How could it be Mick? If it was Keith we would just shrug. The Stones did survive his fall out of the coconut tree. There have always been drug and legal problems that threatened the existence of the band. But Mick? He’s the guy who is always in control, or at least looks like he’s in control. The son of the gym coach who amazed audiences with his athletic performances. The news of his heart valve problems shook up fans.
The No Filter Tour was “postponed.” The Stones juggernaut ground to a halt. A Stones tour has huge logistics. Shows were seldom canceled. Once a tour started rolling it took on a life of its own. To hard core Stones fans the delay was more than an inconvenience.
The marvels of modern medicine soon set things right and posts on social media showed Mick doing an aerobic dance routine. The new tour schedule had them opening in Chicago! That could really work for me. I usually visit there this time of year anyway. So, it wasn’t as crazy as it sounds. It would be a cheap trip for me. I was chasing legends again!
I’ve been know to lose all perspective when it comes to The Stones, so I’ll admit I’m not exactly impartial. But if they did fall on their face or were not up to the standards they had created I would certainly report it. There have been bad songs and misfires, but they usually pull it out at the end. The media would love to see them blow it. There have been wheelchair and walking cane jokes for over twenty years now. The Stones are too old to screw around anymore. There might be more pressure on them to deliver than there ever has been.
The cancel/replace had made Friday June 21 the first show. One of my fellow editors of the Chicago Dip, Tom McEntegart, got me a ticket for the second show, but I had to get one for the first one. I’d never been to a tour opener. Every Stones show is historic, but this one would be dramatic. I had to be there when Mick hit the stage again.
There were plenty of tickets around. I’m not very experienced with buying tickets online, but I got one in Section 436 for $230. I knew I would be way up there in the upper deck. It wouldn’t be like the old days when I could weasel into a better spot somewhere. Security inside arenas is much tighter these days.
Soldier’s Field really does look like the aliens dropped a space ship onto the middle of the historic stadium. I went to football games and other events there while growing up in Chicago. The winners of the Public League High School Championship used to play the Catholic League Champions for the City title at Soldier’s Field. The College All Star Game pitted college all stars against the NFL Champions. Both games were big annual deals, but they have since been discontinued. I did see the Bears play there before it was renovated, and I have seen The Stones play there.
We parked in the underground garage. Stones music was playing from auto radios and the garage’s speaker system! It wasn’t a great place for tailgating. One well prepared couple had set up a card table with wine, cheese and candles. It was a touch of elegance near the garage elevators.
My adrenaline was pumping as we got near the security area. My ticket was on my cell phone and it wouldn’t scan. A security supervisor informed me that, “It was a Will Call situation. Go to Gate 10.” This was nerve wracking, but I didn’t panic.
It was early and there was pre-Stones show excitement in the air. I didn’t pay too much attention to the booth for the “sole sponsors” of the tour. “The Alliance for Lifetime Income” would raise awareness of saving for retirement. It sounds like a noble cause, but it strikes me as strange. A large screen showed a film clip on how the massive stage was set up. I did get to watch the video later. There was a special entrance for those who needed assistance with wheel chairs.
There was no line at Will Call. As I walked up about five black ticket scalpers converged on me. In the short time it took me to get to the window one guy had asked me three times if I was looking for tickets. The scalpers looked desperate and a bit shaky. I’m glad I didn’t have to deal with them.
It looked like they were still selling tickets at Will Call. Two older guys celebrated that they got tickets. The guy inside the booth quickly had my ticket displayed on the phone. “Don’t change the page.” Uh no. I’m going right in.
It was déjà vu when I entered Soldier’s Field. The interior of the entrance area looked exactly the same. It brought back memories. I was in!
Most of the crowd were geezers, but I’m certainly used to that now. The Chicago audience brings a different intensity to any Rock show. It looked like everyone had a Stones tee shirt on. Veteran fans knew what was going to happen. There were some obvious family groups. Mom and Dad were passing the torch to a new generation. There were groups of younger people intent on partying and finding out what the Stones are about. It was the thing to do tonight in Chicago.
There were very long lines at the Merchandise booths. People were lined up about fifty deep. This stuff is available online, but these fans want a souvenir they had bought at the show.
It was still early and I went up the stairs to check out the Colonnade. It’s an outdoors concourse that faces out on the lake and skyline. The tall pillars from the original stadium remain.
There was a lot going on in the area around Soldier’s Field. The tents of Cirque de Soleil were not far away. I could see the new outdoor arena at the former Meiggs Field. Northerly Island is a new music venue I hadn’t even heard of. There’s a temporary exhibition on Alexander Hamilton.
There was a human logjam in the concourse that led to the upper deck seats. It took a while to navigate the crowd and get to the seat, and it was still early. Soldier’s Field is an NFL facility, but the renovation has created some design flaws. It was hard to find a bathroom and the section signs were confusing. Bears season ticket holders probably know where they’re going. I made it up the stairs to row 27.
Saint Paul and the Broken Bones are a great Ryhthm and Blues party band. I had seen them at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and they got the crowd up and dancing there, but opening for the Stones is tough. People took a long time getting to their seats. I’d guess about half the audience were in their seats when the set was over. They sounded great, but most of the crowd was distracted.
