Caught in the Act: The Rolling Stones

Concert Review by Walter Carter

The Rolling Stones' Bridges to Babylon tour features not only a wide-angle view of the group's musical history, but also a wide array of guitars and -- if the weather is as chilly as it was in Nashville -- a fashion show of fall and winter wear.

The Stones drew a sold-out crowd of 38,000 at Vanderbilt University's Dudley Field on a windy Sunday evening with temperatures in the low 40s. Due to complaints-in-advance from neighborhood residents, the concert had to end by 8 p.m., so opening act Sheryl Crow took the stage at 4 pm, with fans still finding seats and the sun still trying to shine.

Crow delivered a nice performance of her best known songs, the sun went down, the stadium lights went off, and Keith Richards' classic guitar riff from "Satisfaction" cut through the air. Richards emerged into the light at center stage, playing the butterscotch black-pickguard Fender Telecaster that he's been most closely identified with through the years, and fellow guitarist Ron Wood stepped out with a Les Paul Custom Black Beauty. Lead singer Mick Jagger made a prancing entrance from the edge of the stage, which extended completely across the football field.

At the end of "Satisfaction," with the crowd still on its feet, of course, Jagger joked about the early starting time. "We've just eaten breakfast," he said, "so we're ready to go." In the meantime, Richards switched to a cherry red ES-355 (with Bigsby) and Wood picked up a Tele, and they launched into "It's Only Rock and Roll."

The Stones' tour website, claims "The Rolling Stones didn't invent rock & roll -- it just seems that way." That pretty well sums up the show, as they supported their claim with songs from all eras, including "Gimme Shelter," "Sympathy for the Devil," "Tumbling Dice," "Start Me Up," "Honky Tonk Women," "Miss You" and "Jumping Jack Flash." Any doubt about the timelessness of the Rolling Stones' music was easily dispeled by a glance at the crowd, which ranged from teens all the way up to people the same age as the band (50s).

The internet played an active role in the concert, via a web page that lets fans vote for a song to be included in the set for each concert. When it came time to do that song, the web page appeared on the video screen over the stage. The page was scrolled down past such classics as "Street Fighting Man," Under My Thumb" and "Dead Flowers." And the winner for Nashville was... "Far Away Eyes." Maybe web voters thought a country-style song, complete with "recitation" (spoken lyrics), would be appropriate or funny for Nashville. (The website does mention some cybervoting fraud going on.) It was a surprise to the band as well. "We haven't played that for quite a long time so we'll hope for the best," Jagger said. "I'm playing piano on this one, so you have my sympathy."

The material ranged as wide stylistically as it did chronologically. At one point, Jagger picked up a late-'60s Gibson Hummingbird for the bluesy "Mother Morphine." Richards stepped into the spotlight two songs: the torchy ballad ("smoky" or "wispy" might be more accurate, considering Richards' voice) "All About You" and the more rocking "Wanna Hold You."

Shortly thereafter, an extension ladder -- the kind you'd see on a fire truck -- emerged from the stage and made a low arc to a smaller stage at about the 40-yard-line. The band crossed over the crowd and set up as a small combo for a return to their roots with "Little Queenie" and their first big hit, "This Could Be the Last Time," both songs featuring Richards on his red ES-355.

Richards and Wood changed guitars often through the course of the show. Richards used a late-'50s Les Paul TV Junior (double-cutaway), a blonde white-pickguard Telecaster and a sunburst Telecaster Custom (bound body version). Wood used a two-tone sunburst Fender Stratocaster and a custom, single-pickup black Gibson L-5S -- the same guitar, curiously, that Richards is pictured with in the book Gibson Guitars: 100 Years of an American Icon (check this month's Adventures in Archives for more on this guitar).

The band changed outfits almost as often as they did instruments. Jagger started out in a long red coat with silver scarf, changed into a silver coat and eventually stripped down to a sleeveless white T before donning a yellow biker's top. Richards opened with a long brocaded coat, changed to a red number, and finished in a yellow Starters-type jacket. Wood sported a red jacket and then changed into a leather trench coat. Saxman Bobby Keys also modeled a trench coat, buttoned all the way up, through the entire evening. However, backup singer Lisa Fischer seemed to have no trouble staying warm in a short, short dress, thanks to her enthusiastic and alluring dancing.

Although Keith Richards says the Stones never really had much of a show, the giant video screen, a stage set that included a pair of larger-than-life female figures in seductive poses, and the ongoing fashion displays combined to make the concert quite an entertaining show -- capped off by a fireworks display, "Brown Sugar" as an encore, and a shower of glitter over the entire stadium.

The Bridges to Babylon tour continues through Feb. 14. Check the website for dates, ticket info, news, set lists, gift items, etc.