Tag Archives: Rolling Stones

Rolling Stones at MetLife Stadium on May 23, 2024

If anyone could have predicted back in 1989, the first time I saw the Rolling Stones live, in East Troy, Wisconsin, that in the year 2024 the Stones would STILL BE HERE, and touring with a brand-new album under their belts to boot, I would never have believed them. When I saw the Steel Wheels show back in ’89, I was certain that this was my one and only chance I would get to see the Stones, ever. The fact that this band is still here, still playing, is an unimaginable feat. They have been performing live since before I was even born, and I am no spring chicken myself. We are so blessed to still have the Stones after all these years.

The Thursday, May 23, 2024, show at MetLife Stadium was one of the best, if not THE best of all the Stones shows I have yet seen. Not only were the lads in fine form musically, putting on a fantastic performance, it also turned out to be a wonderful overall EXPERIENCE. This was my 20th time.

My most recent show had been May 11 in Vegas, which was also fantastic, but in my view the Stones were even better tonight. Mick had more swagger and was more enthusiastic and had more flamboyant gestures. During Miss You he gave us some extra what’s-a-matter-wich-you-boy’s, in addition to his howlig and harmonica playing.  Keith was in top form as well.  His guitar playing was splendid, especially on You Got the Silver, Gimme Shelter, Sympathy, and Jumping Jack Flash. Best of all, you can see they are really enjoying themselves up there! Those 60-foot screens don’t lie.

Gene’s favorite numbers included Get Off My Cloud, Angry, and Jumping Jack Flash. My favorite this night was Miss You. Gene and I were both impressed by Chanel Haynes on Gimme Shelter. Gene remarked that he was especially moved by Steve Jordan’s drumming and Keith’s overall joyousness.

Rolling StonesThis was my first time seeing the Stones with Lucky Dip tickets. I had originally intended to attend this show with my friend Bill and go with him to meet Shidoobeans for the first time, but sadly Bill threw his back out that morning and had to reluctantly cancel.  Our mutual friend Gene saved the day, driving us from Brooklyn.  I am so very glad to have had the chance to go with Gene, who is also a lifelong Stones fan and — an eternal optimist — who has seen them many times over the years. Not only that, but Gene met both Mick and Keith and many others associated with the band over the years, and he has many war stories to share.  For tonight, Gene timed everything perfectly, as we got there just before 8 pm as the opening act, Jon Batiste, was just taking the stage. Our LD seats were on the side of the stage in the lower bowl, section 142 to be exact. Although these seats were labeled “limited view” on our paper tickets, we were both thrilled with our proximity. While we did not have a great view of Steve Jordan, we were close to the runway on Ronnie’s side of the stage and the large screens helped immensely. From this angle we could see not only the band, but the large and enthusiastic crowd. What a festive night this was. The crowd was in such good spirits.

The vote song was Wild Horses. I had voted for Depending On You in honor of my dear friend Steve Couse, of blessed memory. The other choices this night were Worried About You and Fool to Cry.

Jon Batiste was the opening act, and his performance was fantastic. He had a full entourage with him, but he also performed several numbers by himself on piano. He wore a sparkly gold suit and a beaming smile. One of his songs was When the Saints Go Marching In!

After Jon Batiste finished Gene and I had time for a pit stop, a visit to the refreshment stand, AND a stop by the merch stand for t-shirts, where there was absolutely no line, and we were back to our seats in plenty of time. Thanks to Gene’s strategic parking decision and driving, we were on the highway back to Brooklyn in no time. Up until today the weather forcast had called for rain, but Gene insisted that we would definitely not get any rain — and he was right. On the drive home, the full moon was shining on us.

Rolling Stones in Las Vegas on May 11, 2024

A lot of the fun of traveling to a Rolling Stones show from out of town is running into fellow concertgoers who are also from out of town. My friend Craig and I both flew to Las Vegas from the East Coast on Friday night — me from New York City, and him from Washington, D.C. — for the show on Saturday, May 11, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium. We spent the day Saturday checking out the strip. We stayed at Mandalay Bay, and we walked from there to Luxor, Excalibiur, New York, New York, MGM Grand, Paris, and Caesars Palace. All along the way when we weren’t playing the slots we saw many, and I mean a great very many, people wearing Stones tee shirts. Most of the wearers were Baby Boomer age. But some had children or even grandchildren in tow.  We usually nodded to one another or said hi and sometimes we chatted each other up about where we’re from. People were in Vegas from all over the country and even from overseas. In an elevator we ran into a couple from Australia who were going to Seattle next to catch the show there.

