*Photo of the ‘Hackney Diamonds’ logo from the Denver Stones show, taken by your intrepid blogger.

I just got home after driving that long stretch of bricks back from Denver to K.C. I shouldn’t complain about driving, I’ve always loved road trips. While the Rock Chick is fast asleep, I’m still chugging along on that unique, post-concert high from last Thursday when I saw the unstoppable legendary Rolling Stones at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado. It’s been three days and I’ve still got my head in the clouds like you do when you see a great show. Admittedly, the Stones have always been my “alpha and omega” of rock n roll, but that was one helluva show. There’s nothing quite like that post show buzz. It’s like “new car smell”… if we could just bottle it, we’d make a fortune.

Seeing the Stones this time around was a bit bittersweet. They’ve never said anything about calling it quits, but having lost original drummer Charlie Watts (RIP) a few years ago and knowing that time is essentially undefeated, one has to wonder if this might be my last time getting the privilege of seeing “The World’s Greatest Rock Band.” Thinking about it, I can’t believe it’s been 43 years since the first time I saw them on the tour in support of Tattoo You. I actually saw them once in KC on that tour (George Thorogood opened and ex-Stone Mick Taylor happened to be in town and jumped up for a song or two) and twice in Houston with my buddy Brewster (ZZ Top opened, which was my first time seeing them as well). While ZZ Top kicked ass both nights – some biker dude standing next to me in the General Admission floor area said as they closed their set, “The crew probably have to sweep up a bunch of mud when those shit kickers get done up there,” I had no idea what he was talking about so I faked a laugh…I was in maybe 16, discretion is the better part of valor – there was nothing like that first time seeing Mick Jagger, dressed in football pants and an Eagles jersey race around the stage. I was surprised by how blue his eyes were… yes, I was that close to the stage, surrounded by a biker gang and lived to tell the story. I briefly lost a shoe, but found it before the show as over…

While I’ve seen the Stones around 14 or 15 times over the span of the aforementioned 43 years, it had been since 2015 on the Zip Code tour since I’d seen them last. As I stood in the twilight of Mile High Stadium (or Empower Field, pick your corporate sponsor) surrounded by fifty or sixty thousand of my new closest friends, I couldn’t help but think, “How do the Stones continue to deliver such amazing rock n roll, this far down the road?” I don’t ask why they do it – if you’ve stood in a stadium with those 10’s of thousands of fans singing “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” and feel the love that people have for this band – you kind of know “why” they do it. I don’t even question if they should be out there any more. Nobody hassled Muddy Waters and he played until he was 70. While the Stones continue to deliver outstanding shows, why stop now?

The Stones, pound for pound, are still putting on the same high energy, electrifying concerts that they have for… well, certainly all my life, but even longer than that. Mick Jagger, now 80, defies age. He moves all over the stage – from wing to wing and out onto the walkway that leads to the secondary stage in the middle of the floor. His voice is a medical marvel. At one point, during “Mess It Up” he hit a falsetto note that men half his age couldn’t hit anymore. Keith is indeed getting a big craggy. He brings a bit of a wobbling, unpredictable sloppiness to the affair but its perfect for the Stones. On certain songs, Keith will hit a riff and you can audibly hear the sound guy crank up Keith’s guitar. Ronnie Wood, on lead guitar, was a force to be reckoned with. His playing is so elastic. The way he dodges around what Keith and the band are playing sort of acts as the glue on most songs. While I severely miss Charlie Watts on drums, Steve Jordan, Watts’ stand-in (I won’t say replacement, you don’t “replace” Charlie Watts) did a fabulous job. I was impressed with him. Thursday’s Denver show as the first time I’d seen the Stones with Darryl Jones on bass – who I’ve always felt was a capable player – actually make a difference. He was on fire bringing up the bottom.

The Stones also augment the band with venerable Chuck Leavell on keyboards, two horn players and two back up singers: Bernard Fowler (who we love down here at B&V) and newcomer (to me at least) Chanel Haynes who it appears has replaced Lisa Fowler. I did see one of the horn players jump over on keyboards for a song or two but I could be wrong about that. The horns and the back up singers make for a nice, well-rounded sound. In ’81 when I saw the Stones, Ronnie and Keith were the only back up singers and I think sax player Bobby Keys was the only horn on stage. Ex-Faces keyboard player, the late Ian McLagan was the keyboard player back then, but I digress.

As I’ve said, it was a great show. I was excited about this show because for the first time in a very long time, the Stones were out in support of a wonderful new album Hackney Diamonds. I think it energizes a band to have new music to play. In all, they played four new tracks from the new album and I would have been happy to hear several more they didn’t play. The evening opened up with the ol’ war horse, “Start Me Up.” They nailed the tune, but I think it was a tactical error. I think they should have opened up with the last single from Hackney Diamonds, “Angry.” But, I know the bigger the crowd the more “crowd pleasing” the setlist. Next up was a muscular version of “It’s Only Rock N Roll.” Earlier in the tour they were playing “Get Off Of My Cloud,” and I wish they’d kept that song in the set, but I was cool with “It’s Only…” The horns kicked in and they rocked a great version of “Bitch.” I knew at that point they were taking no prisoners. Next up was “Angry” and it did not disappoint. I was so glad to see them bring the house down with that one. Even Keith was singing along, off microphone.

