RSFCO

Set list:
Brown Sugar - It's Only Rock'n'Roll - Start Me Up - Tumbling Dice - Don't Stop - Monkey Man - Angie - You Can't Always Get What You Want - Can You Hear Me Knockin' - Love Train - Slippin' Away - Happy - Sympathy For The Devil - You Got Me Rockin' - Little Red Rooster - Like A Rolling Stone - Gimme Shelter - Honky Tonk Women - Street Fighting Man - Jumpin' Jack Flash - Satisfaction

A recent sidebar in the satirical newspaper the Onion listed things to expect on the Rolling Stones' Licks tour. It included people "mechanically" attending the shows and forcing themselves to report that the Stones "still have it."

Well, it turns out the Stones do indeed still have it. And if the baby boom generation hadn't so emptily venerated youth - never trust anyone over 30 and all that - it wouldn't be considered so remarkable.

For two hours Friday night at FedEx Field, any talk of Geritol, the AARP or talking canes would've seemed patently silly.
This was obvious even before the Stones hit the stage. The Strokes, purportedly one of rock's saving graces, performed admirably as the warm-up act, but they seemed like palimpsest, a third-generation copy.

Youth isn't everything; it doesn't guarantee energy, charisma, talent or verve, qualities the Stones still have in abundance.

With the Licks tour, the band is experimenting with a mixed-venue concept, playing stadiums, arenas and 3,000-seat theaters in some cities.
In major markets like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, the small-medium-large theme has been wildly successful. But in a lousy concert season with big touring
acts like Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen occasionally failing to sell out arenas, the Stones seem to have skewed the ticket market in secondary cities like the District.

An MCI Center show had been planned for Saturday, but with FedEx falling short of a sellout, the band opted for a Hartford, Conn., show instead.
(There are rumors, however, of an MCI Center show in January.)

Nevertheless, the stadium was plenty packed Friday night, with only a smattering of empty seats in the upper decks and obstructed-view sections.
The 50,000-strong audience was more than enough for a good party, and with a kick-off suite of songs that included "Brown Sugar," "It's Only Rock'n' Roll" and "Start Me Up," the party started quickly.
Although a horn section and three background vocalists periodically joined the group, the Stones mostly stuck to their utilitarian core: Mick Jagger, resplendently decked out and in fine voice; the gritty, spartan guitar interplay of Keith Richards and Ron Wood; Darryl Jones on bass; and the backbeat propelled by Charlie Watts.
Unlike in previous stadium jaunts, the Stones minimized the gimmicky visual theatrics. Bellowing flames for the "pleased to meet you" bits of "Sympathy for the Devil" and a semi-pornographic cartoon that accompanied "Honky Tonk Women" were the flashiest effects of the strictly serviceable set. A Jumbotron with split-screen capability was its only backdrop.

After the opening trio came one of the evening's few missteps. While the band was prepared to play "Don't Stop," one of four new songs on the recently released greatest hits package "Forty Licks," Mr. Richards unexpectedly played the intro to "Tumbling Dice." He laughed it off, and the band plowed on.
The set-list scramble was probably lost on most of the audience, as this is the first tour in the Stones' 40-year history where play lists are significantly different each night.

With casual fans making up a large part of the audience, however, the Stones hewed to the hits Friday night. The few rarities that did emerge from the cascade of classics included "Monkey Man," one of Mr. Richards' most ferocious guitar riffs from 1969's
"Let it Bleed," and "Can't You Hear Me Knocking," arguably the evening's most triumphant moment.

During the song's Santana-esque jam section, the Stones' longtime saxman, Bobby Keys, Mr. Jagger and Mr. Wood each turned in impressive solos. Mr. Wood, who's been criticized by some fans for his less-than-great playing during the past five
years, seemed revivified, owing at least in part to his newly won sobriety. Other novelties included hokey but charming covers of the O'Jays' hit "Love Train" and Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone," as well as "Little Red Rooster," an early single from the band's blues days. "Little Red Rooster," "Like a Rolling Stone" and "You Got Me Rocking" (from 1994's "Voodoo Lounge") were each performed on a smaller "B-stage" at the opposite end of the field, a feature they first employed on the 1997 Bridges to Babylon tour.

Apart from those gems, it was Stones music for the masses: an acoustic rendition of "Angie" that was marred by soundmen asleep at the switch (the guitars were thin-sounding, and Mr. Wood's was barely audible); a rousing singalong performance of "You Can't Always Get What You Want"; torrid versions of "Street Fighting Man" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash"; and an inevitable "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" encore.

