The Rolling
Stones: Rocking The Cold Chicago Night
Soldier Field - Chicago, IL - October 11, 2006
by Anthony Kuzminski
.
I've seen upwards of 300 concerts in my
short lifetime and of the ones I have seen outdoors, I have been blessed
with blue skies, sunshine and warm temperatures, even for the shows I've
seen in the month of October. A fine example being Bruce Springsteen's
tour finales at Shea Stadium in 2003 -which proved to be chillier than
normal for that time of year - however, nothing could have prepared anyone
for the weather that greeted the Rolling Stones at Chicago's Soldier Field
on October 11th. In short, my luck for outdoor shows finally ran out. The
temperature at show time was around 32 degrees and that was without the
blistering wind chill which took the temperature below freezing. If you
are a local Chicagoan, every news report and review written about the show
focused on this fact and in what outfits the band were attired when they
hit the stage. What such reports and reviews had neglected to mention was
that the band gave one of the most illustrious performances of their nearly
forty-five year career and performed a number of songs that have rarely
been played live. As I read the daily newspapers reviews of the show, I
sat there dumbfounded as they discussed and dissected everything except
the music. They were far too concerned with the enormity of the spectacle,
the weather and how people would keep warm rather than the musicianship
and adventurous set, which the band brought to Chicago for seemingly customized
showcasing. I came to the realization that virtually all of these reviews
were done by people who are some how connected to the business of entertainment
and yet they know nothing about it; I'm here to set the record straight.
This isn't some sort of exaggeration or fan boy review, but merely fact;
the Rolling Stones proved to the Chicago faithful, who braved the extreme
weather, why they are indeed the world's greatest rock n' roll band.
The Stones hit the stage as the winds reached
new levels almost knocking members of the band over in the process; however,
this was no ordinary band. As their scrawny frames took the stage they
blissfully segued into the surprising "You Got Me Rocking", a non-standard
opener which set the accelerated course for unchartered waters on this
chilly evening. It is important to note this show marked the Stones ninth
stop in Chicago over the last four years. During this time, they have performed
some of the most audacious shows of their career in clubs, stadiums and
arenas. Perhaps it was the weather, coupled with the band's desire to prove
something to those who braved the chilling air, in any event, tonight was
going to be unlike any Rolling Stones show the Windy City had ever witnessed.
For the next hour, the band pulled out one surprise after another. The
set list had more in common with their best club gigs from 2002 and 2003
rather than the predictable stadium set. "Live With Me" and "Monkey Man"
were both delivered with urgent precision. Neither song has been a staple
in any of their sets, but both songs have been performed on a regular basis
going back to 1994. However, it would be the chosen rarities that would
define the evening. The first jaw-dropping moment occurred during "Sway",
a song that before last year had never been performed live in its thirty-five
year history. I was hoping it would appear during the band two-night arena
run last January, but needless good things come to those who wait and it
was delivered with seductive fervor. There raw energy with which Ron Wood
delivered his solo with meticulousness also brought the crowd to its feet.
Personally, I always believed Ron was a loose cannon on the concert stage,
but he has proven himself over the last few tours to be the bands secret
weapon waiting in the wings. There is more than a smattering of the sublime
involved, whenever one bears witness to the exhibition on Ronnie's inner
light with the guitar strapped around his neck. Much like "Can't You Hear
Me Rocking" (also from 1971's "Sticky Fingers"), one wonders why it took
the band so long to perform this one live.
If seeing "Sway" live wasn't enough, the
band was primed to blow any and all expectations out of the water with
the next number, "She Was Hot". I've been blessed to see tour premiers
before, but I've never seen the Stones be this adventurous fourteen months
into a world tour. In the past, they usually find their groove and cycle
songs in and out of the set list. However, this tour has found them pushing
the envelope in ways I never thought imaginable. Mick Jagger belted the
lyrics out with extreme fervor, partly to stay warm and largely because
he means it. If the Stones had not announced this was a world premiere,
no one would have given this performance a second thought as the band delivered
this number as if it had been a nightly staple for decades. And yet again,
Ron Wood delivered the slide solo as meticulously as Richards' straight
forward guitar work was precise. Not only was "She Was Hot" the evening's
biggest highlight, but it was also one of the defining live experiences
of my life.
