The bodies might be older, the world may be different, but the Rolling Stones proved yet again that some things never change, in this case, the power of their music. In many ways, the concert at Fenway Park was similar to the Sunday show in terms of the song list. But the sound was more scintillating and the lighting more in tune with the adrenalin rushing through the 36,000-strong crowd.
Opened by Black Eyed Peas, the Fenway concert went on to Stones’ foot-tappers like
Start Me Up, You Got Me Rocking,
Shattered, and others. Mick Jagger seemed especially energetic on stage when he rocked and rolled his way through the catwalk as fire lit up the stage during
Sympathy for the Devil.
When a rare rendition of
She's So Cold came up, the crowds went wild as they did with
Miss You,
Oh No, Not You Again and
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction. Jagger seemed to be inexhaustible as crowds cheered at their favorites.
The night brought back memories of Jazz singer Ray Charles too, when the Stones performed
Night Time is the Right Time, with Jagger and Lisa Fischer taking the mikes against the background of the deceased Charles’s photograph. Other beauties included
Jumpin' Jack Flash,
Brown Sugar, the sarcastic
You Can't Always Get What You Want and of course,
It's Only Rock 'N' Roll, which audience reaction belied.
A number of new tracks from
A Bigger Bang, the Rolling Stones’ latest album, peppered the song list. The concert, the 31st in the band’s illustrious 40-year history, attracted thousands to Boston’s Fenway Park.
In this day and age of mother-bashing, perverted psychopathic lyrics, it’s tough to shock the crowd. But
Sweet NeoCon, with its political undertones, managed to create some flutter in the crowds. “You call yourself a Christian, I call you a hypocrite, You call yourself a patriot, Well I think you're full of shit,” went Jagger, while vehemently denying any underlying finger-pointing. His denials are not surprising, considering that governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was one among the celebrity guest list, which also included John Kerry, Whoopi Goldberg, and John Henry.
Last night’s concert once again proved that age is never a bar, if you know how to strike the right cord, be it on the guitar or in someone’s heart. The Rolling Stones sure know how to with both.
