{"id":930,"date":"2022-04-02T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trennamahney.com\/?p=930"},"modified":"2022-04-04T21:51:55","modified_gmt":"2022-04-04T13:51:55","slug":"the-rolling-stones-concert-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trennamahney.com\/testing\/the-rolling-stones-concert-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"THE Rolling Stones Concert – Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Greg<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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As the title suggests, this is the second part of the story, the first part is here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Near the Stage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So there we were, in the tongue pit with Tren’s great friend Sue, who she probably hadn’t seen for a couple of years, and Sue’s sister, Judy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Ahhh! You’ve got the same top as me!”  Both have a black (of course) “It’s only rock n roll” singlet top.  Judy has a different, but equally cool Stones top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I look around at the scene.  It isn’t long until the show starts and the tongue pit isn’t all that crowded – probably a riot control measure.  Mind you there are three or four rows of standing, jiggling, excited people who are jammed up against the fairly narrow barrier in front of the stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It appears that pretty well everyone is wearing some version of a Rolling Stones top.  I wonder briefly if the Stones have sold more merchandise than records….. well, probably not.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rest of the Arena is choc-a-block with seated fans – probably about 12,000 of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tren and Sue are yabbering and laughing non-stop as they always seem to when they are together.  I would say no one makes Trenna laugh more than Sue.  I like Sue a lot, but I’m still soaking up the atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This DEFINITELY feels different to two nights ago half way up the raked seating.  This DEFINITELY feels more like a Stones concert ought to feel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The crowd is amazingly diverse.  Do they bring their own group of young attractive 20 something women to stand at the front of the crowd nearest the stage??  How does that happen?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is 1 November 2014 so Trenna and I are both about 57 years old.  Some of the crowd are older than us by several years.  Cashed up baby boomers ticking off the bucket list, or going to yet another Stones concert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know from the Thursday concert that there will be plenty of other people our age who have made the WRONG decision and opted for a seat for the duration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, probably the majority of our tongue pit comrades are in their 30s and 40s.  All shapes, sizes, races and genders.  They all share a broad smile and a sense of anticipation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Concert Starts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most concert reviews are written that night, or maybe the next morning. I’m doing this one more than 7 years later so, in the main I can’t give you a blow by blow description of each song of the concert. But there are certainly impressions and memories that have stayed with me all these years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were truely great, and rightly the kings of all they surveyed. The crowd was absolutely adoring and very well behaved.  Joined in a common experience that will last a lifetime.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We slowly shimmied and edged so that for most of the concert we were about 6 or 7 rows of standing people from the front.  Close enough to clearly smell Ronnie’s cigarettes – he had several through the show, and in range of the guitar picks thrown out to the tongue pit crowd through the night.  I just missed out on one – damn!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The band were clearly having a great time.  I prefer to be retired at their age, but if they still have to work I can’t think of a more enjoyable occupation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mick, as I think everyone knows, is an amazing powerhouse.  He has his moves down so well there is no mistaking who it is just 4 meters in front of you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mick
Mick being very Jaggeresque.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There were many highlights of course.  Keith coming right to the front of the stage to do some blues numbers whilst Mick and the rest did yet another change of clothes.  The guy clearly loves his music and the mob adore him for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Keith
Keith seems to enjoy every minute.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Seeing Mick Taylor (Ronnie’s predecessor) on stage was AMAZING and an unexpected super<\/em> bonus<\/em> we weren’t expecting when we first booked the tickets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don’t play guitar but I have been to a LOT of concerts.   I think Keith and Ronnie are fabulous but  you could tell the difference between their playing and the virtuosity of Mick Taylor.  You knew Keith in particular, and Ronnie as well, were lapping it up, all three producing intertwining licks and riffs. WOW!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mick
Both Micks – BONUS!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Satisfaction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I’ve always enjoyed the song Satisfaction. <\/em>Who doesn’t? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I read this year, 2022, in Keith’s autobiography, Life<\/em>, that for a long while the Stones didn’t perform it live.  Here’s what he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“A peculiarity of “Satisfaction” is that it is a hell of a song to play on stage. For years and years we never played it, or rarely, until maybe the last ten or fifteen years.  Couldn’t get the sound right, it didn’t feel right, it just sounded weedy. It took the band a long time to figure out how to play “Satisfaction” on stage.  What made us like it was when Otis Redding covered it.  With that and Aretha Franklin’s version which Jerry Wexler produced, we heard what we’d tried to write in the first place. We liked it and started playing it because the very best of soul music was singing our song.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keith Richards, 2010, p142.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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