger lyrics aside.
-Currently, my vote for best song of the evening goes to "Out Of Control," surprisingly, if only because it was the song where the guitarists figured out what they were doing, allowing Mick to go totally berzerk at the end. Ronnie, who seemed so terribly unsteady on the wah during "Heartbreaker" (didn't play on the record) played an *insane* part and took an *insane* solo (supposedly did play on the record - does he remember it?) and then Keith came in during the builds to the choruses and it turned into what can only be described as a sonic assault. I never thought I'd ever find myself saying this, but "Out Of Control" was... well... out-of-control awesome. I can't wait to hear the bootleg from this. You can hear the crowd go "Oh, boy, another boring new song" and start to sit down, then as the chorus kicks in they go "wait, why is this good?" and start dancing.
-during the Ray Charles song, Lisa came out and sang a verse. Stole the show. Well, that got Mick fired up. During his last verse he let out a scream and the band went wild and Keith played some blistering blues leads (why don't you do that every song, Keith, and let power-chop Ronnie do what he does best instead of asking him to solo over songs you clearly didn't rehearse with him?) and the house was brought down.
The mix: Keith too high and trebly (god forbid he drag his hands up the neck there to solo on the higher frets, his treble was up so high it even hurt his ears) Ronnie too low and bass-driven (rendering the few good solos - and he did have some surprisingly kickass solos in between the meandering lost-dog ones - largely buried), but that might have been for the best this show as Keith, though he had some terrible fuckups and dead-air moments, was the better-equipped of the pair. Mick dead on. Charlie dead on. Chuck, the backups and the horns exactly where they should be in the mix.
From non-fans:
My father said the same thing I did - sounded like a rehearsal. At times, though, he said, he realized why they get to charge the ticket prices they do.
My mother, who knows nothing about the Stones, said "Mick Jagger is a superstar. An incredible, incredible human being. The rest of them are, uh, showing their age."
When my mother asked "What would you have liked to hear?" in the car on the way home, the response was unanimous: "Gimme Shelter." With Lisa in such good voice it'd be a crime not to bring it out this tour.
Pictures: I have only two, unfortunately, both taken during IORR. Both hi-res. Will post tomorrow. For now I can try to answer one or two questions before crashing for bed. |
| August 22nd, 2005 12:10 AM |
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| scope |
I was in the stands off to Ronnie's side and teh sound was good from there. Where were you? Agree with you on Out of Control - great job. |
| August 22nd, 2005 12:14 AM |
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| TheSavageYoungXyzzy |
Same place, but way off to the side on Ronnie's end. I could hear nothing but Keith most of the time. When I did hear Ronnie I mostlywent "huh, that was pretty good," but once or twice I cringed and went "shit, man, just stop" - what was up with "Jumping Jack Flash?" If he played that guitar countermelody one more time I'd've had to've been like that guy who tried to jump onstage with Mick during "Brown Sugar" with a broom and play air guitar, just to help him!
But on the plus side, he did take amazing solos on "Out Of Control" (previously mentioned), "Rough Justice," "Beast Of Burden" and especially "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - that one was uplifting, reminiscent of the '75 versions. |
| August 22nd, 2005 12:17 AM |
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| lotsajizz |
Ah, what a night!! They media had us in a panic about the scene outside, but it was less hectic than your average Yankee-Red Sox game. I met Nellcote for the first time in the left field grandstand--a real gentlemen and one I hope I can buy a drink for earlier on Tuesday. The stage!!! What a sight--first, the weird juxtaposition of the holy shrine of Fenway hosting this band!! second, the awesome spectacle of this five story thing!! The B-stage came out from the main stage on rails! fireworks to end the show
the setlist and first impressions--
Start Me Up--the perfect opener
You Got Me Rockin’--I love this tune, a great singalong, fuck its detractors
Shattered---faster than some past versions, flawlessly played
Tumbling Dice--a warhorse
Rough Justice--excellent, better than studio, a little ragged on the ending
Back Of My Hand--Mick on the slide, sounded good but to be honest this was my bathroom break song
Beast of Burden--sang well
She’s So Cold---punky and feisty
Heartbreaker(DooDoo+)
Night Time Is The Right Time--Lisa belted this one out sounding like Etta James
intros
The Worst--sung in duet with Bernard with Keith’s arm around his shoulder, featured a clarinet or oboe solo (!)
Infamy--Keith’s best new tune in years, nine mid-tempo rocker with a cool riff
Miss You--Mick wore a handless microphone, first time I ever saw that, the main stage center seperated and slid out to its B-stage location!!