Craig and I went for an early dinner but found that most of the places already had long waits! (Note to anyone traveling from out of town for a show: If you plan to have dinner beforehand anywhere near the venue, be sure to go plenty early, because every restaurant in the vicinity is sure to be packed!) We kept looking and found a pizza place, where we were among many fellow diners also in town to see the Stones. Two in particular caught my eye. It was a man with a younger man who looked like his son. Both were wearing Stones tees and big smiles. They were absolutely glowing. They were talking to each other the whole time, not on their phones, and they were clearly enjoying each other’s company and experiencing this event together.

Getting to and from Allegiant Stadium for the concert was a breeze. We simply walked across the bridge, which the local cops had closed to vehicular traffic, from Mandalay Bay. There were lots of people coming in, but the lines moved quickly, and things went efficiently.  I guess Vegas is accustomed to large events like this. This is the same stadium where the most recent Super Bowl was played! On the way over the bridge, the late afternoon desert sun was blazing. Several water stations were set up along the way. Once we were on site, the biggest crowds were the lines for merch. I would have bought a tee to add to my collection, but the lines were too long!

Rolling Stones Las Vegas 2024

It was my 18th Stones show and Craig’s first. In the song vote, I chose All Down the Line and Craig wanted — and got —You Got Me Rocking. (The other two songs up for vote this night were Sad Sad Sad and Live With Me.) Craig also wanted — and got — Sympathy for the Devil and Honky Tonk Women, and he also wanted — but did not get — something from the Steel Wheels album. He predicted, correctly, that Start Me Up would be the first song.

Our seats were in the 300 level, Row A. I chose those seats because I wanted to be in the front row of a section. I could have easily stood and danced and moved and grooved through the entire show, but it’s scary up so high! Both Craig and I were a little bit afraid of the heights, and we chose to stay in our seats for most of the show, not only out of fear of falling but also because we did not want to block the view of anyone behind us who might also be sitting.

We chatted up the folks on each side of us, of course. The gentleman to my left said he had been to see many Stones concerts over the years starting in 1972. He said he still remembers when the song Satisfaction came out when he was 16! To Craig’s right was a couple from Vegas. Her name was Angie! It was her first Stones show, and she definitely wanted them to perform “my song” but sadly it was not in the cards this evening.

The Las Vegas show did offer a few surprises. Two songs, Let’s Spend the Night Together and Like a Rolling Stone, made their 2024 tour debuts. The next surprise was Keith doing TWO songs at this show after only performing one on the first three shows of this tour. He started with You Got the Silver followed by Little T&A, also known as She’s My Little Rock ’n’ Roll. Keith was in fine form. Craig remarked to me after the show that he looks so happy playing music.

They did Angry and Mess It Up from the new album, the latter of which sounded a bit messy but that’s totally OK with me. I wish they would add Bite My Head Off from the new album to the set. I was sure that would be the new You Got Me Rocking, and I am flabbergasted that they are not performing that yet! The only song that did not sound all that great, in my view, was Get Off My Cloud.  But Miss You and Paint It Black were both flawless. And Jumping Jack Flash never sounded better.

Mick’s stage banter included asking where everybody was from, and he also said that he and Keith came to Vegas for the first time in 1964, not to perform but to gamble. He said they stayed at the Flamingo and that he lost lots of money but tonight he was going to try to win it back.

Mick played harmonica on Miss You and on Like a Rolling Stone and, and he played guitar on several other songs including You Can’t Always Get What You Want.

For me one of the highlights of the show was Gimme Shelter, with Chanel Haynes. Chanel was fantastic, offering not only astounding vocals but facial expressions and physical gestures that were so very powerful. She put her whole body, voice, and soul into the song. Chanel returned for Sweet Sounds of Heaven, the first of two encore songs. I think Jagger added a new lyric, something along the lines of “Let the old feel like they are young” and hearing this addition to the song moved me greatly. Yes, the Stones are older than the rocks in the Grand Canyon, but they are indeed young. In my view, this tour is a triumph, especially because they are promoting a new album, Hackney Diamonds, and a solid effort at that. Even more impressive, is that they recorded most of it this very year. I can’t wait for the follow up to Hackney Diamonds. Meanwhile, as long as the Stones are still touring, I will be there and wearing a lips and tongue tee to boot.  I’m going to FOUR more shows this tour alone!

