Rolling Stones, even after all these years, prove a sure bet in Las Vegas
Mick Jagger, the ageless frontman of the Rolling Stones, put the Flamingo on notice about midway through the band’s concert Saturday at Allegiant Stadium.
Back in 1964, during the Stones’ early days, Jagger told the packed stadium, he was in Las Vegas and decided to try his luck gambling at the Flamingo.
“I lost lots of money then, and tonight I’m going to win it all back,” he vowed.
There have been no reports whether Jagger delivered on his promise. The Stones, however, proved that if ever there was a sure bet in Las Vegas, it was that they would deliver another unforgettable night of their time-tested hits.
From the opening chords of “Start Me Up” to launch the set to “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” to cap the encore just shy of two hours later, the Stones — Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, backed by a band that included longtime bass guitarist Darryl Jones, saxophonist Tim Ries, Matt Clifford on the keyboard and French horn, Chuck Leavell on the keyboard and Steve Jordan on drums — captivated an all-ages audience.
The Stones were in Las Vegas on the fourth leg of their “Hackney Diamond Tour” that will take them to 16 cities across the U.S. and Canada through mid-july.
To label the show energetic falls short of the mark. Jagger, knighted by Britain’s then-prince Charles in 2003, looks every bit the part of a distinguished senior citizen in his wrinkle-worn face. But the iconic rock star continues to belie his age with his constant moving, prodding, skipping, jumping, primping, posing, posturing and running around the Allegiant stage.
The massive structure on the south end of the stadium was as wide as the entire field and included an extension that extended probably 30 yards into the center of the stadium floor — and Jagger used every inch of it throughout the night, stepping out of the limelight only for an occasional sip of a drink, to make a quick costume change or when he yielded the mic to Richards for two songs, “You’ve Got the Silver” and “A Little T&A,” both of which brought ovations from his legions of fans.
The setlist included three numbers from the Stones’ “Hackney Diamonds” album — the group’s first release of new studio work since 2005 — including the Grammy-nominated single “Angry.” It also included rousing renditions of Stones standards like “Miss You,” “Paint It Black” “Honky Tonk Women” and “Get Off of My Cloud.”
Among the highlights of the night was their cover of “Like A Rolling Stone,” the 1965 Bob Dylan hit that Jagger introduced by saying, “This next song was written specifically for us by a Nobel Prize laureate.”
Also bringing the house down was “Gimme Shelter,” in which Jagger was joined at the top of the stage extension by backup singer Chanel Haynes in a powerful performance.
If this proves to be the last stop in Las Vegas for “the world’s greatest rock ’n’ roll band,” what a fantastic climax it was. But don’t bet on it being the last.