The Stones Live At Soldier Field

photo by E. Jason Wambsgans

Last night The Rolling Stones braved the unseasonably cool weather and chilly lakefront winds at Soldier Field to deliver their fourth Chicago concert of the "A Bigger Bang" tour. They hit the stage around 8:45 to the sledgehammer groove of "You Got Me Rocking", with Mick attired in a trench coat and fedora get up, Keith clad in a winter coat and a floppy hat, and Ronnie bundled up in a blue scarf and matching blue boots. Not long after they took the stage there was a touching moment when a gusty burst of wind started blowing Keith's hat off and Mick proceeded to set it back in place for him as Keith continued to riff away.

Mick mentioned that since this was their fourth stop in Chicago in little over a year they thought they'd mix things up a bit, and they proceeded to do just that with excellent renditions of back catalogue gems like "Live With Me", "Monkey Man", "Sway" and "She Was Hot", which he pointed out had never before been played in concert. The gloved Wood was in fine form on "Sway", delivering a blistering slide solo. Keith on the other hand was not wearing any gloves, and he struggled with numbed fingers throughout the night. There was a couple times he stopped playing completely mid-solo to blow on his hands. Of course, he just shrugged it off and flashed that cheshire grin of his as we responded in kind.

After "She Was Hot" it was time for the ballad slot. This time around it was "Streets Of Love", which Mick donned a guitar for. It was quite a powerful rendition of said song, perhaps stronger than the actual studio version. After that came the one two punch of "Midnight Rambler" and "Tumbling Dice". This take on "Rambler" may not have been as majestic as the version they played at The United Center in January, but it was still a highlight of the show. As it always is, whenever they play it. And "Tumbling Dice" is always a personal highlight for me, being one of my all time favorite songs.

From there it was time for Keith's portion of the set which included "You Got The Silver" and the crowd pleasing "Little T&A". Mick rejoined the band for "Under My Thumb" as the mobile mini-stage brought them out to the b-stage in the middle of the stadium. Many of us on the main floor made a surge towards the band and I was able to get within a few feet of them! It was the closest I've ever been! We all stood on our chairs, cheering wildly during "Rough Justice", "Start Me Up" and "Honky Tonk Woman". I was so close I could actually hear the natural, acoustic sound of Charlie Watts' drums! I really lost myself during "Start Me Up" in particular, singing along at the top of my lungs. I must admit, I did notice a couple dirty looks, but nobody said anything to me. I just could hardly believe what I was witnessing. It truly was one of the greatest moments of my entire life!

After they went back to the main stage it was time to bring out the heavy hitters and transcendent takes on "Sympathy For The Devil", "Jumping Jack Flash" and "Satisfaction" followed. From there they briefly left the stage before returning for their usual encore. I figured it would be "You Can't Always Get What You Want" followed by "Brown Sugar", but they ended up skipping YCAGWYW and went straight into "Brown Sugar" instead. I was a bit disappointed about that but it was such a hard rockin' take on "Brown Sugar" that I quickly got over it. Besides, who could really blame them for cutting the show a bit short under the circumstances. My own fingers were so cold I really don't know how they were able to play as well as they did. Even with onstage heaters and the extra heat from the stage lighting it couldn't have been easy. They plowed right on through it though and delivered yet another magical evening of rock classics which ended with the seemingly ageless Jagger sprinting from the main stage to the b-stage and back!

This was my fourth time seeing them on this tour, my fifth time overall. I imagine it just may be my last time seeing them. I suppose it's always possible they'll tour again in another three or four years, but I'm not so sure about that. An awful lot can happen between now and then.... I feel very, very fortunate to have seen "the world's greatest rock and roll band" as many times as I have. I've said it many times before and I'll say it again, seeing them really is like a religious experience for me, as it is for many people. We worship at the altar of these bona fide rock gods and they deliver the goods again and again. The five times I've seen them surely were some of the greatest nights of my entire life, and in a weird way, the unseasonably cool weather last night gave this concert in particular some sort of extra poignancy....

Here's the complete set list-

You Got Me Rocking
Live With Me
Monkey Man
Sway
She was Hot
Streets Of Love
Midnight Rambler
Tumblin' Dice
You Got The Silver
Little T&A
Under My Thumb
Rough Justice
Start Me Up
Honky Tonk Woman
Sympathy For The Devil
Jumping Jack Flash
Satisfaction

Brown Sugar