Oh No, Not You Again--better than press conference
Satisfaction--best version I’ve ever heard
Honky Tonk Women--B stage slides back, a madman playing a broom came on to the stage and had his ass kicked after ten seconds of fame
Out Of Control--good to see this one back, Mick sang the shit out of it
Sympathy For The Devil--shorter than past years, Mick climbed to stage’s second level, the fire flashes for each ‘Pleased to meet you’ were impressive
Jumping Jack Flash--complete with horns
Brown Sugar--rockin’
e=You Can’t Always Get What You Want
e=It’s Only Rock N’ Roll
smooth exit, not bad traffic
lots of security but not assholes
What a night!!
Now for a few whiskeys!!
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| August 22nd, 2005 12:25 AM |
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| TheSavageYoungXyzzy |
I'm so mad I had to miss all the pre-show gatherings - damn family affairs croppin' into my Stones business! I did see one guy with an RO t-shirt, but he disappeared before I could say hello.
Glad to know everyone had a good time! I'll do my damndest to make it out on Tuesday. |
| August 22nd, 2005 12:29 AM |
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| scope |
Which shirt? The black one? Hey, maybe it was me. I didn't see many wearing these at all. |
| August 22nd, 2005 12:34 AM |
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| Poplar |
BOSTON A woman attending the Rolling Stones' concert at Fenway Park tonight is seriously injured.
According to broadcast reports, the woman climbed to an upper deck at the park before falling at least 30 feet to the area below the deck.
She was taken by ambulance to Beth Israel Hospital.
Police and fire officials did not immediately have any details.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. |
| August 22nd, 2005 12:35 AM |
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| ehellweg |
this was my 6th time seeing the boys. 89, 94, 97, 03 (2x) and tonight. had pretty good seats, but the set list didnt' really rock me. what did rock me, you ask? The Worst. hands down, the highlight of the night. it was an opening night, fercrissakes. you can't expect magic outta these guys on night #1. but they delivered. i love em. hearing keef's tone ring true while in fenway was pretty much a match made in heaven for this masshole. can't wait to see em tuesday and read the setlists for the rest of the tour.
off to bed! |
| August 22nd, 2005 12:41 AM |
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| VoodooChileInWOnderl |
Great to hear reviews from those who just have left the stadium THANK YOU
Now this is some guests, Peter Wolf from the J Geils Band, Carly Simon and Steven Tyler from Aerosmith, backstage before the show. Thanks Sue
This was the cake commemorating this kick off
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| August 22nd, 2005 12:44 AM |
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| T&A |
a fellow over on IORR says that SFTD was absent the drum loop (yay!) and it an arrangement closer to the '69 version. Hmm? Really? Hard to believe... |
| August 22nd, 2005 12:45 AM |
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| texile |
jizz - you went to the BATHROOM?
you go BEFORE.....
T&A - you're so cruel....
poor babies;
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| August 22nd, 2005 12:46 AM |
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| texile |
who said it?
WILD WARHORSES...lol - that's IT! |
| August 22nd, 2005 12:51 AM |
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| VoodooChileInWOnderl |
quote:
T&A wrote:
a fellow over on IORR says that SFTD was absent the drum loop (yay!) and it an arrangement closer to the '69 version. Hmm? Really? Hard to believe...
That version of SFTD is great so it sounds good to me, but what about the solos |
| August 22nd, 2005 01:03 AM |
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| TheSavageYoungXyzzy |
quote:
T&A wrote:
a fellow over on IORR says that SFTD was absent the drum loop (yay!) and it an arrangement closer to the '69 version. Hmm? Really? Hard to believe...
Confirm - but don't get too happy, it sounded more like the '69 version with a pair of guitarists who didn't know when to come in and a singer thrown off because of it. Painfully underrehearsed. Keith's solo, however, was spot-on crazy as usual. |
| August 22nd, 2005 01:07 AM |
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| T&A |
ah, well - can't have everything, eh? Still to know they have finally gotten rid of that gawd awful drum loop is a welcome step in the right direction. maybe with a little work things will improve here.... |
| August 22nd, 2005 01:12 AM |
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| VoodooChileInWOnderl |
This is also from yahoo news not posted by moy
here you can see the ON STAGE LUCKY BASTARDS
The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger points towards fans with onstage tickets during the Rolling Stones concert at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, August 21, 2005. The band kick off their 2005 'A Bigger Bang' world tour Sunday night. A small number of fans were given tickets to watch the show from the wings onstage. REUTERS/Brian Snyder |
| August 22nd, 2005 01:14 AM |
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| lotsajizz |
they weren't so lucky...the in stage seats were less than impressive
a couple of points I remembered before my next whiskey and reefer--Daryl Jones now wears glasses...no background singers or horns until fourth song, Tumbling Dice |
| August 22nd, 2005 01:15 AM |
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| Poplar |
quote:
texile wrote:
who said it?
