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Led by two 54-year-olds with better financial resources than most African nations, the entity formerly known as the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band sucks money away from a younger generation of musicians with an ongoing nostalgia trip, currently called Bridges to Babylon. If fans weren't shelling out hundreds of dollars on Stones tickets and merchandise, they'd probably spend at least a little of this cash on emerging artists. That was my thinking before I took my $125 seat--provided by the Stones' record company, Virgin--at the Rose Garden Arena Friday night. That they asked a 17-year-old blues guitarist named Jonny Lang to open was of little consequence; I was still irked that the Stones camp had forced the Verve to forfeit all royalties for its smash hit "Bitter Sweet Symphony" because it sounded like an old Stones song (as if Keith Richards never heisted a riff from some poor American blues player). But I was in for a surprise. Aside from the pedestrian opening blast of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" that greeted the 20,000 mostly 30-and-up fans, the Stones performed with an exuberance and showmanship that I rarely see in bands half their age. Rather than serve as a traveling rock 'n' roll museum, the Stones strive to update and refresh their performance and sound. Mick Jagger still struts, but now he does so less ridiculously than during the '80s, when he was perhaps at his cockiest. Richards looks like an escapee from a freaky old folks' home--"His head is shrinking!" one friend proclaimed--but he and Ron Wood play competent, even inventive, riffs that enliven the crustiest songs in the band's repertoire. And the ever-steady drummer Charlie Watts atones for any of his band's waning vigor with jazzy arrangements that inject some material--most notably "Sympathy for the Devil"--with a striking vitality. Portland audiences at the two-night stand were fortunate to see the Stones in an arena rather than a stadium, where the band reportedly encumbers its music with bombastic stage props and giant television monitors (as opposed to the two modest screens that flanked the Rose Garden stage). Here, we were given the chance to judge--and enjoy--the music in its stripped-down glory. The Stones performed "Let's Spend the Night Together," "Bitch," "Honky Tonk Women" and an apropos cover of Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" flawlessly and at times seethingly. There were missteps to be sure. The passable songs from Bridges to Babylon really served as nothing more than a buffer against claims that this show was a recitation of greatest hits. I could've done without "Start Me Up"--which should be buried now that the song is merely a jingle for Microsoft, a company owned by one of the few men with a bigger bank account than Mssrs. Jagger and Richards--and the announcement that sent the audience into its good night: "The Rolling Stones and Sprint thank you." I hate Sprint. These complaints aside, and my opinion that they should cede the stage to the next generation of rock bands notwithstanding, the Stones deserve praise for their continuing ability to entertain and play loud rock music. Derided for the past two decades as an over-the-hill, money-grubbing enterprise, the Rolling Stones remain one of the world's greatest rock 'n' roll bands. Portland Postscripts: Just when it seemed safe to say that the Dandy Warhols had failed to live up to the hype manufactured in conjunction with their Capitol debut, Come Down, Portland's enfants terribles may have another shot at success. After playing two shows this week--at Satyricon Feb. 4 and LaLuna Feb. 5--the quartet jets to Paris for an appearance on French television, then to London for a slot on a BBC program. The Dandys' "Every Day Should Be a Holiday," which hasn't been released as a single stateside, is proving to be a hit overseas, and the coming trip could reenergize the band. In club news, former EJ's booker Mike Thrasher will begin bringing rock and punk acts into Zoot Suite. The nearly 600-capacity electronica-oriented venue will continue to host DJs and special events, but most weekends will feature bands; Jawbox is tentatively scheduled to appear Feb. 28. |