People struggled to climb the stairs. Aged Boomers would stop and take a break on the way up. They’d gasp for air and look up the stairs, trying to figure out how many more rows they had to climb.
A young couple was on my right. I’ll guess they were in their thirties. There was about a forty-five minute wait after the opening act. They griped about the wait. I restrained myself. The Stones were notorious for making an audience wait. The first time I saw them the wait well over two hours.
It wasn’t the Seventies. All shows now have a more family atmosphere. They just aren’t as wild now. There was a little pot smoking, but there wasn’t a cloud of smoke hanging in the air. I didn’t see anyone doing lines in the seats. There wouldn’t be bottles of Jack Daniels on top of the amps tonight.
There was a very light rain. Almost a mist. Stagehands mopped the runways that ran out from the main stage. We can’t have Mick wiping out on a slippery stage. When the crew left the crowd cheered and gave them a hand. It was a sign that the show would soon begin.
The house lights dimmed, the crowd roared and the screens lit up. First song. Opening Night. The tension and drama were really ramped up. Keith blasted onto the stage and the audience erupted. He always gets the first riff. Mick came charging out behind him. There’s nothing like the energy and adrenaline of those first few moments. The crowd greeted Mick on his return. It was more than the usual Rock star idolatry. He certainly looked happy. The band looked ecstatic to be back onstage. Stones shows are always a celebration of survival, but I hadn’t imagined that it would be a celebration of Mick’s survival.
I would have bet the first song would be Jumpin’ Jack Flash. It took me a minute to figure out what song it was. Street Fighting Man was an appropriate choice to start a show in Chicago. Then it was right into Let’s Spend the Night Together. That was a good sign that we could be in for some older songs. They mixed it up with Tumbling Dice.
Everyone had sat through the opening band. When the Stones started everybody got up and at least stood for most of the night.There was none of the “down in front” bullshit. Most of the crowd did take a break and sat during the Keith segment. That seems to be part of the routine at Stones shows now. The crowd was very into it from the start and sang along loudly on most songs.
The sound was phenomenal. There was a bit of echo off the modern steel and glass club level in the farther reaches of Soldier’s Field, but that was mostly the vocals. It wasn’t too distracting and it made Mick’s singing sound a bit more dramatic.
The sound was so good that I could understand Mick’s patter between songs. “We decided to open up here instead of Miami.” “This is our thirty-eighth time playing in Chicago!” The eighth time in Soldier’s Field.
This was show forty-one for me, as close as my research shows. My total impresses some people, but there are fans that have gone to hundreds of shows. That impresses me.
Mick admitted that he’s never had an Italian Beef. There was a shout out to the new mayor, Lori Lightfoot. A black lesbian mayor in Chicago? How things have changed. He made a surprising crack that embattled Alderman Edward Burke “can’t be here tonight.” (Burke’s offices had been recently raided by the Feds.) Even Mick should be careful when talking about Chicago politics.
Sad Sad Sad. Mick plays guitar. You Got Me Rocking. They used to be new songs, but now they are live show rarities. A nod to Steel Wheels. Great to hear these live again. After You Can’t Always Get What You Want they strolled out to the small stage while 2120 Michigan Avenue played on the speakers. We weren’t that far from the legendary Chess recording studios.
Stagehands scrambled to get them set up. They did a couple of acoustic classics: Angie and Dead Flowers. Two songs with memories and meaning for me.
No one works the house like Jagger, and he was really hot tonight. He prowled the long ramps that put him closer to the crowd. He doesn’t do as many of the long insane runs from one side of the massive stage to the other, but he did cover a lot of territory. It was clear that he was proving a point. He’s not going to come back at half speed.
Keith was laid back. I think he lets Mick have the spotlight more, especially on this comeback show. Mick did get most of the media attention. Keith was great during his segment, but most of the show was about Mick tonight. Ronnie Wood was outstanding. He was his usual gregarious Rock Star self. Charlie Watts looks elderly and a bit frail. How does he do it? He usually looks serious, like he’s really not with these hooligans, but it was clear he was enjoying seeing Mick’s return.
There were some squawks and dissonance in the early going. Keith and Ronnie Wood seem to be experimenting a bit and sometimes that veers out of control. Sometimes they just hit a bad note. It is live. Some fans still expect it to sound like the record.
My seat in section 436 wasn’t bad considering the price. I was house left, stage right, the Ronnie Wood side. It had a good sightline to watch the spectacle unfold. I could see the planetarium from my seat. It’s certainly not the same as being near the stage, but I wasn’t going to pay $2,000 to get closer.
The huge screens are a necessary part of the show. At least you can really see what’s going on onstage. The Stones are not just dots. The screens are sixty feet tall!
The drumbeat for Sympathy for the Devil played while the boys made their way back to the main stage. The Chicago crowd loudly echoed Mick’s woo-woo’s!
Honky Tonk Woman featured Stones veteran Chuck Leavel. Keith took center stage for You Got the Silver and his anthem: Before They Make Me Run. Yes, it’s good to be anywhere.
