CONCERT REVIEW
Rolling Stones gather no moss
by Seth Rogovoy(FOXBORO, Mass., Oct. 22, 1997) -- In the group's 35th year and on its umpteenth tour, the Rolling Stones, led by two 54-year-old English grandfathers, proved that it remains the greatest rock 'n' roll band in the world with a fiery, monstrous concert at Foxboro Stadium on Tuesday night.
In the second of two sold-out shows at the venue, Mick Jagger and company pumped out a two-hours-plus, non-stop barrage of the band's greatest hits, keeping the 48,000 fans on their feet and warmed by the spectacle and electricity of the performance on a chilly night under the stars.
Eschewing any fancy or overarching theme, the Stones simply did what they do best. They played hit after hit, fueled by the double-barrel guitars of Keith Richards and Ron Wood and the relentless time-keeping of co-founder Charlie Watts, at 56 the old man of the group.
If Jagger has lost half a step off his pace and a bit of the color from his voice, it didn't keep him from making his trademark stage runs and gyrations, nor did it hinder his renditions of shouters like "It's Only Rock and Roll," "Gimme Shelter" and "Miss You."
The occasional flashpots, fireworks and other explosions that punctuated the show were just that -- mere moments of punctuation in a concert that was simply about music played by and for friends.
In contrast to the icy or contemptuous characters he assumes in song, Jagger was a warm, gracious frontman, effusively thanking the crowd, sprinkling it with just enough references to Boston to let the audience know that he cared where he was -- or that he cared enough to pretend that he cared. In the end, it was all the same, and the most iconic living figure in rock 'n' roll came across as a really nice guy.
If Jagger was the main visual focus of the night -- that is, when he was not being upstaged by his spectacular female doppelganger, vocalist Lisa Fischer -- the equally creased and wrinkled but much greyer Keith Richards was the musical focus, the heart and soul to Jagger's brain.
From the opening guitar riff of "Satisfaction" that launched the concert to the closing chords of the encore, "Brown Sugar," it was Richards' slicing, dicing attack that gave the Stones' straightforward brand of rhythm and blues its unique personality, transforming what is basically a hard-rocking bar band into the biggest rock band in the universe.
Richards even spelled Jagger for a few numbers, taking front and center and delivering the ballad "All About You" in his impossibly snarly delivery, transforming the ugliest of voices into a thing of sheer beauty.
Highlights of the show included "Gimme Shelter," which was taken at a slower pace than the original, lending it heightened tension, and giving Lisa Fischer one of several well-deserved moments in the spotlight.
Jagger then strapped on an acoustic guitar and delivered an intensely dark and moody version of "Sister Morphine." A few songs later, the band's web site was projected on the giant video screen that flanked the stage. In what is a nightly ritual on this tour, the band then played a song supposedly requested by the most fans logging onto the web site that day, which on Tuesday was "Under My Thumb."
About two-thirds of the way through the show, a 127-ft. metal bridge popped out from the stage and into the audience, connecting up with a small stage in the middle of the field. The core of the band walked across the bridge and, in what has now become a rock 'n' roll cliche, performed a short, club-style set -- just the guys without all the trappings.
Once the band got through that obligatory gesture, they returned to the main stage and drove the night home with a sequence of hits including "Sympathy for the Devil," "Tumblin' Dice," "Honky Tonk Women," "Start Me Up" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash," a run of songs that must be the envy of every band in the world.
Sheryl Crow warmed up the crowd with a set of her perky, rootsy pop- rock tunes.
[This review originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on Oct. 23, 1997. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1997. All rights reserved.]
Seth Rogovoy
rogovoy@berkshire.net
music news, interviews, reviews, et al.
Next Article || Previous Article || Back
