 Tokyo Dome, Tokyo
on Saturday 15th of March 2003. First show in Tokyo Dome, all sold out, and
thats almost 49.500 in the audience.
The audience really loved the show and the whole dome was rolling.
Set list:
Brown Sugar - Start Me Up - You Got Me Rocking - Don't Stop - Rocks Off - You
Can't Always Get What You Want - Bitch - Can't You Hear Me Knocking? - Tumbling
Dice - Slipping Away - Before They Make Me Run - Sympathy For The Devil - It's
Only Rock'n'Roll - Little Red Rooster - Midnight Rambler - Gimme Shelter - Honky
Tonk Women - Street Fighting Man - Jumping Jack Flash - Satisfaction.
 Stones
rock 'n' roll into Tokyo Dome
Dave Hilson / Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer
Tokyo Dome, March 15
Say what you will about the Rolling Stones, but the numbers speak for
themselves: 40 years near the top of the music business, millions and millions
in album sales, record-grossing concert tours, brand-name recognition, and a
fan-base that covers the entire globe. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood and
Charlie Watts, perhaps better than any other band--living or dead--embody the
spirit of rock 'n' roll. And it is their image as the original badboys of
rock--the keepers of the torch--that has allowed them to continue on in a
business where most men their age have already comfortably settled into
retirement and are waiting to collect their pensions.
There is something special about the Rolling Stones that makes people
continue to go out and see them, usually at venues that are so big they can
barely see them anyway. Of course, there is the music, but it is much more than
that. There is a whole aura surrounding the band. Going to a Stones concert is
like a rite of passage, something you have to do once in your life--to be there
in the presence of greatness; watching Mick as he struts across the stage and
Keith as he miraculously stands there, still managing to play his guitar after
all these years and so much drug abuse.
Maybe it's just the fact that the group still love doing what they do after
all this time that keeps people wanting more. That certainly seemed to be the
case Saturday night at Tokyo Dome. The aging foursome--they're all around
60--put on an energetic show that a band half their age would have been happy
with. Not many acts could--or would even want to--go on an extended tour and
play in front of crowds ranging upward to 40,000 at this point in their career,
and still enjoy it so much. Let's face it, they don't need the money anymore (although
I guess you can always have more); these guys play because they love playing.
To help celebrate their 40th anniversary, the Stones last year released Forty
Licks, a greatest hits album that includes four new tracks, and embarked on a
117-show world tour, Licks, that kicked off in Boston in September. As a
testament to their enduring appeal, 50 of their concerts in the United States
sold out. Here in Japan, where the group started the second leg of their tour
that will end this summer in Europe, the Stones added two extra shows to
accommodate fans--and no doubt their own wallets to some degree--after
originally scheduling just two dates at Tokyo Dome and two at Osaka Dome. The
Tokyo shows sold out almost immediately, while a scant few tickets remain for
the Osaka shows. The extra dates--at the venerable Nippon Budokan, where the
Stones had never played, and Yokohama Arena--quickly sold out. And it's not like
the tickets are cheap. They range from 11,200 yen to 22,000 yen, depending on
which venue the band is playing, and reportedly were going for over 50,000 yen
on Internet auction sites.  It all seems like an extraordinary amount of money to see a band that hasn't
produced its best work in 20 years, and many would say much longer. And I have
to admit I was skeptical about attending what was the third show of their Japan
leg. But I was pleasantly surprised--these guys can still rock. They played 19
songs--a mix of old and new, but mostly old--during a two-hour set and came on
for a one-song encore of about 10 minutes.
There really weren't any surprises set-wise (see Forty Licks), and probably
most people in the audience--which ranged in age from 4 to 50, with most of the
people in their 30s--didn't want there to be. All of the Stones' oldest material
got the biggest applause, with "Tumblin' Dice," "Sympathy for the
Devil," "It's Only Rock & Roll," "Midnight Rambler"
and "Honky Tonk Woman" bringing the most.
They started the show a bit late--but hey, they are the Stones after all--and
from the moment that Jagger and company hit the stage with the opening number
"Brown Sugar" until they finished off the encore with "Satisfaction,"
the audience was on its feet, clapping and singing along. Mick came out in a red
satin smoking jacket, and made several apparel changes during the evening. Well,
at least it looked like Mick; it could have been anybody up on stage they were
so far away (and I had a good seat). It wasn't until the third song when the
giant screen came on that I was even sure I was watching the Stones.
But indeed it was them, and it was a blast watching Mick strut and prance his
way around the stage with the energy of a man half his age--and he looked good,
too. It's funny because you would think that the lifestyle--the drugs, booze and
partying--would have caught up with these guys by now, but as the song says,
once you start them up they never stop.
The Stones have always been masters of stadium venues, ever since they
realized how much money there was to be made playing them, and on Saturday they
tried to make the most of the cavernous Tokyo Dome. The stage was set in front
of a giant backdrop in centerfield that showed several pairs of women's
underwear coming seductively close to a set of luscious red lips. The backdrop
gave way to giant screens where images of the band members were displayed. At
times, some interesting animation played on the screens, such as during "Honky
Tonk Woman," when a stripper wearing high black leather boots rode a
bucking tongue inside a set of thick red lips. She was eventually swallowed and
the boots spit out.
Another cool effect was the mini-cam hooked up to Wood's guitar during one of
the new songs, "Don't Stop." It gave everyone a close-up view of
Wood's finger work and well as his dancing.
In order to accommodate fans who were seated in the top rows, the Stones also
set up a smaller stage inside second base. They played three songs near the end
of the set there, but truth be told, they were still pretty small.
The only lull in the evening was when Richards took over as frontman for a
couple of the new songs during the middle of the concert. Mick had probably gone
off for a clothing change and a quick hit of oxygen. It quickly became clear
that Keith is not a frontman, and maybe that is why the Stones have always
worked so well--everyone knows their place. Keith incoherently mumbled away to
the audience as only he can, and he didn't sing that well either. The audience
responded to all this with the politeness afforded to a drunk at a karaoke bar.
It was a relief when Mick came back on.
So, what's up next for the Stones? Well, after they finish off their two
shows at Osaka Dome they will head across Asia and play China and India for the
first time. As well, expect some new merchandise and a new album. During a press
conference held a few days before their show at Nippon Budokan on March 10, the
Stones said they are making a documentary of the tour. Jagger also said that
along with the new songs they recorded in Paris for Forty Licks, they did enough
material for a new album.
Some people will probably even buy it, but most will react to it with the
same blase attitude all recent Stones albums have received. But no doubt that if
and when the Stones tour again, people will line up to buy tickets for the show
and then call out for songs recorded 40 years ago during the concert.
It seems the more things change, the more they stay the same.
From the party:
 Rolling Stones party
tonite
Today on Saturday 15th it's Stones Nite Vol. 4 party in Tokyo. See the link.
Greetings to all over Japaneese friends and members of the fan club.
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