Miss You is always a big sing along hit with the Chicago crowd. Darryl Jones is a Chicago native so he got a big hand during the intros. Miss You puts him in the spotlight with a bass solo.
Does any song bring back memories of the Sixties like Paint It Black?
A great version of Midnight Rambler. The band really lets loose on this one. It’s clear they enjoy jamming on this song. Mick wore one of the No Filter tour tee shirts. He took it off and threw it in The Pit! There must have been a struggle for that souvenir. Midnight Rambler still has a sinister edge and it’s a great intro to the grand finale. The show seemed to go fast. It was time for the grand finale. Songs that have to be played. Start Me Up. Jumpin’ Jack Flash and Brown Sugar.
They left the stage for a short time and came back for Gimmie Shelter. Sasha Allen was the female singer. She sounded great despite some kind of microphone screw up, but she’s not Lisa Fischer. Most of the crowd sings Satisfaction. Bombs and rockets go off as they take their bows.
So, how was the show? Astounding! Inspirational. Emotional and dramatic. Especially the first song. The Stones have survived adversity before, but Mick’s health scare shook up fans. There’s no doubt Mick is back. How much farther the train will keep rolling is another question.
Night 2. Tuesday. June 25. Went with brother Matt. His wife Cathy and her friend Mara had tickets in General Admission. GA didn’t look good to me even from the upper deck. It was a long way from the stage, but they said it was great. I heard tickets in The Pit were $600 and sold for up to $1200 on Stubhub.
It was show two for me so I was a little more relaxed. We were headed south on Lake Shore Drive when a Severe Weather Alert came over the radio. A heavy thunderstorm hit us. It was pouring! Visibility went to zero. The hail crashing on the roof really sounded scary. I couldn’t believe there were no dents on the car. This was more than a normal summer rainstorm. It didn’t last long. Gimmie Shelter!
A heavy mist made the downtown skyscrapers look like they were suspended in air. Cathy said we were entering “The Emerald City.” A huge rainbow arced over Lake Michigan. It was hard to believe, but it didn’t rain at Soldier’s Field.
There were very positive reviews of the first show and word of mouth had spread. There had been many tickets online for night two, but as the show drew near they seemed to dry up. A few desperate souls were trying to buy one in the parking lot and near the stadium. I didn’t see any sellers.
Our seats were pretty much the same. Way up there in Section 432. Even though I had seen them four nights ago my adrenaline was pumping again as show time approached. I was getting those old feelings again. It was surprising to hear Jumpin’ Jack Flash as the first song. They play twenty songs. Seven of them would be different at the second show.
There has been some recent criticism about the racist, misogynist song Brown Sugar. Some have suggested that they stop playing it. Is playing Bitch a response to that? The Stones seldom shied away from controversy. Those easily offended should relax. No one can understand the lyrics anyway.
It was a little harder to understand Mick between songs, but he mentioned Illinois governor Pritzker. The crowd booed and grumbled, but Pritzker did sign the bill legalizing marijuana in Illinois that day! There were a few cheers for the legislation. It figures I was in Illinois the day the state legalized recreational marijuana. It was a day we had dreamed of. Mick said it should have been done long ago.
The crowd was certainly into it. Maybe even a little more than the first show. Could this be the last Stones show in Chicago? They finally played a Chicago Blues song. Ride ‘Em on Down. Blues icons looked down from the tall screens. Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf seemed to approve.
Monkey Man. It took a while for this one to kick in, but it was great to hear this classic again. It doesn’t get much more basic than this. Mick screaming, “I’m a monkey!”
From the small stage: Play With Fire. Acoustic, but the effect on the crowd of this old vintage song was electric. Sweet Virginia. The crowd sings along.
Mick never wore a Bears jersey. The Stones site is selling one with the tongue logo on a Bears helmet. I learned later that Mick did mention the missed field goal in last year’s tragic playoff loss to the Eagles. While standing on the small stage he asked, “It was right around here, right?” (The small stage is near the fifty yard line, almost the exact spot where the kick was attempted.
The Keith segment: People do use it as a break. They missed a great version of Slipping Away. Walk Before They Make Me Run! Two shows in a row!
The snafu. I heard Mick playing harmonica which signals the start of Midnight Rambler. Keith started the churning introduction to the Blues epic. After about a minute there was a pause. It turns out they should have been playing Paint It Black. Keith held his arms out and took the blame. Everyone laughed. They started the song over. This time they played Paint It Black. Maybe only the Stones can get away with this.
Mick said, “I guess you know what’s next.” He talked about the nearby Chess recording studios. Then they played one of the best versions of Midnight Rambler that I have heard live. Mick channeled Robert Johnson a bit by singing a few lines of “Come On In My Kitchen.”
Midnight Rambler led into the “old warhorse” songs that would end the show. Start Me Up. Brown Sugar. Gimme Shelter. Satisfaction. It was a party atmosphere, but there was the elephant in the room. Would this be the last Stones show ever in Chicago?
Thanks to family and friends who made this tour stop possible for me!
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