| 12th October 2006 11:03 AM |
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| voodoopug |
As I have always held to, I tell it like it is...there will be no sugar coating here.....Below is the accurate review of the show:
THE POSITIVES:
1. Song Selections - While I agree that 18 is a low number, the weather made sense of it. Big Kudos to Mick and Chuck for the songs chosen. Two songs that I had NEVER seen live and a surprising opener. Very Nice
2. She Was Hot - Sounded as if it has been a part of the setlist for years. Crowd received it great, performance was very good...of course the "Cold CHicago Night" line drew major applause.
3. Mick Jagger - He didnt fuck around...Aside from a dreadful wardrobe.....he rammed the stake firmly into the top of the mountain as the top frontman in music....no one is even in Mick's league.
4. Charlie - Steady as usual, not one missed beat.
5. Soldier Field Staff - Very easy to get in the stadium, no one was being pushy, good "vibe" in the stadium, good job done by the entire soldier field staff.
6. Preparty - aside from the crowd being triple the size anticipated, our food was fantastic and everyone was very nice. Got to see "The Summit Crew", met and spoke to Nanatod (very nice guy), several shidoobees, very nice to see just about everyone.
7. The sound - The mix/volume was very good, first time in a while I had not only heard Daryl so well, but when Ronnie would play a solo, they would kick up his volume just enough to bring him front and center.
8. MOST IMPORTANTLY - RONNIE WOOD. I OWE MR. WOOD A SINCERE APOLOGY. FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS, I HAVE BEEN VERY ROUGH ON RONNIE AS I FELT HE "JUST COULD NOT DO IT" ANYMORE AND WOULD RATHER WAVE AND PANDER TO THE CROWD. I HAVE TO ASSUME THAT SOMEONE HAD A SERIOUS CONVERSATION WITH RONNIE AND TOLD HIM THAT THEY "REALLY NEED HIM" THIS TIME. I PERSONALLY HAVE NEVER HEARD RONNIE PLAY THE WAY HE DID, HE PLAYED AS IF HE HAD SOMETHING TO PROVE, LIKE A MAN IN HIS TWENTIES. IN KEY EVERY SOLO, PLENTY OF EXTRA LICKS, AND AS I WILL GET TO LATER, SEEMINGLY PLAYED TWO GUITAR PARTS AT ONCE ON MANY OCCASSIONS. TO MR WOOD: I APOLOGIZE FOR PREACHING THAT YOU COULD NOT DO IT ANYMORE, YOU SEEM VERY FOCUSED NOW AND CARRIED THE BAND SEVERAL TIMES LAST NIGHT AND REALLY BROUGHT IT HOME. THANK YOU.
The Negatives:
1. Attendance - Anyone who uses weather/prices/etc as justification is living in fantasy land. THEY TARPED OFF THE ENTIRE UPPER SECTIONS....APPROXIMATELY 20K OR MORE SEATS......NOT SOLD, NO ONE THERE. I SEEN ONLY TWO SECTIONS ON THE WEST SIDE WITH PEOPLE THERE. My sister purchased 5th row directly off to the side of the stage (four tickets) at $100 total, $25 each. My friend that came with my wife and I purchased a ticket seated right up against the B Stage on the way into the stadium for $35. Sadly, all of these tickets showed a face value of $0.....whether the sheep will admit it or not......THAT IS A PAPERED TICKET....THEY GAVE THEM AWAY FOR FREE AND THOSE FOLKS STILL REFUSED TO GO INTO THE STADIUM!!!!!!!!! If this is truly the last show in Chicago as I predict, then Michael Cohl and anyone else involved with choosing a stadium venue for the 10th stop since 2002 in Chicago should be ashamed of themselves. While my last memory of Chicago Stones will include a very memorable SHE WAS HOT, it will be tainted by the fact that Cohl set them up to look like jackasses......As anyone in a local band will tell you, and I did it a few times myself, there is no worse feeling as a musician to look out to your crowd and see so many people who have always come out to see you deciding to stay home. Greed on behalf of Cohl has decimated the image of the stones in Chicago! Even FUCKING BON JOVI SOLD OUT SOLDIER FIELD THIS YEAR!!!! This is unaccepatable and all real, and intelligent fans should be outraged and embarrassed!
