THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
When my fabulous physiotherapist said he needed to prepare Sir Mick Jagger for the Rolling Stones’ upcoming tour, it planted a seed! It might be my first and only opportunity to see the most famous and long lasting rock and roll band in the world. Now, how to approach this?
My physio has Liz Hurley, Damian Lewis and the cast of House of Dragons clamoring for his attention, and has even toured with Madonna, singing on stage in the chorus to ‘Like a Prayer’ in sold-out arenas. We often have our sessions by Zoom, in which he can be found in exotic places such as Bondi Beach, and once on the center court at Roland Garros. To say he is in great demand is an understatement, so I count myself lucky to be tweaked and toned by him weekly for the past fifteen years.
Back to Sir Mick. My physio had casually mentioned working on various niggles of his over the years, but was very hush-hush as to what they might be. 'Are they injuries incurred during amorous activity?' I asked, only to get a silent grin in return. But what he has done is help to ensure that, over fifty years on, Sir Mick can still 'move like Jagger'.
So when Mick, Keith Richards and The Rolling Stones embarked on their Hackney Diamonds Tour, I felt I had enough of a loose connection to find out about special tickets to a show. It might be my last chance to see the infamous and legendary aging rockers.
Since there are no direct flights from London to northern Michigan (where I have a summer home), we have to go through Chicago anyway for our annual summer visit, so it made sense to investigate if the Stones were playing in the 'Windy City.' And it turned out they were to play Soldier Field (home of the Chicago Bears NFL team). This was too good an opportunity to miss!
I gingerly asked my renowned physio if, in fact, there were such a thing as a Rolling Stones VIP ticket and if so, how I could respectfully purchase two. The key contact turned out to be the band’s doctor, who tours with them.
I made the request giving my name, date of birth, proof of good conduct and resume, along with my son’s details. This was duly passed up the chain and I received an email from the tour management with a questionnaire and a small list of options for concert seating (or standing), plus room for my credit card details.
I expected a ticket of this nature would either be free (what a hope) or a few thousand pounds. In fact they landed somewhere in between. I duly applied for two of the most expensive tickets (seated), filled in the appropriate forms and waited.
An email from the Stones came back saying 'You have been proposed by a member of the band and are now being considered for VIP tickets to the show and will be notified when a decision is made.' About two weeks later, I was told that my request was granted - and I did, indeed, have two VIP tickets to the Soldier Field show at the end of June!
Jubilation!!
Growing up, I wasn’t really a Rolling Stones fan. I was a bit too young for their immensely popular era. They never came to Indiana during my teenage years and the antics of Mick and, topless on a white horse, Bianca, at Studio 54, only hinted at disco era decadence in the National Enquirer at the Muncie, Indiana supermarket checkout.
Of course 'Sympathy for the Devil', 'Satisfaction' and 'Brown Sugar' crossed my radio path from time to time. I especially liked 'Under my Thumb,’’ even though it was so misogynistic (a term I’d never heard of at the time). But the antics of Mick, Keith, Marianne and co. (alleged Mars candy bar incident, etc.) were too detached from Middle America for me.
While I was in college, they came out with the album Some Girls which had very danceable tracks, especially, 'Start Me Up' which always got my mood elevated. Years later, when I moved to London, the Stones had had a mini break up with Mick and Keith fighting, so touring and album making was suspended for quite a while. Hackney Diamonds is their first album of new material in nearly twenty years! So this summer was my first real chance of becoming a proper Stones fan and seeing them live.
Coming off the plane, we were directed to the very posh Peninsula Hotel in downtown Chicago to pick up the tickets. On arrival at the stadium, we had a few drinks (me Coke Zero, my son seltzers) in the VIP area, which was full of a very cool looking crowd. Lainey Wilson, a beautiful blond country singer with an incredible voice, started the show as the warm up act.
We were so close (not in the pit, that was all standing, but in seats just behind) and I saw that everyone around me had ear plugs. I hadn’t anticipated the roar of the speakers at such close range. I compromised by sticking a finger in one ear at a time while still dancing. Sunny day at Chicago’s Soldier Field - wonderful!
There is no performer on the planet more longstandingly iconic than Mick! My seat mate said, “I’ve waited for this for thirty years.” Everyone in the crowd was wearing some 'Stones' merchandise and even I broke down and bought two overpriced T shirts on the way to our seats - just to fit in!