The Vegas setlist:

  1. Start Me Up
  2. Get Off My Cloud
  3. Let’s Spend the Night Together
  4. Angry
  5. Like A Rolling Stone
  6. You Got Me Rocking (vote song)
  7. Mess It Up
  8. Tumbling Dice
  9. You Can’t Always Get What You Want
  10. You Got the Silver (Keith on vocal)
  11. Little T&A (Keith on vocal)
  12. Sympathy for the Devil
  13. Honky Tonk Women
  14. Miss You
  15. Gimme Shelter
  16. Paint It, Black
  17. Jumping Jack Flash
  18. Sweet Sounds of Heaven (encore)
  19. Satisfaction (encore)

The opening band was The Pretty Reckless, featuring a female singer. I thought the band was fantastic, and she was charming. It must be difficult to open for the Stones, especially if you are a band that most audience members are not familiar with. I thought they did a nice, respectable set. I *always* attend the opening set. After all, if the Stones have invited a band to play on the bill with them, I am going to give that band some respect.

Before the show started, I told Craig that I was not going to take my phone out too much because there would be lots of pictures and videos posted to social media, as there always are, and sure enough, there were indeed. There was one post in particular that really made my day! Remember the father-son duo from the pizza place? They posted selfies from the show and, get this, it turns out they had Lucky Dip tickets and got Pit!

What a night, what a show.

See you at MetLife!

Respectable: A review of Hackney Diamonds

It’s been one month since the lads released their 26th US album, Hackney Diamonds. I have not stopped playing it since. It’s that good. And I am not just saying this because I am an obsessed fan. I am an obsessed fan. But I’m no schoolboy. I know what I like. My favorite flavor is cherry red, and you better believe I can do the hip shake baby.

Like most Stones albums, this one encompasses various musical styles and genres and demonstrates that, no matter how OLD they are, they still know what they’re doing.

Respectable: A review of Hackney Diamonds

According to the interviews the Stones have been giving as publicity to coincide with the release, they recorded the bulk of Hackney Diamonds over the course of only a few months. This is not a collection of discarded outtakes that have been recycled for the sake of putting something out, as evidenced by their new drummer, Steve Jordan, who is on most of the tracks. Charlie Watts, who died in 2021, is on two of the songs, and the album is dedicated to him. The whole album does indeed sound fresh, like it was recorded without too much fuss. It’s not over-produced. It is however, very Stonesy. And I like it, like it, yes I do!

My thoughts and notes:

  • The songs with the most Jagger swagger are Live By the Sword and Whole Wide World.
  • The songs with the grooviest Keith Richards riffs are Angry and Get Close. The latter features a wonderful bit of saxophone.
  • The hardest rocker is Bite My Head Off, a punk song. Paul McCartney appears on this one, and about halfway through, if you listen VERY closely, you can hear Mick call on the beloved Beatle: “Alright Paul, let’s hear some bass.”
  • According to the liner notes, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts appear on Live By the Sword. Elton John is also on Live By the Sword, as well as Get Close.
  • The album is produced by a 33-year-old whippersnapper named Andrew Watt, whose parents I’m guessing had not even met yet when Tattoo You came out! Whatever Andrew Watt did, I give him much praise. He shares songwriting credit with the Glimmer Twins on three of the songs, and he plays bass on a few as well. Daryl Jones is not on the album at all.
  • The dramatic crescendo of the album is Sweet Sounds of Heaven, a gospel song featuring Lady Gaga on vocals. Stevie Wonder is on piano, and if you listen very closely after the pause toward the end, you can hear Mick whisper softly, “Play me something, Stevie.”
  • The final track on the album is a cover of the Muddy Waters song Rolling Stone Blues, which is the blues song from which the band derived its name. This sounds like it is just Keith on acoustic guitar and Mick on vocal and harmonica. They do it so very well, because the Delta blues is embedded in their souls.

My personal favorite is Depending On You, one of two country songs on the album. This song moves me more than any of the others, because it makes me think of my dear friend Steven S. Couse, who died in 2021, not long after Charlie. Steve, who was even more in tune with the Stones than I ever could hope to be, would have been very into this album. I do wish that he were here now to listen with me. I miss you, Steve!