2. Bootleg T Shirts - They were extremely abundant outside the stadium.....but nothing bigger than the occassional XL, which ran pretty small...I passed. Seeing as though I had all of the official T Shirts that I wanted and nothing new was for sale....this would have been a nice momento...but I guess they have to keep their costs down as well. More disturbing was the police arresting several people trying to sell tickets (at about 10% of face value....taking no money out of Cohl's greedy little pocket), but nevered bothered anyone (literally hundreds) who was selling bootlegged merchandise. Again, I am not asking for them to stop people from selling merchandise...I am all for it......but let the guys sell Stones tickets outside the venue for $8-$50...(See: Rocks Off Member Dan).
3. Beer Vendors - Watch where the fuck you are walking! I had an Aisle seat and took about 12 "beer trays" to my kidney because he had is head up his ass!
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Now on to a more serious note. Many of us here have a great time and post with a lot of humor...please allow me to step aside from any pre conceived feelings any posters have with regards to my posts and personalities...this is as genuine as I can be, and I am posting this next part with as much respect as I have to offer.
Regarding Keith Richards:
Growing up, the Stones, and particularly Keith played a big role in our family's entertainment, my parents are die hard fans, and we always attended every concert in Chicago. My Dad took me to my first concert when I was 4 years old. As I grew older and got married, started my own family, etc, I grew into a position where I was able to travel with my wife and/or friends to see several shows througout the country. And finally, as a musician, I have the utmost respect for Keith's contributions to his craft. I have tried to learn how to play many of his "signature riffs", and find his use of the open tuning, and evolution of the "Chuck Berry sound" artistically wonderful.
What I seen last night was not the Keith I grew up to admire. This is by no means a knock on the man, Keith has given his heart and soul to his music, his band, and his fans...he owes me or anyone else on this board NOTHING. I can't think of another way to say this other than it broke my heart last night seeing Keith. He was very frail, struggling at times to remember the songs, was coming in at the wrong time, and ultimately, ended up playing the opening riff when it was his part....and then stayed beside, or sometimes behind Charlie the entire night. He only walked down the side catwalks once during the entire show. Again, this is not a mean spirited attack, this is a heartfelt conclusion.
I fear our beloved Keith is very ill. Several times members of the band would be "checking with him". It is my decision that Mr. Richards had suffered a stroke at some point. Below is some observations with relation to Keith last night:
Stroke Effects
Stroke can affect people in different ways. It depends on the type of stroke, the area of the brain affected and the extent of the brain injury. Brain injury from a stroke can affect the senses, motor activity, speech and the ability to understand speech. It can also affect behavioral and thought patterns, memory and emotions. Paralysis or weakness on one side of the body is common.
Most of these problems can improve over time. In some patients they will go away completely.
How can a stroke affect emotions?
Some areas of the brain produce emotions, just as other parts produce movement or allow us to see, hear, smell or taste. If these areas are injured by a stroke, a survivor may cry easily or have sudden mood swings, often for no apparent reason. This is called emotional lability. Laughing uncontrollably also may occur but isn't as common as crying. Depression is common as stroke survivors recover and as they come to terms with any impairment that doesn't fully go away.
How can a stroke cause loss of awareness?
Stroke often causes people to lose mobility and/or feeling in an arm and/or leg. If this affects the left side of the body (caused by a stroke on the right side of the brain), stroke survivors may also forget or ignore their weaker side. This problem is called neglect. As a result, they may ignore items on their affected side and not think that their left arm or leg belongs to them. They also may dress only one side of their bodies and think they're fully dressed. Bumping into furniture or door jambs is also common.
How can a stroke affect perception?
A stroke can also affect seeing, touching, moving and thinking, so a person's perception of everyday objects may be changed. Stroke survivors may not be able to recognize and understand familiar objects the way they did before. When vision is affected, objects may look closer or farther away than they really are. This causes survivors to have spills at the table or collisions or falls when they walk.
How can a stroke affect hearing and speech?
Stroke usually doesn't cause hearing loss, but people may have problems understanding speech. They also may have trouble saying what they're thinking. This is called aphasia. Aphasia affects the ability to talk, listen, read and write. It's most common with a stroke on the left side of the brain, which may also weaken the body's right side.
A related problem is that a stroke can affect muscles used in talking (those in the tongue, palate and lips). Speech can be slowed, slurred or distorted, so stroke survivors can be hard to understand. This is called dysarthria. It may require the help of a speech expert.
How can a stroke affect chewing and swallowing food?
