The Metal Files

Make no bones about, I f’n love The Rolling Stones.  I’m not shy about my Stones fanboyness ever.  They are as big of a part of my early rock and roll makeup as KISS.  I saw them 10 years ago for the first time in Charlottesville, VA where a bomb threat interrupted the show.

The Stones are on their 15 date North American Zip Code Tour and booked a show in Arlington, TX and there was really no way I’d miss it.  I was able to score a floor ticket near the back of Cowboys Stadium.  Not the best viewing but not bad and a bit cheaper than most floor tickets.

Pablo and I drove up from Austin, grabbed some dinner in Arlington then made our way to our reserved lot.  We grabbed some merch and made out way to the floor.  He had a seat closer to the front.  Grace Potter was the opener and we spent most of her set in the downstairs lounge.  My foot has been bothering me lately so getting some sitting time was essential.  After her set we just stood in the back of the floor area and people watched for a bit until about ten minutes before the Stones’, then we went to our respective seats.

The stadium roof was open, the lights went down and the Stones hit the stage with Jumpin’ Jack Flash and followed it up with It’s Only Rock and Roll.  The crowd was electric and I was loving it.  Mick sounded great.  No surprise, he was all over the stage the whole night.  I had seen previous setlists from the tour and they had been mixing it up a bit.  The list remained pretty consistent until just after Moonlight Mile where they played a snippet of All My Exes Live In Texas then rolled into Rocks Off from Exile on Main Street marking the first time they’ve played it on this tour.  Honky Tonk Women was next which included band intros.  Mick left the stage after and Keith took over for Before They Make Run and Happy.  He’s got this childish grin that just cracks me up.  His voice sounded pretty good, as good as expected.  For as old as he looks, he still retains some teenage boyishness about him.  Ronnie and Charlie were both great.  Charlie’s unorthodox drumming style is difficult to watch, but he gets it done.

The whole band sounded great, just like I expected them to. Look, The Stones aren’t the tightest band in the world, but they never were.  But they’re great.  They did a heavy rocking version of Miss You that was just great.  The whole show was a blast.  Surprisingly, I don’t think it was sold out though.  It was close.  I hope it’s not the last time I get to see them.  I would love to have seen Monkey Man and a handful of others, but I’m not complaining.  The Stones truly appear to enjoy playing live even after 50+ years of doing it.  I can’t speak highly enough about Mick’s voice.  There were some high notes that he hit that just blew me away.  I honestly didn’t want the show to end.  It was a blast.  The 4 hour ride home was rough, but we made it.

Long live The Stones.