Reviewed on Wednesday November 12 (photo by Ashley Mar)
At a median age of 71, and more than half a century into their touring career, The Rolling Stones are still sounding great. But of course they are – with a stadium-sized PA system, anything but white noise sounds massive, even blues-infused rock’n’roll played by pensioners. Yet the Stones build their wall of sound differently to other bands. Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood deliver a twin guitar attack that’s relentless, even atomic, but never a big, ugly or impenetrable behemoth. Richards solos in the space between the notes these days, like a blues guitarist from the heyday, and it all stands strong upon Charlie Watts’ unflappable groove.
Thankfully, Mick Jagger has recovered from the throat illness that ruled him out of the Stones’ Hanging Rock show to appear at what he says is their 20th show in Sydney, and he’s grateful we’re still coming back. Some in tonight’s capacity crowd have been around since the start, no doubt; others are ticking the Stones off their bucket list of rock bands to see before it’s too late. The show takes a little time to get going, but not too much: after ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’, ‘It’s Only Rock ’N’ Roll (But I Like It)’ and ‘Respectable’ comes the excellent ‘Tumbling Dice’ and later the unforgettable 1966 classic, ‘Paint It Black’.
Jagger is as energetic, lithe and captivating as ever, and there’s little evidence of his sickness until Richards gets a three-song interlude on lead vocals – it’s the first time he’s done three in a set, the aficionados reckon, since 2006, and only the second time ever. “Evening Sydney, good to see you… good to see anything,” grins the age-defying rocker. When Jagger returns, it’s alongside former member Mick Taylor for a long jam over ‘Midnight Rambler’, and then the set goes into the stratosphere with all the hits: ‘Gimme Shelter’, ‘Sympathy For The Devil’, ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ and more.
The Stones circa 2014 have perhaps surrendered the element of danger that once defined them, but there’s plenty of the rock star left in them all – especially Wood, who runs multiple laps of the stage over two hours and at one point plays a slide guitar solo with a cigarette between his fingers. It’s all mighty good fun. And while this could be the last time, this could be the last time, may be the last time, I don’t know… you couldn’t safely bet against these ineradicable Stones coming back to do it all again.
