The Rolling Stones, with the Pretenders, at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro,
last night.
It began with ``Brown Sugar'' and closed with a fireworks spectacle.
In between the sweetness and heat, the Rolling Stones ably pulled off what
amounted to another opening night as they kicked off the stadium portion of
their Licks tour last night at Gillette Stadium with a two hour and 15 minute,
23-song performance.
Mick and Keith and the boys weren't kidding about different setlists for
different venues, either, as 13 of the 23 numbers in the slightly longer
performance differed from the songlist at the Fleet.
Everything about the Gillette show was bigger. From the 70-foot-high stage -
which supported a state-of-the-art, eight-paneled video screen - to the
brightness of Jagger's sartorial choices to the size of the hits the band and
their nine-piece backing group chose to play.
All the staples were trotted out to generally spiffy effect including ``Start
Me Up,'' ``Honky Tonk Women,'' ``Sympathy For the Devil'' - complete with blood
red lighting and shooting flames from the top of the stage - ``Beast of Burden,''
``Shattered'' and ``Tumblin' Dice.''
Highlights of the well-known songs included the dark guitar grooves of ``Gimme
Shelter,'' which gave background singer Lisa Fischer a chance to soar, and an
ecstatic singalong of ``You Can't Always Get What You Want.''
The boys seemed looser and more energetic last night and Jagger clearly
relished his ability to scamper around the huge stage and out the long platform
to the satellite stage gesticulating wildly in his oft-imitated fashion. His
voice also sounded a bit stronger - when it wasn't being batted around by the
wind - and ``Angie'' proved a nice wistful turn for the singer.
1978's ``Some Girls'' got the nostalgia nod with four tunes including
Richards' raucous ``Before They Make Me Run'' getting a nice workout. Richards,
who giggled jubilantly to himself all night in between stinging guitar riffs,
also reprised his delicate and regret-filled ``Slipping Away,'' from the Fleet
show singing in that lovably ragged whiskey-and-cigarettes voice of his.
The quality of a stadium show can usually be judged by the size of the exodus
around the time of the encore.
Last night, very few of the 53,000 folks in the sold-out crowd were beating
feet to the parking lot after a slinky ``Miss You,'' closed out the regular set.
In fact, the majority stayed to the very end to get the ultimate ``Satisfaction,''
and they got an eyeful when after that chestnut, flames and sheets of sparkling
pyro illuminated the stage and multicolored fireworks shot into the sky.
Review
member Roger Price from Westford, MA:
Several factors have led me to conclude that Gillette was the Rolling Stones at
their greatest; perhaps their FINEST HOUR. Combine a free upgrade from
Field K to Field H (within first 30 rows) due to our ticketed seats not
existing, with perfect weather (a first in Foxboro for the Stones since 1989),
healthy artistic masters of their craft, a state of the art sound system
(as good as it gets in a stadium), a brand new stadium (I'm convinced the
Stones LOVE to and were thus meant to play in front of huge, organized crowds),
and a SET LIST FROM HEAVEN, and a Stones fan dreams were all
answered. I enjoy the arena shows because they seem quite intimate for
this and. But the Fleet show felt like the opening act for Gillette for
the reasons I mentioned, fantastic, but the opening act!
To see Mick and Keith enjoying being with each other so much and Keith playing
MOST of his favorite signature riffs, over and over, it cannot get better!
But I feel that way after every Stones concert, always have! But the
stars truly lined up on 9/5, in my opinion. It was the greatest of all!
Roger Price
Set list:
Review