You can call Hackley Diamonds a comeback album if you will. Most recently the Stones released Blue and Lonesome, a collection of blues covers, in 2016. Before that their most recent album of newly written material was A Bigger Bang, which was also a very strong album, back in 2005.

But in my view, this is the most important album the Stones have released in a long time. You think the party is over but it’s only just, only just begun! Yes, these songs are strong enough for the band tour on. Angry will fit nicely in the set list between Honky Tonk Women and Start Me Up. Whole Wide World, Bite My Head Off, Live By the Sword, and Mess it Up all absolutely, 100 percent need to be played live. And Sweet Sounds of Heaven will be fantastic as the show’s closer. Speaking of which, if you haven’t yet seen the 7-minute rendition of Sweet Sounds of Heaven with Lady Gaga, recorded live before 700 lucky attendees on Oct. 19 at their surprise album launch gig at Racket in NYC, it is highly recommended. You can find it on YouTube without too much trouble.

I took my sisters to see the Rolling Stones in Detroit

Mick, Keith, and Ronnie all looked fit, trim, and healthy — both physically and emotionally. And they look like they are generally having fun on stage. At least that is my own impression from looking at the expressions on their faces, blown up large on the video. Also apparent on the big screens: A wonderful chemistry between Mick and Keith. Yes, the lads were in top form last week at Fold Field in Detroit on November 15, 2021. It was a fantastic show.

It was my 17th time seeing the Stones live. My first time was 1989 in East Troy, Wisconsin, during the band’s Steel Wheels tour. At that time, I thought that it was my one and only chance to see them. I did not know then that I would one day move to New York City and see the Stones many more times at Madison Square Garden and eventually even at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn!

But this tour they didn’t come to New York city, so I decided to fly to my home state of Michigan. I took my three sisters, who are all younger than me, to the show as my guests. For the older of my sisters, it was her second time seeing the Stones. It was the first Stones show for my other two sisters. We sat about halfway back in Section 121, which gave us a good vantage point. What I like about a Stones crowd is that it is friendly and civilized.

Rolling Stones Ford Field Nov 15 2021

We stayed at the Athenium hotel, which was just a few blocks away from Ford Field. Everyone at the hotel was there to see the Stones. I also did some sightseeing earlier in the day, and again everywhere I went there were other Stones fans. There’s a good feeling of camaraderie when you see other Stones fans out and about, whether you say hello or just nod.

The opening act was Ayron Jones, whom I had never heard of before. He performed a 35- or 40-minute set with his band. Lots of impressive guitar playing. And a very large, shirtless drummer. It was a solid performance. There was some confusion in the crowd before he came on, because an official email from Fold Field before the show said that “Ghost Hounds” was the opening act.

Another bit of confusion came from the local Fox 2 news program the night before the show, which I just happened to catch while channel surfing. They said that Martha Reeves was going to be performing with the Stones as a special guest. But that turned out not to be the case when the Stones played Ain’t Too Proud to Beg as their Motown Tribute. After the show Martha Reeves was pictured backstage with the band members in various social media posts.

Mick said from the stage it was the band’s third time performing at Ford Field, including the Super Bowl halftime. He also said it was their 21st time performing in Detroit, the first show being in 1964. That was before I was born!

Here are a few more notes on Detroit 2021:

  • I though the opener, Street Fighting Man, was fantastic.
  • There was a nice extra bit at the end of You Can’t Always Get What You Want.
  • Honky Tonk Women was fun seeing the closeup of Keith’s guitar work on the big screens. And the animations of exotic women, which to me looked like they were tattoos come to life, were clever!
  • In my opinion one of the best songs of the evening was Ghost Town, their newest song. Mick played harmonica on this one, and he also led the audience in a chant.
  • Midnight Rambler was another highlight, also featuring Mick’s harmonica. This is one of my very favorite songs to see and hear them perform live. I really like the way they make this song different every time and change the tempo. At one point Mick broke into a few lines of the Robert Johnson song Come on in my Kitchen. Very cool.
  • Gimme Shelter, the first encore song, featured a fantastic Sasha Allen on vocals and she joined Mick on the B Stage. She really put her heart and soul into it, as evident in her facial expressions. She’s possessed by the spirits of Merry Clayton and Lady Gaga with some Tina Turner and Janis Joplin thrown in for good measure.
  • Wild Horses was the “vote” song. My three sisters all voted for it, and I have no doubt that their votes put the song over the top. I had voted for Sweet Virginia, but I’m really glad it turned out to be Wild Horses. They performed it so beautifully. And I’m so very glad that one of the three songs from that famous recording session at Muscle Shoals was played live.
  • And God bless Steve Jordan. I think he did a fantastic job. Others have said that he seems to be banging on the drums a bit harder than Charlie ever did, and this might be the case. Charlie always made his playing seem effortless somehow. I do think that the opening video tribute to Charlie, as well as them dedicating the show to Charlie, was a proper way to show him respect. Everyone misses Charlie of course. Yet I for one am so glad the Stones are playing on — and that they are doing so with Charlie’s blessing.

