The Rolling Stones and their fans spent the night together closer than
ever, Sunday at KeyArena.
Not since they played the old Center Arena 40 years ago have the Stones
gotten as physically close to their fans here. Ingenious staging, with
walkways that almost touched the seating areas, and a long, wide section
that detached itself, moved through the middle of the crowd and attached
itself to sections that made it grow even bigger, brought Mick Jagger and
company within touching range of hundreds of concertgoers.
A huge video screen gave everyone a good view of the action onstage.
Opening with "Start Me Up," the timeless rock band played a
generous selection of their biggest hits, some surprises and a few songs off
the new "A Bigger Bang" album, which paled in comparisons to the
classics.
The set built slowly, with "Shattered," "She's So
Cold," "Tumbling Dice," "Ruby Tuesday,"
"Bitch" and others, all delivered strongly but straightfowardly.
Then, about an hour into the set, after Jagger did some of his finest
singing in "Night Time Is The Right Time," a tribute to Ray
Charles, and guitarist Keith Richards sang the deservedly obscure and aptly
named "The Worst" and the new, equally weak "Infamy,"
the show took off.
On the detached stage, they started with "Miss You" and rocked
"Get Off of My Cloud" and "Honky Tonk Women."
Review

The Rolling Stones, Mötley Crüe, Sunday night, KeyArena
Jagger looked as thin as ever but more muscular. Richards seemed
revitalized, less gray and wrinkly than before. Graying Charlie Watts was as
perfect on drums, as always. The youngster in the band, Ron Wood, was
overshadowed, as always.
They were aided by two additional musicians, four background singers and
a four-piece horn section.
Perhaps Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe, known as Frank Ferranno growing up
here in Seattle, was referring to that 1965 Arena concert when he said he
couldn't get into a Stones show here when he was young because he had
"a pocketful of joints."
"Tonight I got a pocketful of joints, and there ain't nothin' they
can do about it!" he gloated.
The bad-boy band of the 1980s opened with a blistering hourlong set
marked by pillars of fire — ignited to Tommy Lee's drumbeats — a dwarf
in a monster costume and three leggy strippers.
Introduced as "The Masters of Disaster," they blasted off with
"Shout At The Devil." Lead singer Vince Neil, in black and white
leather, roamed the big stage. Black-clad Mick Mars, in a top hat with a
skull and crossbones, long black coat and Frankenstein boots, moved little
but was impressive on guitar.
Neil let loose a blue streak of expletives when a motorcycle sound effect
malfunctioned during "Girls Girls Girls," but the rest of the set,
including extended versions of "Dr. Feelgood" and "Same Old
Song and Dance," went smoothly.