Rolling Stones show why they’re greatest rock ’n’ roll band
Mick Jagger wasn’t around “when Jesus Christ had his moment of doubt and pain,” as he sang late in the set, but he was actually around just after the Blitzkrieg raged. Somehow, he’s still running around stadium catwalks like a teenager.
The wonders of the 78-yearyoung Jagger, in an array of sleek, flashy jackets, were on full display Monday night when the Rolling Stones, after a pandemic delay, finally touched down at Heinz Field on the No Filter Tour.
With the Stones having played their first show here in 1964, it now widens the gap between Pittsburgh shows to a whopping 57 years. Making each of the shows all the more precious, this was just the 11th stop here during that span (as they ignored us for 17 years between the glorious ’72 tour and Steel Wheels in ’89).
This time, the Stones travel with heavy hearts, having just lost the heartbeat of the band, Charlie Watts, in August. He was honored at the top of the show with a moving video montage of him playing a simple backbeat.
The Stones hit the stage at 8:48 p.m., striking a defiant tone with “Street Fighting Man,” guitars clanging and Jagger singing in clipped fashion. Rock ’n’ roll’s greatest singer was just getting warmed up.
It launched a 19-song set, all but three of which were classics from their mid-’60s to early ’80s heyday. They could have gone on for six or seven more hours with those. Paul McCartney does 35-plus song sets, just sayin’, but he doesn’t have “moves like Jagger” (an obligatory phrase now in any Stones review).
“It’s quite emotional when you see these images of Charlie up on the screen,” Jagger told the crowd. “We played with each other for 59 years. … We dedicate this show to Charlie Watts.”
The Stones’ originals now are Jagger and his 77-year-old Glimmer Twin, Keith Richards, along with “the new guy” Ronnie Wood, who moved over from The Faces in 1975. The three of them generate the core of a sexy sound that has defined the band through the decades.
Their roots are in American blues, so despite some of their records being glossy at times, they much prefer LOUD and RAW to slick, produced and note-perfect. That element of chaos to the guitar work makes it all the more visceral and electric, and they clearly have a blast doing it.
Early on, they stormed through “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” “Tumbling Dice” and “19th Nervous Breakdown” before getting to the first rarity with “Troubles a’ Comin’,” a cover of a ChiLites song they recorded in 1979 that’s just now being released as part of the “Tattoo You” boxed set.
“I was hoping to do ‘As Tears Go By’ in Italian, but it didn’t win,” Jagger said of the online fan-vote request song. The honors went to “Angie,” given a lovely treatment with Richards on acoustic guitar.
It was paired with “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” done this time without the full choir production, but with a searing Wood solo, a crowd sing-along and a revved-up gospel finish.
“Thank you, Pittsburgh, you sang brilliantly!” Jagger hollered. “Even better than Cleveland.”
“Living in a Ghost Town,” the funky, almost tropical rocker released during the pandemic, followed the trend of new songs sounding enough like old Stones songs. With the energy waning a bit on that one, they cranked things right back up again with “Start Me Up,” a song probably played hundreds of times in this stadium — “scene of a lot of drama,” as Jagger called it.
Before making the band intros, Jagger mentioned not having much time to explore the city — like “glaring at myself at The Andy Warhol Museum” — but he did say he hit Primanti’s on Saturday, and that he would have to loosen his britches. They are the slimmest size possible.
Eleven songs in, he went off to get oxygen, or whatever he does, leaving the stage to “Keef,” in a
leopard blouse and bright yellow knit hat, to handle the vocals on “Slipping Away” and “Before They Make Me Run,” which included a touching moment when he put his hand on his heart to sing, “It’s another goodbye to another good friend.”
In for that good friend was a different old friend in Steve Jordan, a member of Richards’ late ’80s solo band Xpensive Winos. Jordan filled in nicely by driving a muscular beat with bassist Daryl Jones, who replaced Bill Wyman in 1994. Rounding out the ensemble were keyboardists Chuck Leavell and Matt Clifford, backing vocalists Bernard Fowler and Sasha Allen, and saxophonists Tim Ries and Karl Denson.
They got to jam out together when Jagger returned for a disco-funk workout on “Miss You,” followed by a magnificent “Midnight Rambler” with the singer blowing harp and an absolute barrage of loud snarling from the guitars. It was the Stones in peak form.
Once Jagger caught his breath, they stomped into one of the great exotic odes to misanthropy, “Paint It Black,” followed by a cosmic “Sympathy for the Devil” with hellish fire on the screens and Richards taking liberties with the classic solo.
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” was an absolutely ecstatic closer, the riff ringing out so loud you could probably hear it in Squirrel Hill.
There was no doubt we were watching the greatest rock ’ n’ roll band of all time.
“That’s it for Pitt!” Jagger yelled, leaving the stage.
It wasn’t totally it because they came back with a “Gimme Shelter” that unleashed Allen in a shoutaway with Jagger on the Bstage, and, finally, the song that made the Stones the Stones: “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”
The first time they played it here was 1965 at the Civic Arena, when LBJ was the president and the song hit the planet like an asteroid. More than a half-century later, there’s life left in “Satisfaction” — and in the Stones, who were satisfied in every possible way ages ago but keep rolling every time we think they’re done. They certainly earned those fireworks at the end.
Will they be back when they’re 83? Stay tuned.
Among those privileged to open for the Stones over the years in Pittsburgh: The Byrds, Stevie Wonder and Pearl Jam. Winning that coveted spot this time was Ghost Hounds, the Stonesy Pittsburgh-based band formed by guitarist, Hollywood producer and minority Steelers owner Thomas Tull.
The Ghost Hounds had a dynamic frontman of their own in Tre Nation, who was up to the challenge of impressing the people who weren’t still hanging in the parking lots and the concourse.
Since the tour for their debut album, they’ve enhanced the sound with three backup singers. Highlighting their set was the soul-rocker “She’s All Gone,” boogie-woogie number “Bad News” and their bluesy version of the old Cliff Richard tune “Devil Woman.”
Tull wished his 12-year-old twin boys happy birthday, saying, “I’m glad I could get The Rolling Stones for your birthday.”