 

The Stones came on stage at approximately 8:45 p.m. and played until 11. Here’s the complete set list, in order:

  1. Street Fighting Man
  2. You Got Me Rocking
  3. 19th Nervous Breakdown
  4. Tumbling Dice
  5. Ain’t Too Proud to Beg
  6. Wild Horses (the song voted on before the show)
  7. You Can’t Always Get What You Want
  8. Living in a Ghost Town
  9. Start Me Up
  10. Honky Tonk Women
  11. Connection (sung by Keith)
  12. Before They Make Me Run (also sung by Keith)
  13. Miss You
  14. Midnight Rambler
  15. Paint It Black
  16. Sympathy For The Devil
  17. Jumping Jack Flash
  18. Gimme Shelter (first encore song)
  19. Satisfaction (final encore)

I have noticed a reaction in myself every time I see the Stones play live. At some point, I get emotional. And the tears come at the most unexpected times. On Monday night it was during 19th Nervous Breakdown, of all songs. When Mick and Keith leaned in together and sung the nigh note into the same microphone. It just lasted a moment, but when Mick and Keith are performing together like that, all is right with the world. I hope they never, ever stop performing live.

Ron Wood pays tribute to Chuck Berry

On a sizzling new live album, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood pays tribute to Chuck Berry. It’s called “Mad Lad: A Live Tribute to Chuck Berry.” Ronnie Wood plays guitar on all the songs, and he sings on most of them. I’m not the biggest fan of Ronnie Wood on lead vocals, because his singing voice reminds me more of Bob Dylan than Mick Jagger. But his guitar playing is fantastic, and his band is really tight. They are billed as Ronnie Wood With His Wild Five. The album was recorded at a small theater in Dorset, England.

Ron Wood CD review Fred Michmershuizen

The CD opens with “Tribute to Chuck Berry,” a song by Wood, followed by the Chuck Berry covers. Many of the songs are instantly recognizable, while others are lesser known. Some of them, including “Talking About You” and “Little Queenie,” have been recorded by the Stones. “Wee Wee Hours” features Imelda May on vocals with Ronnie Wood and is the CD’s best song. Other standouts include “Almost Grown,” which is Ronnie’s best vocal of the evening, “Blue Feeling,” “Rock and Roll Music” and “Mad Lad,” the album’s title track, which is an instrumental. But all the songs are fantastic. If you’re a Stones diehard like me, this album is a must for your collection!

 

Bill German at the New York Public Library

Longtime Rolling Stones insider Bill German presented a talk today at the New York Public Library on West 53rd Street. As many Stones fans know, Mr. German wrote and edited a newsletter about the band for many years. He went on tour with them, he hung out backstage and was welcomed into their homes and hotel rooms. He subsequently wrote about his adventures in a page-turner of a book that he cleverly titled “Under Their Thumb: How a Nice Boy From Brooklyn Got Mixed Up With the Rolling Stones (and Lived to Tell About It).” Bill also collaborated on a book with Ron Wood about Mr. Wood’s paintings and drawings.

Bill German Under Their ThumbIn my opinion, “Under Their Thumb” is the best book about the Stones — and trust me, I have read many books about the Stones. And in addition to being a gifted writer, Bill is also a terrific public speaker. This was my second time hearing him tell his story. Bill does impersonations of Mick, Ron and Keith, and the way Bill does this you really feel like you are there. During his presentation today, Bill shared pictures and fun anecdotes, including what it was like to hang out in Ron Wood’s basement when people like Stevie Ray Vaughn would pop by at 3 a.m., Keith’s hosting a “lunch” at 8 p.m. — and what happened when he spilled orange juice on Mick Jagger’s rug!