The Stones started their show with 'Start Me Up and continued with 'Let’s Spend the Night Together' and a song from their current album 'Angry.' At one stage a roulette wheel came on the screen to pick the next song - 'Shattered' was the winner. Mick mixed up the set list, saying “I hope you will sing along to this next song” then, “Oops, I mean to the song after this one”, and starting 'You Can’t Always Get What You Want'.
Through all twenty songs the unbelievably still rubbery Sir Mick displayed all his moves, never losing his swagger or attitude, proving himself to be still the ultimate showman. He kept removing items of clothing - but only to the waist.
He reminded the audience that the Stones had been coming to Chicago for sixty years and that the music of South Chicago had helped shape the early band with its strong blues influence.
This was their only gig in the Midwest. 'How many are from Indianapolis? Milwaukee? Minneapolis? ' shouted Mick. The entire stadium roared and stomped their feet as many were from out of town. The Stones are playing relatively few shows on the tour, which has been getting rave reviews, so we counted ourselves lucky to be there.
Keith sang three songs, beaming 'I’m so happy to be back and up here doing what we love most for you', starting with 'Tell Me Straight' from Hackney Diamonds followed with 'Little T&A' and 'Before They Make Me Run'.
Mick, though very wrinkly, still looks much younger than his by now eighty years. Keith doesn’t, but long gone are the boho days from which he served as the model for Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean. His partner in that era was the beautiful but troubled Anita Pallenberg, who regarded herself - and was regarded - as the epitome of far out rock chic, but she confessed to a fling with Mick when they made a movie together, while Keith behaved no better with Mick’s squeeze, Marianne Faithfull, who claimed that Mick deserved to be cheated on! In his autobiography Keith also cast aspersions on Mick’s manhood, alleging that he had ‘only a tiny todger’ (for which he has since apologized).
Keith, very literally, was saved and his values were upended by the stunning Patti Hansen, since they got married forty years ago. Even then, the ancient rocker had to make an amazing recovery after trying to climb a coconut tree in Fiji, only to then fall from height onto his head!
Fortunately, neither this nor Patti’s reforms have in any way diminished Keith’s amazing musical talents. As for past dramas with Mick, they have been so happy getting back together on this tour that both have declared that they are not friends – they are brothers, bound together by a much stronger bond!
The stage setting and wardrobe were incredible. Mick from the onset was ‘wiggling, strutting and stripping’, starting with a bright blue leather jacket paired with a blue sequined shirt. The jacket soon came off and the shirt was unbuttoned to reveal a burgundy T shirt - all the while doing his signature strut. In 'Sympathy for the Devil', Mick came back after Keith’s solos in a black sequined tailcoat with red silk lining as the stage blared images of vines with serpents coiling around them.
Keith added flair, with neon colored headbands and bright green trainers. Ronnie Wood, whose hair was gelled into a single spike, smiled and pranced in bright blue sneakers. Ronnie (a mere 77) is also an artist, whose colorful paintings (especially of Stones) sell for a mint and are collectors’ items, helping to pay the bill for his brand new young twin daughters.
Keith and Mick hugged, jammed and kept beaming at the crowd together. Mick played the guitar on several songs and moved to the harmonica during 'Miss You'. They brought back Lainey Wilson for 'Dead Flowers', with Mick in a cowboy hat and strumming an acoustic guitar.
'Paint it Black' began with a glow-in-the-dark image of Ronnie Wood’s guitar intro. In 'Gimme Shelter' and 'Sweet Sounds of Heaven,' Mick dueted with his gorgeous, black backup singer in a silver dress, with him by now wearing a gold lame baseball jacket.
'Satisfaction' closed the show with the entire stadium singing every word.
Our seats were the closest to the band I’ve ever been in at a concert. Mick and co. were strumming and strutting right before my eyes - including on a runway just to our right. The effect of the real band within reach was indescribable. It felt like a private concert for us, while 60,000 plus other fans filled Soldier Field to the brim.
Having never seen the Stones before, I was left in wonder. How could these guys, who have been doing this for sixty years and are eighty years old, sound exactly as vibrant as I had heard on the radio, movie soundtracks and recordings so many decades ago. There was no autocue or lip-syncing. There were several additions to the band, who were excellent, but the core of Mick, Keith and Ronnie were so happy and excited to be back together and playing in Chicago.
My next session with my and Sir Mick’s physio is going to be a celebration, as he so kindly provided me with opportunity for this magical night!