The problem with chewing and swallowing food is called dysphagia. It can occur when muscles on one side of the mouth are weak. One or both sides of the mouth can also lack feeling, increasing the risk of choking.
How can a stroke affect the ability to think clearly?
Parts of the brain allow us to form long-term and short-term memories. (Short-term memories help us remember why we got up and walked into the next room, for example.) With injury to these areas, it may be hard to plan and carry out even simple activities. Stroke survivors may not know how to start a task, confuse the sequence of logical steps in tasks, or forget how to do tasks they've done many times before.
Although many argue, that "Thats Just Keith"....it was not. Every one of those symptoms were clearly displayed. compound this with his arthritic hands, and Keith was really having problems. For the first time ever.....I did not see Keith having any fun out there, he was hurting.
I really think it is time to think about shutting this thing down. For Keith's sake, I'd hate to see a man who loves his kids so much risk his life like he is. I will be very shocked if Keith survives past the end of 2007, and that is painful as a die hard fan. He needs medical attention and is not well. I only wish him the best and hope he recovers, but it pains me to see someone who loves playing music so much struggling to do it.
One final example: The beginning of Midnight Rambler was delayed...I could see the backstage from my seat....Keith could not remember/play the intro. Listen carefully to the boot when it comes out....Ronnie Wood played the intro...Keith picked it up later in the song.
Please take a moment to wish Keith the best...he really needs it and I hate seeing him in such discomfort. |
| 12th October 2006 11:13 AM |
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| nanatod |
quote:
voodoopug wrote:
More disturbing was the police arresting several people trying to sell tickets (at about 10% of face value....
We saw this happen up close, about five feet from us, when we were outside the south end of the stadium. The arrest happened so suddenly and violently that it freaked my girlfriend out for the rest of the night.
[Edited by nanatod] |
| 12th October 2006 11:14 AM |
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| jb |
Thanks John for such a moving post...appreciate your honesty. I cried a little reading it..prays to Keith. |
| 12th October 2006 11:19 AM |
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| Jumping Jack |
I will wait to hear him inside at AC before passing final judgement, but your candid feedback is welcome.
The weather for the fall stadiums has been the absolute shits! |
| 12th October 2006 11:20 AM |
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| TampabayStone |
Great review Pug; thanks for taking the time. Very sad hearing that Keith struggled like that; I know that all of are prays go out to him and his health. Very glad to hear that Ronnie is picking up the slack in Keith's time of need. |
| 12th October 2006 11:21 AM |
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| Lavendar |
Just REMEMBER It was F-kin COLD OUT! |
| 12th October 2006 11:24 AM |
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| mojoman |
keith had a stroke? |
| 12th October 2006 11:28 AM |
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| jb |
quote:
mojoman wrote:
keith had a stroke?
That is not what he said..... |
| 12th October 2006 11:36 AM |
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| Gazza |
Very well written and candid review, Pug. Thanks. I posted on another thread a few minutes before you that I noticed a marked deterioration in Keith's diction when listening to him speak on the Giants Stadium bootleg. Theres evidently some difference since he was in Europe.
Find it a bit hard to believe though that if whats happened to him is as severe as you state that it WASNT noticeable in Europe but is only kicking in now. That would imply whatever it was happened in the break between Europe and Foxboro. In which case, he wouldnt be fit to stand on a stage let alone perform. |
| 12th October 2006 11:42 AM |
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| jb |
It may be nothing other than father time and lifestyle finally catching up....whatever it is, I wish Keith well-his health is far more important than any more shows..they have given us more than we ever could have dreamed of.
[Edited by jb] |
| 12th October 2006 11:48 AM |
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| Saint Sway |
Sadly, this is nothing new. Its only new to sycophants that were in denial and never noticed it before.
The sad fact is that Keith skills have been on rapid decline for years. This isnt anything new. He's been noticeably fucking up simple intros to songs like Brown Sugar for years now and has been primarily regulated to only being able to play random notes and Chuck Berry style runs on songs. The days of Keith playing monster riffs ended decades ago.
I dont think Keith suffered a stroke. I think hes basically shot.
If you want to say his guitar playing was affected by a stroke, then I'd say he had a stroke sometime during the Licks Tour
[Edited by Saint Sway] |
| 12th October 2006 11:53 AM |
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| Paranoid_Android |
quote:
Jumping Jack wrote:
I will wait to hear him inside at AC before passing final judgement, but your candid feedback is welcome.