The room was filled with dozens of serious fans who, like me, were hanging on to Bill’s every word. Before and after the presentation, Bill spoke with his fellow Stones fans and signed copies of his books. I picked up extra copies of both the books that he had available, which I will be sending along to out-of-town friends and fellow Stones devotees Gary and Steve. Bill was gracious enough to sign these. He also answered all questions from those in attendance. I had a question of my own I wanted to ask, but I will ask that of Bill another day.

Bill German Ron Wood bookBill German Rolling Stones

Still Life: American Concert 1981

In 1981, the Rolling Stones were at the top of their game. They had a No. 1 album, “Tattoo You,” from which the first single, Start Me Up, was a smash hit on the radio. They also had videos running constantly on a brand new cable station called MTV. The band’s tour that year was arguably the biggest any rock band ever done to date, filling large outdoor stadiums and sports arenas, including the Pontiac Silverdome. (I happened to be just starting high school at the time, and was therefore too young to go to the show.) Opening acts for the Stones that tour included Journey and George Thorogood. With the exception of bass player Bill Wyman, the lads were all still in their 30s. Mick Jagger, trim and fit and with long hair, wore football pants and performed shirtless through much of the show. Then for the encore (usually the song Satisfaction, some nights Street Fighting Man), he would come out on stage wearing a colorful cape made of the British and American flags sewn together. He sang into a cordless microphone, which he stuffed into his crotch while running about the stage during the instrumental bits.

Documenting this tour was a live album, released the following year, called “Still Life: American Concert 1981.” This is not considered one of the best Rolling Stones albums, but it was the first one that I ever bought. I got it at Meijer Thrifty Acres. I remember the DJ Allison Harte talking about the album on WLAV when it came out and playing songs from it. I also remember that at first I was not hugely impressed. My biggest complaint was the album’s length. It was just 10 songs! For some reason I thought this was a recording of a complete concert. I wondered what kind of band would only play for 45 minutes? It was not until years later that I learned that the Stones played 25 or more songs on that tour, for close to three hours each night.

At some point I was in my room playing the record with all the lights off (as I did back then) and it was one specific moment in the song Twenty Flight Rock, where the other members of the band give a brief pause while Mick sings a line, that got me. I can’t explain it. It was something about the band’s ability to do that, to be so precise, so tight, that got me hooked. I learned later that Twenty Flight Rock was an Eddie Cochran song that the Stones were doing a cover version of. They also did a cover of the Smokey Robinson and the Miracles song Going to a Go-Go, which got airplay on the radio and on MTV. But it was the song Twenty Flight Rock, all one minute and 45 seconds of it, that initiated my love for the Rolling Stones.

Here are a few additional notes about the 1981 Stones tour and the “Still Life” album:

  • The album contains an “intro” of Duke Ellington’s Take the A Train and an “outro” of Jimi Hendrix’s rendition of the Star Spangled Banner from Woodstock. Both the intro and outro were played at the concerts, the latter as fireworks exploded over the crowd.
  • The album artwork is by the Japanese artist Kazuhide Yamazaki, based on his colorful stage backdrops used on the tour.
  • In addition to the album, there was also a concert movie, directed by Hal Ashby, called “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” which was filmed at the 1981 Stones shows at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., and at the Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, N.J. The movie came out in 1983 and was shown in movie theaters.
  • There was also a televised pay-per-view special with radio simulcast for the final show of the tour, at Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia. In 2014, this concert was released as a CD/DVD set, titled “From the Vault: Hampton Coliseum (Live in 1981).”
  • Following the 1981 tour of the USA, the Stones went on a big tour of Europe in 1982. They did not tour again until 1989.

If you get the “Still Life” album, listen to the song Twenty Flight Rock and let me know what you think. Also listen to the song Let Me Go (from their 1980 album Emotional Rescue, which opens Side 2) and tell me if you can count the number of different ways Mick sings the word “hey” and how he turns that one word into a whole sentence just about every time he sings it. You might also get hooked on the opening song, Under My Thumb, or by Shattered, or by Let’s Spend the Night Together, which is played with guitars rather than on piano.

And then there’s their live rendition of Time Is On My Side, which is played and sung with such emotion. By this time the Stones had been performing so long together that his song had real meaning for them and their fans, yet I was just starting to get to know them.

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