This past Sept. 3, the Rolling Stones hit the road yet again, beginning their “Licks” tour at Boston’s FleetCenter. A svelte-looking Mick Jagger opened, “There’s nothing so exciting on an American tour—the first day.” With the 59-year-old Jagger rapidly approaching retirement age, fans must have been excited to see him on tour at all. His bandmates are no more youthful: guitarist/vocalist Keith Richards is 58, drummer Charlie Watts 61 and guitarist Ron Wood is a relatively spritely 55.
After the Pretenders warmed the crowd up, the venerable rockers appeared and were greeted by a standing ovation. Jagger pranced around the stage, gyrating in the way only he can; his overtly suggestive pelvic thrusts thrilled the throng of baby boomers. Behind them, the band was also flaunted on a giant video screen, a reflection of their colossal egos. When the screen wasn’t showing close-ups of Jagger or Richards, it displayed various images and the group’s logo, the huge red tongue created by Andy Warhol. A secondary stage in the middle of the arena, left tantalizingly empty until the latter part of the show, let the Stones get right in the middle of the crowd. Flashy special effects and pyrotechnics were kept to a minimum in the indoor show, but the Rolling Stones still knew how to work the crowd.
The Glimmer Twin grandaddies and their band played a mix of their hits and more obscure tunes. While Jagger had most of the lead vocals, Richards, who could not muster the same presence as Jagger, took over for “Slipping Away” and “Happy.” Of course, the group ripped through some of their greatest hits, including “Honky Tonk Woman,” “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and an encore of “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Jumping Jack Flash.” They premiered the new song “Don’t Stop” which was disappointing in comparison with the best song of the night, the ballad “Wild Horses.”
Mick Jagger’s voice is still potent after all these years, and he still can strut his way all over the stage. Richards can play guitar with the best of them, despite looking closer to rigor mortis than a rock star for some time now. The local gossip surrounding the band centered around their subdued, healthy pre-show habits instead of raging booze fests. In spite of this, or perhaps because of it, the Stones, who formed when Bill Russell was helping to win the Celtics championship banners that now hang on the FleetCenter ceiling, were at the top of their game at the start of their new tour.
The Rolling Stones routinely have the most profitable tours in the music industry. In the 1990s alone, they racked up $750 million dollars in earnings, and the “Licks” tour should be no different. For the Fleet Center show, ticket prices ranged from $50 for the nosebleed seats to $350 for a close up view of a Jagger jiggle. Scalped tickets went for hundreds of dollars more, ranging up to the thousands. Inside, the giant corporate tour machine found other ways to fleece inebriated concert goers. Flimsy t-shirts were being sold for $35 or $45. Even a program set you back $20. It was an orgy of conspicuous consumption.
In Boston, as with several cities on the “Licks” tour, the group played in three different sized venues. This novel approach had the Stones playing the medium sized FleetCenter, the large Gillette Stadium and the tiny Orpheum Theater. In each case, the band tailored its setlist to its audience; at the big stadium they played mostly hits, at the midsize venue a combination of well and lesser known songs and at the small club rarities for the diehards.
The Rolling Stones continue to go on tour because they have to. It is in their blood. Making great rock and roll is what they do. This is true for Jagger especially. When the group moved to the central stage, Jagger pranced around it, working every part of the audience. It was his party and he did not want any guest neglected. Jagger is the definition of a rock star, and he will die with a microphone in his hand. What else would he do?
At the end of the encore, red confetti poured down and giant lips kissed the audience goodbye from the background monitor. Another promising tour had begun. Personally, I felt gratified. Seeing the Rolling Stones live was one of the things I wanted to do before I died. Or rather, before they do.
