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The
last time I trooped east on the trip to Twickenham it was to end
in disappointment with Gloucester being stuffed in the Zurich Championship
final by Wasps. But no such danger this time.
Jumpin'
Jack Flash and the lads still manage to deliver the goods, despite
their advancing years.
In
fact they have been accused of being old and wrinkly for as long
as I can remember and generally do not look much worse than they
did ten years ago.
Certain
members of the band have probably learnt to look after themselves
a little bit better as well.
 The
show opened up with Brown Sugar, blasted through You
Got Me Rocking and without pause moved into one of the newer
numbers on the Forty Licks album Don't Stop.
 |
| Paul
Furley |
The
quiz question to come out of this gig will be "who were the first
band to play a concert at Twickenham?" And the answer from smart
Alecs will be Starsailor who supported the Stones.
The
Belfast boys did their thing for an hour, played with guts and no
little effort, but were not really appreciated by an half interested
and half full stadium.
The
unfortunate reality for so many support acts seems to be that they
perform solely to make sure the audience really appreciate the main
attraction.
But
for Jagger and co. there was no such requirement for any conversions
at the home of English Rugby.
They
were simply very much at home just around the corner from the Richmond
Athletic Ground - one of the venues they played while making their
way over 40 years ago.
A
good start
The
show opened with Brown Sugar, blasted through You Got
Me Rocking and without pause moved into one of the newer numbers
on the Forty Licks album Don't Stop.
By
then Jagger had covered every inch of the stage, waving and gesturing
maniacally as he went, and the whole crowd were under his spell.
His
voice showed no signs of the illness which had forced Saturday's
postponement, but there were flaws; lyrics missed due to breathlessness,
or the microphone not picking up the words above the music. Or was
it the 50,000 strong crowd clapping too loudly that drowned certain
moments out?
 |
| Can
anyone understand Keith Richards? |
Keith
Richards having been introduced by Jagger, along with the rest of
the band, had the same problem during Slipping Away and in
particular Happy.
But
then 'Keef's' words of wisdom when just speaking were incomprehensible.
Perhaps translations could have been put on the huge screen which
loomed large over the stage.
His
guitar playing though, along with Charlie Watts' drumming was sublime
and still a pleasure to witness.
Ronnie
Wood, at 55 still the new kid on the block, provided the enthusiasm
of a 12-year-old.
Time
flys
Two
hours flew by like 20 minutes, and all the classic riffs were in
there - Honky Tonk Women, Start Me Up, Sympathy
for the Devil, a haunting rendition of Gimme Shelter,
Satisfaction, To Close and as an encore Jumpin'
Jack Flash.
My
only grumble - not enough from the early and mid 60s - Satisfaction
and Paint it Black stood alone in this prolific part of their
history.
Evidence
and memory that this was the band that created Cheltenham's own
late Brian Jones was minimal, instead there was much from the Beggars
Banquet and Exile on Main Street albums.
The
Stones are legends, they are still very much alive and I have
now witnessed a part of rock and roll history (and bought the
mandatory t-shirt), my only wish is to have been born 30 years
earlier.
|
| Paul
Furley |
Great
if you like that sort of thing and I do, the only problem is that
they could have played for twice as long and you would still go
home thinking "that was brilliant, but if only they had played
this…or that..."
The
Stones are legends, they are still very much alive and I have now
witnessed a part of rock and roll history (and bought the mandatory
t-shirt), my only wish is to have been born 30 years earlier.
| The
Rolling Stones tour dates |
| Date |
City |
Venue |
| August
27 |
London
|
Astoria
|
| August
29 |
London
|
Wembley
|
| September
1 |
Glasgow
|
SECC |
| September
3 |
Glasgow |
SECC |
| September
5 |
Manchester |
Evening
News Arena |
| September
9 |
Dublin
|
The
Point |
| September
11 |
Dublin |
The
Point |
| September
14 |
London |
Wembley |
|
September 15 |
London
|
Wembley
|
If
you would like to write a review of this event for the BBC website
for Gloucestershire then get in touch at gloucestershire@bbc.co.uk
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