As will I...though, I wish I hadn't read that part of your review...My friend Richie & I always have joked that we wanted to be at the show where Keith collapses on stage in a blaze of rock n roll glory...but this is nothing like what we would want to see happen, to Keith or any rock icon (Dylan, comes to mind). It was cold...and not having the luxury of being able to wear a parka w/ mittons...well...let's just call it being optimistic and rational on my part.
See you all in AC!!! |
| 12th October 2006 12:07 PM |
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| chevysales |
quote:
jb wrote:
It may be nothing other than father time and lifestyle finally catching up....whatever it is, I wish Keith well-his health is far more important than any more shows..they have given us more than we ever could have dreamed of.
[Edited by jb]
and i believe that is exactly what it is.
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| 12th October 2006 12:07 PM |
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| Fiji Joe |
Keith was good in Wichita...at times great...at times not so...He can still play...I just don't think as often...and certainly not in 30 degree weather...it was 95 in Wichita...I really think that warm weather does him good...the dude has arthritis for crap's sake
[Edited by Fiji Joe] |
| 12th October 2006 12:08 PM |
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| marko |
I´ve been thinking this,since i got Jersey show.
I personally think,they should not tour next year,at all.
Or,they should have left this fall out,and wait what
happens.But the problem us their gigantic touring machine,
you just don´t call that off. |
| 12th October 2006 12:11 PM |
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| Dan |
Thanks for the great review, just wanted to address something -
quote:
voodoopug wrote:
2. Bootleg T Shirts - They were extremely abundant outside the stadium.....but nothing bigger than the occassional XL, which ran pretty small...I passed. Seeing as though I had all of the official T Shirts that I wanted and nothing new was for sale....this would have been a nice momento...but I guess they have to keep their costs down as well. More disturbing was the police arresting several people trying to sell tickets (at about 10% of face value....taking no money out of Cohl's greedy little pocket), but nevered bothered anyone (literally hundreds) who was selling bootlegged merchandise. Again, I am not asking for them to stop people from selling merchandise...I am all for it......but let the guys sell Stones tickets outside the venue for $8-$50...(See: Rocks Off Member Dan).
Bootleg T-Shirts are usually dealt with by marshalls and a court injunction. Some places you can easily get away with it if you are off the property.
On the ticket selling, the reason cops were rabidly going after ticket resellers were to protect the business interests of Soldier Field and the band. If you have thousands of $450 tickets on sale at the box office, it doesn't help to be able to find the same tickets for a few bucks outside.
The way this is dealt with all depends on the jurisdiction. The Forum in Inglewood arrests both buyers and sellers. Not only do you have to be extra careful, it actually presents opportunities to get even better deals between parked cars while in full view of busts going on a few feet away using that as intimidation for the person with the ticket to just hurry up and sell it while the officers are occupied.
But yeah, it sucks, I am a firm believer in letting the free market set the prices (either above or under face) without interference from jack booted government authorities. |
| 12th October 2006 12:12 PM |
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| voodoopug |
I am very surprised to say this:
I APPRECIATE THE MATURITY OF THE ROCKS OFF MEMBERS WHO HAVE RESPONDED TO MY REVIEW. I understand that my opinion is not well taken by many fans, and it is simply that, my opinion. I commend all of you for agreeing and disagreeing with class!
And of course....I hope I am dead wrong! |
| 12th October 2006 12:18 PM |
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| jb |
quote:
voodoopug wrote:
I am very surprised to say this:
I APPRECIATE THE MATURITY OF THE ROCKS OFF MEMBERS WHO HAVE RESPONDED TO MY REVIEW. I understand that my opinion is not well taken by many fans, and it is simply that, my opinion. I commend all of you for agreeing and disagreeing with class!
And of course....I hope I am dead wrong!
Thanks Pug..people here are really cool and while they may disagree, I don't see any vicious attacks. |
| 12th October 2006 12:19 PM |
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| Fiji Joe |
quote:
jb wrote:
It may be nothing other than father time and lifestyle finally catching up....
Wake up crackers!...it's Keith Richards!...he's on dope...you will never make a saint of him
[Edited by Fiji Joe] |
| 12th October 2006 12:20 PM |
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| jostorm |
Great review, voodoopug, thanks!
BUT you should have applied ADDA and bought yourself a t-shirt in XL as a memento, in view of the fact you are still shedding excess weight!!! 
