Yes, I saw the Rolling Stones play at MetLife Stadium the other night, on the 5th of August. I have tried to take my son to see some of the true legends and pioneers of rock, and have managed to see some very memorable, incredible shows! But I had long wanted to take my son, specifically, to see the Stones. They are almost right up there with the surviving Beatles.
Seeing the Rolling Stones was something that I really wanted for my son. After all, some of these rock legends, like the Stones, have been around since the early sixties, which means that they have been active for the better part of sixty years! That means that the time to see them is now, because you never know when the last chance will be. After all, Mick Jagger had to delay the dates to these very concerts because he had an emergency heart condition that needed to be operated on almost right away. So, you never know if they will be around ten years, or five years, or even one year, from now.
There were tickets that were not all that badly priced, but they were in Washington. And while I considered it for a while, it was on a night that would not have worked well. A night when I was scheduled not only to work, but to work a double, and this is a new job. So, that was not going to work.
Of course, tickets in my area – the New York metropolitan area, or Philadelphia – tend to be a bit pricier. Philadelphia also was expensive, and again, not conducive to my work schedule. So, I looked at MetLife Stadium, and the tickets for the second show, on Monday night, were quite a bit cheaper than the first night, which was either a Thursday or a Friday. So, I got tickets for the second night, and managed to get some decent tickets.
They were supposed to be partially blocked view, but it was not really bad. The only person we did not see all that well was drummer Charlie Watts. We could see his feet, and sometimes his arms, during the main part of the show, but not his head or torso. But then again, we did see him on the screens, and when he came out, which he did three times. The first time was when the “big four,” if you will, went lout to the middle stage to do a two-song acoustic set. The second time was during the band intros, which were done by Jagger. And the third and final time, of course, was when the entire band came out and stood before the crowd to bow and say goodbye, essentially.
Before the Stones came on, however, there was Lukas Nelson, the son of Willie Nelson. He was promoting his new album, The Promise of the Real. It was not a bad setlist at all, and even though the vast majority of the crowd, like me, seemed unfamiliar with the material, he nevertheless was rocking. A nice opening act to start the evening's music with!
Having seen the Stones on three prior occasions, I must say that they seemed to be really on for this show. Jagger had his usual incredible energy. Frankly, you would never know that he is a 76-year old man who just had emergency heart surgery. And really, the whole band seemed on, with a solid show that made for a very memorable evening. One real gem was the Harlem Shuffle, a song that they had not played in well over three decades! What a treat!
All in all, a great night. I asked my son during the show how he was liking it, and he said that it was the Rolling Stones, so of course it was going to be great!
Great kid!
I heard a story from Q104.3 radio disk jockey Ken Dashow the next day that the Rolling Stones had actually gone to the nearby Tick Tock Diner after the concert. Get this: apparently, according to Dashow, no one recognized them! Not one person. Frankly, that sounds hard to believe. I mean, yes, maybe they were in disguise, and maybe there were no people who had attended the concert, or who were familiar with the Rolling Stones, at the diner at the time. Maybe they went well after the show, and perhaps it was incredibly late. Perhaps there were only young people there, who tend to know next to nothing about rock music in general, let alone classis rock.
Still, that seems a little far-fetched, that literally, not one person at the diner would have recognized them. Maybe it’s just me.
In any case, what a night of great rock music by some of the most legendary musicians in the history of rock ‘n roll!
Here are some pictures, as well as a few video clips. I was able to take more video clips, and longer ones to boot, than normal, having just gotten a new phone. So enjoy!
Setlist from the August 5th show at MetLife Stadium (taken from Setlist fm: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-rolling-stones/2019/metlife-stadium-east-rutherford-nj-339e4061.html):
Jumpin' Jack Flash
You Got Me Rocking
Tumbling Dice
Harlem Shuffle (Bob & Earl cover) (first since 25 Aug 1990)
Monkey Man (by request)
You Can't Always Get What You Want
2120 South Michigan Avenue
B-Stage / Acoustic:
Let It Bleed
Dead Flowers Play Video
Sympathy for the Devil
Honky Tonk Women (followed by band introductions)
You Got the Silver (Keith Richards on lead vocals)
Before They Make Me Run (Keith Richards on lead vocals)
Miss You
Midnight Rambler
Paint It Black
Start Me Up
Brown Sugar
Encore:
Gimme Shelter
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (with fireworks)
Beautiful Sunset While Waiting for the Music:
Lukas Nelson Set:
The Main Act:
Rolling Stones No Filter Tour 2019 Video Clips from 8/5/2019 show:
Opening song:
Clip of Second song, You Got Me Rocking:
Longest clip from my phone:
Brief clip of the acoustic set:
Some others:
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