Been Around for a Long Long Year

Rolling Stones Nashville Show Review

The last time I saw the Stones was at Atlantic City Convention Hall in late 1989. At the time, I figured it would be my final show from the legendary rockers as they were all quickly approaching 50. Silly me. Little did I know, they’d still be rocking and delivering memorable shows more than three decades later.

Last weekend’s show was a spontaneous decision, but a damn good one. As it turns out, I had severely underrated the entertainment value of a Rolling Stones concert.

We had arrived in Nashville a few hours before showtime and decided to search for some affordable tickets. Surprisingly, there were actually nosebleeds available for $65 on Ticketmaster – plus $30 in fees per ticket (the Stubhub prices were a little higher). Being cheap, I checked out Craigslist before pulling the trigger and stumbled on a few unbelievably sweet last minute deals, or so I thought. The first two were pure scams with both sellers looking for me to Venmo cash to brand new Venmo accounts. The third time was a charm, and we scored two club seats for $75 each. We snagged the seats and headed for Nissan Stadium.

We walked in just as the opening act walked out onto the stage. Pittsburgh’s Ghost Hounds started off the evening and delivered an entertaining set. The band did a nice job warming up the near-capacity crowd with thirty minutes of soulful bluesy rock ‘n roll. They were solid, but everyone in the crowd was anxious for the main event.

Exactly at 8:45, the lights dropped. A heavy drum beat kicked in as the four large video screens were filled with dozens of images of the recently departed Charlie Watts. The photos spanned his entire sixty year career. It was a nice tribute and an excellent way to kick off the show. Seconds after the tribute ended, we heard the iconic opening lead to “Street Fighting Man” as Keith Richards sauntered onto the stage in a brightly colored vest and pink cap. He looked great, and was quickly joined by the strutting Mick Jagger and a supremely fit-looking Ronnie Wood, who at 74 is the baby of the group! We also got our first glimpse of Watts’ replacement, longtime veteran drummer, Steve Jordan.

As the opening song concluded, Chuck Leavell, who has toured with the band on keyboards for the last four decades, immediately jumped into “Let’s spend the Night Together” and the party was on. The only official members of the Rolling Stones are the big three mentioned earlier: Jagger, Richards and Wood, but the band is packed with longtime touring members. Lots of talent and camaraderie. Although Mick and Keith receive most of the fanfare, Ronnie Wood stole the show, including a searing solo on the next track, “Tumbling Dice.” He was excellent all night, and his guitar work is still impressive.

After the explosive start, the band took their first breath as Jagger came to stage center, flanked tightly by Richards and Wood. He briefly celebrated the life of their recently passed band member and friend. “It’s great seeing all of those images of Charlie up there on the screen. We played together for 59 years. So many great memories…” It was a tender moment that seemed sincere.

For his part, Jagger was stellar. His face and voice show his age, but his body has defied father time. He danced around the stage for the entire show. His energy was impressive and he is still a stellar showman. At 78, Jagger was a nonstop dervish constantly interacting with the crowd and his bandmates. Simply put – it would of have been impressive as hell for a man one third his age. Just amazing and he never let up.

The first surprise of the night was “Troubles a Comin,” a lost track that was new to me from the 1979 Tattoo You sessions. I discovered after the show that the song is actually a Chi-lites cover. Nonetheless, it was a great showcase for the dueling guitars of Wood and Richards – truthfully one of the sharper songs all night. Jordan was wailing away on the drums and seemed to be having a blast as well. It made me wonder what a live Watts version would have sounded like…

Each night on the tour, the band lets their fans pick a wild card song to add the set. On this night in the country music capital of the world, it was “Dead Flowers.” A wonderful choice, and a chance for the band members to get back to their roots. Mick strummed his acoustic while Wood delivered another slick solo and Richards energetically shared the vocals. It seemed like a happy moment for the entire band.

They then morphed into a long meandering version of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” It was a wonderful adventure. The ten minute version was one of the best singalong moments of the night and featured both sweet pianos and keyboards. Jagger was on his game as he flew around the stage. The entire band took their moments in the spotlight but the highlight was again the two guitarists (particularly Wood).

After about an hour, Jagger took a well-deserved break and handed over the mic to Richards for his traditional two song set. On this night, though, the first song was a deep track, and one the band had not played in fifteen years, providing yet another unexpected highlight. “Connection” was written by Richards in the 60’s and was never a hit, but it sounded great live, and Richards absolutely shined. I didn’t know the song, but loved it live.

The only letdown all night took place a few songs after Jagger returned, when band kicked into a long disjointed version of “Midnight Rambler.” The performance at center stage between Jagger and Richards just felt odd, and didn’t work musically. It was a bit of a mess and they both actually seemed a little confused. Fortunately, it was the only disappointing song all evening and from that point on, they closed the show fantastically. (See the full setlist below)

After an hour and forty minutes the band closed their set with a raucous version of “Jumping Jack Flash.” If the show had ended at that point, I would have left the stadium thoroughly satisfied, and yes, a bit surprised. Fortunately for their rabid fans, their were two more tunes left during the encore.

The band retook the stage and dished out a smoking version of “Gimme Shelter” and their thunderous closer “Satisfaction.” The two songs stretched out for twenty scintillating minutes, and were damn near perfect. On the former, backup singer Sasha Allen took over the lead vocals and killed it. Her duet with Jagger was magical. The encore was the perfect end to a great show.

When they come back in 2050, I promise, I’ll spring for the tickets right away.

Rock On!
Bob

Rolling Stones Nashville Setlist

Street Fighting Man
Let’s Spend the Night Together
Tumbling Dice
19th Nervous Breakdown
Troubles a’ Comin
Dead Flowers
You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Living in a Ghost Town
Start Me Up
Honky Tonk Women
Connection
Slipping Away
Miss You
Midnight Rambler
Paint It Black
Sympathy for the Devil
Jumpin’ Jack Flash

Encore:
Gimme Shelter
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction