Big smiles, wrinkly facesSo, if you have any clue about symbols and cryptic messages, you know that my last post gave a strong hint that I saw The Rolling Stones in concert and rather enjoyed it, as did Steve. Now I will try to fill you in on why.
1) The SkyDome, er Rogers Centre, is huge. It sits like a great round nipple-less boob on the Toronto harbour, next to the tall straight CN Tower which is so much like---jeez. We had seats at the 500 level. The lucky bastards who could shell out $450 to sit at ground level looked like brightly coloured ants. I wish I could have been at the Magnetic Hill venue for the Moncton show just to have shared in the Maritimes experience of The Stones, but being at the Dome was awe-inspiring in itself.
2) After an hour of anticipation, and Beck's dismal half-hour opening act which he ended with his dismally radio-friendly latest hit, the real show started with an explosion of flames that, even in level 500, would have roasted the marshmallows I forgot to bring, the well-known but still fresh chords of "Start Me Up" and Mick swaggering out in a sequined waistcoat.
3) The Stones know that people see them for their history, not for the strength of their latest work. (That said, apparently A Bigger Bang is pretty good, and I liked the new songs that they did play.) Their list of damn good songs is too long, and my personal list of favourites is growing with every album of theirs I add to my collection...but some standouts include the aforementioned "Start Me Up"; "Tumbling Dice" complete with a fantastic trio of backup singers; an upped-tempo, upped-raunch "Miss You"; "Honky Tonk Women" underneath giant blue flower-covered inflatable lips and tongue; "Out of Control" accompanied by subtle blues and purple for its moody verse and explosions of blinding white for its chorus; and the irresistable sing-along of 'yeah, yeah, yeah, woo!' of "Brown Sugar".
4) Mick Jagger dances like a combination of boxer, ballerina and live electrical wire. Keith Richards and Ron Wood go off on blistering lead breaks that send them into deep knee-bends, then work their way back to the drumset where they're all smiles and private jokes. Charlie Watts precisely bashes the shit out of his drumset while looking like his third hand, if he had one, would be holding a cup of tea, pinky raised.
5) This is stadium rock. It's as much about spectacle as it is about music. People whine about The Stones being charicatures of themselves, but they miss the point. These guys aren't angsty youths with an edge, like, I don't know, The Strokes. They aren't out to prove a political point like Bruce Cockburn or, sometimes, Bruce Springsteen. I think they're quite honest in their approach---they want to play a variety of the old, the new and the covered, they want to have a good time and they want the audience to have a good time (albeit an expensive one). When they were younger maybe massive lightshows and big screens would have been out of place, but they're beyond that now. Don't get me wrong; I enjoy The Strokes and The Bruces quite a bit, and I don't think all music should rely on spectacle. But when you've been everywhere, done everything like The Stones have, why not make it a big event?
6) Relating to the point above, I loved the stadium rock set pieces---Mick introducing the whole band, from backup singers all the way up to Keith, who got the biggest cheer; the middle part of the stage detaching and carrying the band down a runway way out into the audience; the audience being given the task of singing the chorus of "You Can't Always Get What You Want"; a crescendo of a finale, capped off with flames and fireworks, "Jumpin' Jack Flash" an abrupt "Goodnight!" and then several minutes of sustained cheering before an encore; a final, fitting end with "It's Only Rock n' Roll", a series of bows and a cavalcade of black SUVs exiting the stadium from behind the stage.
1) The SkyDome, er Rogers Centre, is huge. It sits like a great round nipple-less boob on the Toronto harbour, next to the tall straight CN Tower which is so much like---jeez. We had seats at the 500 level. The lucky bastards who could shell out $450 to sit at ground level looked like brightly coloured ants. I wish I could have been at the Magnetic Hill venue for the Moncton show just to have shared in the Maritimes experience of The Stones, but being at the Dome was awe-inspiring in itself.
2) After an hour of anticipation, and Beck's dismal half-hour opening act which he ended with his dismally radio-friendly latest hit, the real show started with an explosion of flames that, even in level 500, would have roasted the marshmallows I forgot to bring, the well-known but still fresh chords of "Start Me Up" and Mick swaggering out in a sequined waistcoat.
3) The Stones know that people see them for their history, not for the strength of their latest work. (That said, apparently A Bigger Bang is pretty good, and I liked the new songs that they did play.) Their list of damn good songs is too long, and my personal list of favourites is growing with every album of theirs I add to my collection...but some standouts include the aforementioned "Start Me Up"; "Tumbling Dice" complete with a fantastic trio of backup singers; an upped-tempo, upped-raunch "Miss You"; "Honky Tonk Women" underneath giant blue flower-covered inflatable lips and tongue; "Out of Control" accompanied by subtle blues and purple for its moody verse and explosions of blinding white for its chorus; and the irresistable sing-along of 'yeah, yeah, yeah, woo!' of "Brown Sugar".
4) Mick Jagger dances like a combination of boxer, ballerina and live electrical wire. Keith Richards and Ron Wood go off on blistering lead breaks that send them into deep knee-bends, then work their way back to the drumset where they're all smiles and private jokes. Charlie Watts precisely bashes the shit out of his drumset while looking like his third hand, if he had one, would be holding a cup of tea, pinky raised.
5) This is stadium rock. It's as much about spectacle as it is about music. People whine about The Stones being charicatures of themselves, but they miss the point. These guys aren't angsty youths with an edge, like, I don't know, The Strokes. They aren't out to prove a political point like Bruce Cockburn or, sometimes, Bruce Springsteen. I think they're quite honest in their approach---they want to play a variety of the old, the new and the covered, they want to have a good time and they want the audience to have a good time (albeit an expensive one). When they were younger maybe massive lightshows and big screens would have been out of place, but they're beyond that now. Don't get me wrong; I enjoy The Strokes and The Bruces quite a bit, and I don't think all music should rely on spectacle. But when you've been everywhere, done everything like The Stones have, why not make it a big event?
6) Relating to the point above, I loved the stadium rock set pieces---Mick introducing the whole band, from backup singers all the way up to Keith, who got the biggest cheer; the middle part of the stage detaching and carrying the band down a runway way out into the audience; the audience being given the task of singing the chorus of "You Can't Always Get What You Want"; a crescendo of a finale, capped off with flames and fireworks, "Jumpin' Jack Flash" an abrupt "Goodnight!" and then several minutes of sustained cheering before an encore; a final, fitting end with "It's Only Rock n' Roll", a series of bows and a cavalcade of black SUVs exiting the stadium from behind the stage.
I can't really put it all into words other than the usual, over-used ones like 'awesome', 'crazy' and 'wicked'. But that's what it was. Words fail me. You had to be there, I guess. Go there, if you get the chance, because, much as they've fooled us so far, even The Rolling Stones can't last forever.
2 comments:
Ryan, you put it so eloquently, it's almost like I was there. But since I wasn't (for those of you who aren't Ryan, I was doing HOMEWORK instead of rock and roll!) lets never speak of it again. I'm glad you had such a wonderful time, honey. Now never, never, never leave me again! Just kidding. I'm sure if Ani Difranco comes to Toronto, I'll be going on my own, so it's all good.
Hey Ryan,
Sorry if I came on too strong with the Moncton comment. I was just kidding around:) I had much the same experience that you did--and it was awesome! There is no way to describe what it's like to someone who wasn't there, that feeling when you see Mick Jagger strut onto the stage (for me, just as I'd always seen him on TV). Our encore was "Satisfaction" and it was a fantastic song with which to end the night! I'm glad that you had so much fun:)
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