The mood shifted as Mick put on an acoustic guitar and announced the “fan vote” song as “Let It Bleed.” Who doesn’t love that one? That sort of kicked off a country rock vibe when they followed it up with “Wild Horses.” Oh my, they just killed it on “Wild Horses.” The 70 year old dude to my left, who had been furiously playing “air guitar” all night, elbowed me, pointed at the big statue of a horse on the top of the stadium and said, “Well, they have to play this song here, see the horse?” Sure, man, whatever. It was then Mick turned the vibe back up for another new track “Mess It Up.” It’s a killer track. After that Keith slides into that killer opening riff from “Tumbling Dice” and the crowd was frenzied. I saw old white men dancing like they don’t know how. Not to mention the family in front of me with the two little kids who danced and sang along to every song… I don’t even have all those lyrics memorized… kudos children.

“You Can’t Always Get,” became a giant, football stadium sing along. That led to the band intro’s which always means it’s Keith’s time at the microphone. The first time I saw the Stones, Keith sang one song, “Little T&A.” For most of the shows I’ve seen post Steel Wheels, Keith does two songs while Mick leaves the stage for a break. For the first time ever, Keith sang three tracks! I love Keith and I tend to look for his songs when a new Stones’ album comes out because they’re always my favorite. But even I gotta say, three Keith songs feels like maybe one too many in concert. He did his new ballad, “Tell Me Straight,” from the new album and I was thrilled. He followed that up with the aforementioned “Little T&A” and I thought Mick would come back out… Not so, Keith launched into “Happy,” his signature track. “Happy,” a song I haven’t heard him play in a while was pretty awesome. Ronnie was playing a furious pedal steel… at least I think it was, it sounded more like a slide guitar laid down on a table.

As typically happens after Keith’s set, Mick returns and they run through the tracks that you expect to hear at a Stones’ show. They did a hypnotic version of “Sympathy For The Devil.” Then Keith kicked off the epic riff of “Honky Tonk Woman,” another stadium sing along and that’s where the show started to take off and the Stones seem to transcend a typical stadium show. “Honky Tonk,” launched it but then they played the classic blues track “Midnight Rambler” and it remains an epic landmark tune. Mick was quoting Muddy and Robert Johnson and playing the harmonica like he was playing at a local blues joint. At that point the band launches into “Gimme Shelter” and Chanel Haynes comes out like a woman possessed and sings the female lead on the track. Mick looked like he was having good fun with his new vocal sparring partner. At that point they launched into “Paint It Black,” one of their greatest early songs and you could tell the Stones had the entire stadium in the palm of their hands. It’s amazing to see a rock band just take off like that.

They ended the main set with “Jumping Jack Flash,” which was pretty standard. The encore started with the final new track, “Sweet Sounds Of Heaven,” and I went nuts. I had seen that they’d dropped that song from the setlist and I was so thrilled to get to hear that song live. Chanel once again killed on the female lead vocal. It’s the kind of a song I didn’t think the Stones could do anymore. After that, as expected they launched into “Satisfaction” which left the huge crowd streaming out of Mile High very satisfied indeed.

All in all they played about 2 hours and 10 minutes. It’s rock n roll like you don’t get to see much of these days. If I had any complaint – and it’s a nit – it’s that the Stones don’t take many risks on the setlist. I’d have loved to hear “Get Off Of My Cloud,” or some other early track they haven’t played in a while…maybe surprise us with “Under My Thumb.” They’ve played “Jumping Jack” and “Satisfaction” at every show I’ve seen… maybe drop one of those and play something else. I’d love to hear any song from Steel Wheels or A Bigger Bang. They’ve put out some great stuff since ’90 and I think that stuff is well known enough to slip a track or two onto the setlist. I mean, I realize we’re not gonna get deep cuts like we did on the recently released theater show Live At The Wiltern, but throw an oddball track or two on there for us catalog fans out here…Nobody’s gonna be mad if they played “Sad Sad Sad.” Maybe a reggae tune? A man can ask, can’t he?

But again, if that’s my only complaint, it’s a bit like complaining about an embarrassment of riches. I would urge anybody who has the financial means – and I realize that it’s a hefty ticket price – to try and get out to see these guys. The way they’re playing they could be around another 43 years, but to be on the safe side…I’d try and see them now, on this ’24 tour. Besides, don’t we all need a new Stones concert T-shirt? Seeing the Stones on this tour will be something you tell your grandkids about… Hell, maybe just take your grandkids with you?

It’s a long dark ride… grab some friends and go to a show and sing, “but you get what you neeeeed” at the top of your lungs… it’ll do you a world of good. It certainly did for me.

Cheers!