WILD WARHORSES...lol - that's IT!
heh heh... when it popped in my mind, i laughed too.
solid reviews, despite the conservative setlist.  |
| August 22nd, 2005 01:22 AM |
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| corgi37 |
You know what, i agree. I dont think they have the best seats by a long way. The show isnt "aimed" at them. But, it would be pretty cool if the chunk of stage they were in moved.
But, gimme 5 rows from the front any day. |
| August 22nd, 2005 01:29 AM |
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| VoodooChileInWOnderl |
Ignacio from Montevideo explained at http://rocksoff.org/foro how the stage moves from the main scenario to the b-stage with this photo. The marked stage is the one which moves
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| August 22nd, 2005 02:15 AM |
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| Nellcote |
Not a dry eye in the house.......See below...
Just got home.
I'll give you what's come to mind so far, as Monday morning comes early...
From the 5th row on Ronnie's side this show kicked major butt..
All songs really great.
Opener's can have some warts, however, it's the Stones dammit!
Too many highlights to mention on the music..
Thought Ronnie was slick, effortless. Really in the band mix..
Keith playing with a passion.
Charlie nearly flawless..
Mick is possessed! The man defies all logic.
Some highlights, events witnessed...
As I was exiting "Game On" a sports bar eatery in the building Fenway is housed in, a get a big "NELLCOTE" yell
from, none other than JB! He made the trip!
Did not get to spend much time with him, however, he was quite engaging in person...
Met up with Nanky, Scope & Mrs. Scope, LJ, Lots O Jizz, who recognized my white Rocks Off shirt (pix to be posted later).
Great to see all!
Voodoopug, & Mrs. sat next to us, great to talk to..
Saw Luxy & Throbby, sitting two rows behind us, chatted them frequently..Luxy & I yelling hellos to each other...
Then the incomparable Wintah five rows behind them with his Mindless Records shirt on...
Carly Simon ushered to the row in back of us, five seats away...One moment, I look to my right, my friend is gone, he's managed to sit down next to Carly, he's chatting her up, asks the guy next to her to take their pix together...what a hoot!
Big cheer when John Henry, owner of the Red Sox is escorted to our area...
Mick notes it is great to open in the city of champions..
NE Patriots, Boston Red Sox...
Some crazy comes out from the back of the stage, left, during Brown Sugar, carrying a mike stand, no shirt, with a white bandana, prancing towards Mick. Lisa Fischer looks like she just saw lightning strike. The guy gets tackled, hauled away..
The inflatable flowered tongue during HTW was a bust IMO..
Cool montage video of many different videos during SSC..
The Ray Charles number "Nighttime-Night & Day" was the standout number for me. You could tell they put much time into this rehearsing. Lisa was the show stealer in this number...
Big nod to Wintah for scooping a look at the set list, to give us the high sign for the annual B Stage trek, 4th for me! Ran into Doug Flutie, now NE Patriot back up QB, at the stage, high fived him, he has his own band, plays in the area..Mick doused me at the B stage with a water bottle during ONNYA..
The B Stage thang is cool, as Scope noted, they just keep playing from when it leaves the stage, to when it's docked at the position, then when it comes back. A separate keyboard unit is set up at the B for Chuck. Ronnie had to show Chuck that the stage was returning again, and that he needed to jump to the B Stage keyboards, it was one of those moments...
Tommy Hilfiger clothes designer came in and sat near Carly Simon..
Ronnie grabs a swig of a water bottle, winds up and throws it out into the crowd, the bottle hits a few people right in front of me, soaked my buddy & myself, the bottle ending up in my son's hands....Then during YCAGWYW, Ronnie tosses a pick into the crowd, bounces thru three people, my son looks down, it's at his feet!...Has the tongue on one side and A Bigger Bang on the other...Unreal!
My son's 1st Stones show, @ 16...night he'll remember
Summary, what's not to like about this?
Men in their 60's who've been trashed from post to pillar for being old by the media, performing like they were just starting out...There's a fire in the belly of this edition of The Stones, which looks like it could burn for a good while...
Time to grab some sleep. I know more will come to me about tonight, however, it's been a long four days, need to recharge for Tuesday night....
Great to see everyone, look forward to meeting up with more of you down the Stones road...
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| August 22nd, 2005 03:28 AM |
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| UGot2Rollme |
great to read all the reviews - I like the setlist, especially inclusion of Beast, Miss You, Out of Control (maybe in minority here) - also 22 songs is quite good...
I'm a little concerned about the moving stage, however - an accident waiting to happen for Keef. Any bets on which show he'll take his first tumble off it?
Keep on Rollin! |
| August 22nd, 2005 03:40 AM |
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| beer |
So, did any of you bastards record the show?