If a few thousand more Washingtonians had ponied up for Friday's show, we may have garnered a more intimate setting and heard the deepest of deep cuts. But any good live band can kill a club or theater. The Stones can kill stadiums, too. And no matter how many wrinkles etch their faces, they're still a sight to behold.

Fed Ex Field Review and Weekend Update.

FED EX FIELD Washington, DC., October 4, 2002
Susan Weisner

What a night - and right in my own backyard!

The party started at 2:30 that afternoon when SweetVA, Lesley and Linda met at my place for cocktails and chat. Left there at 4:00, and even in rush hour traffic, got to the Fed Ex parking lot at 4:45 - we were the first
Party Animals at the Tailgate Party, thanks to special parking passes made in advance from StonesDoug.

The tailgate started filling up quickly and there ended up to be about 150 people minimum. Lots of fun. Went into the stadium at 9:00 (didn't hear one note from the opening band, the Strokes). This was the only venue that 150 of us Shidoobeeans got to sit in one section and the seats were very good. Was great meeting up with people I hadn't seen in quite some time and also meeting new faces.

Setlist:
                        1. Brown Sugar
                        2. IORR
                        3. Start Me Up
                        4. Tumbling Dice (suppose to be DS- Blame it on Keith)
                        5. Don't Stop
                        6. Monkey Man
                        7. Angie
                        8. YCAGWYW
                        9. CYHMK
                        10. Love Train
                        11. Slipping Away
                        12. Happy
                        13. Sympathy For The Devil
                        14. You Got Me Rockin (B)
                        15. Little Red Rooster (B)
                        16. Like A Rolling Stone (B)
                        17. Gimme Shelter - Thanks for the call on this one Doug.
                        18. HT Woman
                        19. Street Fighting Man
                        20. JJF
                        21. Satisfaction (encore)

My favorite was Sympathy for the Devil as the pyrotechnics during this were
unbelievable. The heat was just instant.

The stadium emptied out quickly (for 52,000 fans) and we partied on the lot
for another 45 minutes to avoid the traffic

Saturday, Blue Lena took metro to my place and we had brunch. We then headed
to Govinda Gallery in Georgetown for the 40x20 Rolling Stones Exhibit. It
was excellent. Walked Georgetown, stopped at Tony & Joe's to cool off as
the weather had turned very hot. Went to Blue Lena's hotel near Georgetown
for a cocktail, then had a nice dinner at the Dark Horse Pub.

May take me a few days to get back to normal, but it was surely worth it.
Now, on to Pittsburgh!

The concert was great! Mick and the boys still have it. The songs were well done and Mick can still move like nobody's business. What I didn't like, didn't have to do with the stones but Fed-ex Field. The traffic was horrible getting off the beltway. It took us an hour to get from the exit to the parking lot and do you know why? So they could collect a $25 parking fee for each car. Outrageous! We missed the beginning act because of this. Put the parking fee in the price of the ticket if you have to but don't hold people up for an hour just to collect money. It's not fair. Once again, the Stones were great!

Rolling Stones keeps gathering green stuff

LANDOVER, Md.--Lights went down. Joints fired up. And the opening chords of "Brown Sugar" welcomed thumb-sized Rolling Stones to the stadium stage Friday night at mammoth FedEx Field.

They're touring in support of "Forty Licks," a hot-selling new greatest hits record. The Stones may be old, but they're making way too much money to quit now.

The stands twinkled with red and blue lights, part of a souvenir pin in the shape of the band's tongue logo ($10).

People who came to the show wearing Voodoo Lounge tour shirts from the band's 1994 run covered them with brand, spankin' new ones ($35).

Hundreds of people in the cheap seats ($90) envied those on the field ($300), but danced, sang and drank like Keith Richards did in the '60s.

"Brown Sugar" paved the way for "It's Only Rock and Roll," "Start Me Up" and "Angie." But it wasn't until "You Can't Always Get What You Want" that it felt like a real concert and not just a way to line Mick Jagger's already overflowing pockets.

Thousands of fans exploded in a singalong with the chorus. Who cares that the night cost upwards of $400 when you're watching one of the greatest rock groups of all time?

The set stuck mostly to late-'60s/early-'70s fare, ignoring some of the more obscure numbers the group has played during other performances on this tour. But fans were pleased because they didn't have to listen to the Stones of the '90s.

Jagger pranced around with all the sexuality he used to exude, and Richards couldn't stop smiling. Fire came out of the top of the stage during "Sympathy for the Devil," and, apart from a clumsy transition from the main stage to one in the center of the field, the performance was seamless.

It's not quite as impressive as telling your children you saw the Stones in 1968, and you might be out a few hundred bucks, but it was money well spent--except for that pin you bought that's going to stop blinking in a couple of weeks.

--Nicole Bogdas