Proving they don't fully relegate themselves
to nostalgia the band delivered a spare performance of "Streets of Love"-
one of the best tracks on "A Bigger Bang" (2005). The band did not begin
to perform this number until Europe this summer and now they have found
their stride with this song. Ron Wood delivered a nimble and dramatic solo
as Jagger's vocal illustrated the song's underlying warmth. The extended
coda added to the end of the ballad took the song to an epic status proving
this song deserves to be head and regarded as a modern classic.
The Stones could have called it a night
and left the stage and I would have been ecstatic, but they proved showed
that there was still much for them to prove with a durable rendition of
"Tumbling Dice". An ever bigger surprise was the defiant and immediate
performance of "Midnight Rambler"; the latter which lasted over twelve-minutes
with an extended intro showcasing drummer Charlie Watts and Jagger's harmonica.
The bluesy version seemed extra special tonight as the band channeled the
Chicago blues legends that influenced them. Keith Richards solo spotlight
has found the rock n' roll pirate unearth two chestnuts not often performed;
"You've Got The Silver" from 1969's "Let It Bleed" and "Little T&A"
from 1981's "Tattoo You", the latter of which hasn't been performed live
in almost a quarter of a century.
Your average band would coast through the
finale, but not tonight. Daryl Jones' trashy blues bass and Richards' gritty
riff brought roars to the crowd as the band soared into "Under My Thumb",
as the B-stage made its way to the back of the stadium. The evening could
have come to an abbreviated end after "Under My Thumb" due to the severe
weather but the band pushed forward with a fired up delivery of "Rough
Justice" (which will hopefully be performed with regularity on future tours),
the gusty riffs of "Start Me Up" and the seductive "Honky Tonk Woman" which
brought the band back to the main stage. As if all this was still not enough
the band ran through the requisite hits with a visceral "Sympathy For The
Devil", the seditious "Jumping Jack Flash" and culminating with the set
ending shot gun riff of "Satisfaction". The "Hot Rocks" portion of the
evening kept the crowd moving and shaking which allowed for increased body
heat. Even more shocking was that under layers of clothes, the band moved
and shook like a band a generation younger (I saw Bon Jovi in Soldier Field
in July with temperature fifty degrees higher, and yet they did not move
as fluidly as these rock elders). Mick Jogger canvassed and pranced across
the entire stage like an up and coming rocker who was a mere twenty year
old. The sole encore, "Brown Sugar" left the crowd on a high they would
not soon forget. As the fireworks display lit up the sky, those in the
stadium felt something far stronger as the Stones warmed our hearts with
arguably one of the most storied performances of their illustrious career.
While the weather proved to be harsh, the
musicianship served as the ornamental antidote, as it brought out all that
glitters in the Rolling Stones. From a song-count perspective, it may have
been one of the bands shorter shows, however tonight was not about record
length but emotional impact. They are still a lean and mean touring machine
and as far as I'm concerned, they're still the best this world has to offer.
Despite what any of the naysayer's may have said, the Rolling Stones delivered
their biggest bang yet.
Setlist:
1. You Got Me Rocking
2. Live With Me
3. Monkey Man
4. Sway
5. She Was Hot
6. Streets Of Love
7. Midnight Rambler
8. Tumbling Dice
9. You Got The Silver (Keith)
10. Little T&A (Keith)
11. Under My Thumb (to B-stage)
12. Rough Justice
13. Start Me Up
14. Honky Tonk Women (to main stage)
15. Sympathy For The Devil
16. Jumping Jack Flash
17. Satisfaction
18. Brown Sugar (encore)
Links
Preview
and Purchase the Special Edition "Bigger Bang" CD Online
Or
Preview and Purchase the regular edition
Visit
the official homepage
More
articles for this artist
tell
a friend about this review
.
...end |