Could Keith just have been frozen to friggin death??? Cold and arthritis never go hand in hand very well, plus it's not as if he carries any excess weight as protective blubber...just a thought! |
| 12th October 2006 12:27 PM |
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| Joey |
quote:
Fiji Joe wrote:
Wake up crackers!...it's Keith Richards!...he's on dope...you will never make a saint of him
[Edited by Fiji Joe]
Amen ! |
| 12th October 2006 12:28 PM |
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| voodoopug |
quote:
jostorm wrote:
Great review, voodoopug, thanks!
BUT you should have applied ADDA and bought yourself a t-shirt in XL as a memento, in view of the fact you are still shedding excess weight!!!
Could Keith just have been frozen to friggin death??? Cold and arthritis never go hand in hand very well, plus it's not as if he carries any excess weight as protective blubber...just a thought!
agreed, and yes, very interesting point!
and Dan: Thank you for lending your expertise, I am not very familiar with the law in that aspect and your explanation was very informative and I appreciate it. |
| 12th October 2006 12:28 PM |
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| TampabayStone |
quote:
jostorm wrote:
Great review, voodoopug, thanks!
BUT you should have applied ADDA and bought yourself a t-shirt in XL as a memento, in view of the fact you are still shedding excess weight!!!
Could Keith just have been frozen to friggin death??? Cold and arthritis never go hand in hand very well, plus it's not as if he carries any excess weight as protective blubber...just a thought!
Dudes are skinny. |
| 12th October 2006 12:32 PM |
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| polytoxic |
Thanks for giving it to me straight. I'm a little choked up thinking about Keith.
You can just see it in the pictures and hear it on the boots. I'm also a little pissed that Stones corp. is putting the guy through hell on this tour.
If only they could have been allowed to become the "old bluesmen" instead of continually being the Spice Stones. I had a stroke as an infant and the effects are pretty subtle, but I recognize a lot of those movements. Even in still pictures, I swear one side of Keith's face looks a little off. One eye just a little lazier. Who knows, I guess we can't know for sure but....
Keith Richards is rock'n'roll, though, now and forever.
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| 12th October 2006 12:36 PM |
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| nanatod |
quote:
Dan wrote:
the reason cops were rabidly going after ticket resellers were to protect the business interests of Soldier Field and the band.
The arrest I saw up close yesterday was not done by uniformed Chicago cops. It was done by private(?) security guys (at least according to the windbreakers they wore).
[Edited by nanatod] |
| 12th October 2006 12:36 PM |
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| sammy davis jr. |
Voodoo Pug wrote:
I fear our beloved Keith is very ill. Several times members of the band would be "checking with him". It is my decision that Mr. Richards had suffered a stroke at some point.
Just as I accurately reported many months ago.....Palm Tree my ass. |
| 12th October 2006 12:41 PM |
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| Dan |
quote:
nanatod wrote:
The arrest I saw up close yesterday was not done by uniformed Chicago cops. It was done by private(?) security guys (at least according to the windbreakers they wore).
[Edited by nanatod]
Was it on Soldier Field property or the street outside? That makes even more sense, security being directed to treat ticket sellers with extreme prejudice. |
| 12th October 2006 12:42 PM |
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| voodoopug |
quote:
sammy davis jr. wrote:
Voodoo Pug wrote:
I fear our beloved Keith is very ill. Several times members of the band would be "checking with him". It is my decision that Mr. Richards had suffered a stroke at some point.
Just as I accurately reported many months ago.....Palm Tree my ass.
credit to you for your observation and lack of fear in what happens when you post negative things about the band. I applaud you. |
| 12th October 2006 12:42 PM |
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| deuce |
I'm really starting to think Keith is spent. I mean, I can play every song in their setlist better than him. I think I've been trying not to admit that he's gone downhill, but why deny it now? He's old, and a legend. he doesn't have to prove anything. For me, and I feel I'm not alone, we're still so into this band becuase it's what we know and it's what we've been into for so much of our lives. and now to see the ship start going down - it's a hard thing to grasp. i mean honestly, do you guys walk out of Stones concerts these days thinking "Man - those guys rocked! They rocked my ass off! Listen to those guitars!" etc... These days its more like "Well, Mick was great as always and Keith had a moment on _____" |
| 12th October 2006 12:48 PM |
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| Joey |
Nanky ?!
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