Gillingham, Kent, UK (By Mikey)
Rolling Stones at Twickenham
Gig played on Sunday 24 Aug 2003
Around Twickenham, questions hang as heavy in the air as the smoke of the fast food stalls. Never mind hitting the high notes, will Sir Mick's voice manage a two-hour-plus concert? Are the Stones at loggerheads again? Why are the commemorative rugby shirts so extortionately priced (�80 to be precise)?
The first question at least is answered triumphantly in the affirmative. From the moment Keith Richards emerges from the back of the stage and crouches down over his guitar to fire off the opening chords of 'Brown Sugar', Jagger is like the Energizer Bunny on heat. He prances, he sashays, he sprints from one side of the stage to the other. He is Mick Jagger the stadium performer, wringing the crowd dry again and again.
But, more importantly, he sings - beautifully on a graceful version of 'Wild Horses', powerfully on a rousing 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' and with all the innuendo of an old pro on a dirty, bumping version of blues standard 'I Just Want To Make Love To You'.
>The rest of the band also hold down their corners with aplomb - Keith, shirt open to the waist, often grinning from ear to ear when the chords flow just right; Ronnie, not clowning but concentrating, instead legs apart, focused on his instrument; and Charlie, as ice cool and detached as ever, but providing the thumping backbeat, particularly during a seismic version of 'Paint It Black' that literally has the rafters shaking.
Then there are the tricks that no Stones stadium show would be complete without - a camera anchored on Ronnie's guitar's head during 'Don't Stop' so his solo on can be seen up close on the giant video screen; a Manga-style cartoon during 'Honky Tonk Women' featuring a topless woman tangling with the Stones' legendary tongue and lips logo; and the mid-concert excursion down a ramp to a small stage in the middle of the stadium for three songs.
As is often the case, it's this stripped-down section, with just the four band members and sidemen Darryl Jones and Chuck Leavell that serves as a reminder that the Stones can still play with the fire and intensity of their earlier years. A romp through groupie anthem 'Star, Star' and 'I Just Want To Make Love To You' are fun but both are eclipsed by an incandescent 'Street Fighting Man'.
The rest of the show is the home straight of hits, although Lisa Fisher's vocals on 'Gimme Shelter' provide another spine-tingling moment. After the final bows have been taken and the rest of the band departed following an encore of 'Jumpin' Jack Flash', Jagger tellingly lingers, blowing kisses and bowing in defiance of his critics. He knows both he and the Stones have pulled it off again. Roll on the Astoria.
And Rolling Stones at London Astoria
Gig played on Wednesday 27 August 2003
The Rolling Stones performed an intimate show at London's Astoria last night, to just 2,000 fans.
The rock'n'roll legends, playing just a short distance from the Marquee Club, where the band made their London live debut over 40 years ago, were watched by an ecstatic crowd. Outside the Astoria, and in the days and hours leading up to the show, tickets were exchanging hands for over �1,000.
The show, the latest in their world-straddling 'Licks' tour, was the band's smallest gig since 1999, when they performed at London's Shepherds Bush Empire.
Amongst the crowd were a host of celebrities, including Bobby Gillespie, Holly Valance, Jamiroquai, Steve Coogan, artist Tracy Emin, the Fun Lovin' Criminals and Beth Orton.
A Stones fan in the audience told dotmusic how the band went down. He explained: "It was incredible to see them up close in such a small environment. You could see what everyone was doing all the time without relying on a huge video screen.
"Mick was on top form and he and Keith both seemed really pleased to be playing to such a small crowd for a change. And the set list was a dream for hardcore fans, with lots of great, rarely-played album tracks instead of just the greatest hits."
The band's set-list was as follows:
'Jumpin' Jack Flash'
'Live With Me'
'Hand Of Fate'
'No Expectations'
'Worried About You'
'Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)'
'It's Only Rock 'N' Roll'
'Ain't Too Proud To Beg'
'Everybody Needs Somebody To Love'
'That's How Strong My Love Is'
'Going To A Go Go'
'The Nearness Of You' (Keith solo)
'Before They Make Me Run' (Keith solo)
'Can't Turn You Loose'
'Honky Tonk Women'
'Start Me Up'
'Tumbling Dice'
'Brown Sugar'
'Satisfaction' (Encore)