Nellcote, i liked your review, your son is very lucky to get that pick!
As far as the setlist goes, it desperately needed a rare gem. Their catalog of songs is so huge, the possibilities are endless. Something to get hardcore fans excited. 4 new songs and a new cover is cool, but a true rarity woulda been great.
anyway, I still would have loved to have been there!
- |
| August 22nd, 2005 03:53 AM |
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| UGot2Rollme |
review from the Toronto Sun:
BOSTON -- The Rolling Stones met The Green Monster last night as the veteran British rockers launched their world tour at Fenway Park.
The band, fresh from month-long rehearsals in Toronto -- including a club show at the Phoenix just 12 days ago -- drew a sold-out crowd of 30,000 to the oldest major league baseball park in North America which hosted the world series winning Boston Red Sox just last fall.
"Yankees suck! Yankees suck!" chanted the boomer-heavy audience as the Stones took the stage on a muggy summer evening.
In fact, the green baseball diamond was still visible on the floor with chairs for concertgoers positioned around it.
"It's great to be back in Boston, I can tell you that, the city of champions," said wildly energetic lead singer Mick Jagger, 62, initially dressed in a silver velvet fedora and matching, short-cropped jacket.
Guitarist Keith Richards, 61, who later took over on lead vocals for two songs including set highlight Infamy from the Stones' forthcoming new studio album, A Bigger Bang, referred to the ballpark as "hallowed ground."
But the place to be may have been the two levels of standing room seats for about 250 concert-goers that were actually built into the Stones enormous gleaming steel stage -- believed to be the largest of its kind ever for a rock and roll show at 90 feet tall and 285 feet wide, the span of a 747 airplane.
The first and second levels of built-in seating were 35 and 45 feet, respectively, above the stage, on either side of a remarkably crisp-looking video screen. The major downside to those seats was that people were largely looking at the back of Jagger, Richards, guitarist Ron Wood, 58, drummer Charlie Watts, 64, and the rest of the touring band which numbered 13 people on stage at its biggest configuration.
You also have to wonder about the sound back there given it wasn't the greatest at the side of the stage but much-improved in front of it.
Other bells and whistles included various staircases and catwalks and a smaller, b-stage which broke apart from the main stage and saw the band travel across the floor during Miss You in a neat visual trick.
When the mini-stage moved backwards during Honky Tonk Women to join the main stage again, a large pair of blue, flowered inflated lips floated up behind the group.
The Stones opened their two-hour-and-10-minute show with the rather predictable duo of Start Me Up and You Got Me Rockin' -- fireworks notwithstanding -- before really hitting their groove with Shattered and Tumblin' Dice.
Truthfully, whenever the band, rounded out by Chuck Leavell on keyboards and Darryl Jones on bass, grew to include three back-up singers and a four-man horn section they better suited the gigantic setting. Particularly good in that regard was the cover of Ray Charles' Nighttime (Is the Right Time), which saw backup singer Lisa Fisher let it rip soulfully and impressively, while a large image of Charles was shown up on the video screen.
Richards was also in good form on lead vocals for both The Worst -- which saw backup singer Bernard Fowler share a microphone with him -- and Infamy, which proved to be the best of the four new tunes played last night (the same four they played at the Phoenix.)
Other highlights included Beast Of Burden, Miss You, Sympathy For The Devil and You Can't Always Get What You Want, and yes, more crowd-pleasing fireworks at the end of the show.
But couldn't we all have done without Jagger welcoming California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the concert? He was apparently in the audience on an unsuccessful fundraising mission much to the chagrin of a small group of protesting nurses from his state who were demonstrating outside the venue against his plan to increase the patient to nurse ratio.
The Stones have a second sold-out show at Fenway Park tomorrow night and don't return to Toronto to play the Rogers Centre -- formerly SkyDome -- until Sept. 26.
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| August 22nd, 2005 04:51 AM |
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| Gazza |
thanks to all of you who posted reviews. Glad you had such a great time
WTF is that crap about Schwarzenegger, though. Jeez. Liked the Ray Charles touch, however... |
| August 22nd, 2005 05:23 AM |
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| Jumacfly |
THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS AND PICS GUYS!!!
what a lame set list..if they play it each night, i will save my money next year!!! |
| August 22nd, 2005 05:29 AM |
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| charlotte |
Thanks everyone...so if they played for only the die hard,crazed,tightassed 40 years die in the wool hard core stones fan, 2-3 thousand in the stands, but I have read and heard from those who were there a good mix age group, new or newer Stones fans! set list-opening night, very good, and most importantly-from every accounts the band was stellar
Great job Scope!!! Did LJ go back with MJ?? |
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