Concert review: Stones unturn their classic form
Jon Bream, Star Tribune
September 7, 2005 STONES0907

Wait a minute! Let me check my Rolling Stones ticket stub. It doesn't say Northrop Auditorium. It says Xcel Energy Center.

But the Stones' show Tuesday was the kind of intimate, low-frills, just plain ol' rock 'n' roll that I'd been dreaming about for years from the world's greatest band. I'd swear I was at Northrop -- except for that floating stage bit (more on that later).

Most importantly, Mick Jagger didn't have stories of scaffolding and endless ramps on which to run around, as we've seen on just about every post-1972 Stones tour. This was just a large, bare-bones stage -- perfect for manic Mick and his mincing moves and his spotlight-shy backup band.

Indeed, this was the Mick Jagger show (he took his own curtain call at the end). Dressed in a red leather fedora, red T-shirt, black jacket (with red sequined Stones tongue-logos) and black jeans, he carried on like a hyper Prune Face on a Stick. Some 2,000 light years on, he remains an unparalleled frontman and athlete. While Jerry Rice is retiring from pro football at age 42, Jagger, 62, is still at the top of his game, prancing and primping for nearly two hours and, more significantly, singing with sass and consistent conviction.

Maybe this was sweeter, as Jagger put it Tuesday, because he said the Stones skipped the Twin Cities on their last tour, three years ago, for no apparent reason. Plus, after six concerts in mammoth outdoor stadiums, this was the Stones' first arena concert on this tour.

There was an undeniable freshness to their performance as well as a consistency not witnessed at previous Stones' shows in the Twin Cities. The group started strong with "Start Me Up,"You Got Me Rocking,"She's So Cold" and "Tumbling Dice." Jagger was aerobicizing at the prospect of getting laid (the theme of many of his songs) and guitarist Keith Richards seemed happily lost in his voodoo licks.

Two songs from "A Bigger Bang," which was released Tuesday, kept the party rocking -- the furious "Rough Justice" and the stinging blues "Back of My Hand." A loose "Rocks Off" got the sell-out crowd off. Another crowd-pleaser was the stadium-ready Ray Charles tribute, "The Night Time Is the Right Time," featuring screaming backup singer Lisa Fischer.

More intimate was the small stage set when a portion of the main stage traveled to the opposite end of the arena for a four-song segment (with a separate sound system) that gave "Satisfaction" -- both the song and the emotion. Then came the usual flurry of Stones classics, peaking with the closing "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll" featuring guitar fireworks and then actual post-show fireworks.

Once again, Jagger proved that he is one of rock's greatest performers. No one in rock enjoys dancing more to his own music than Sir Mick. The Stones may not rank as rock's greatest artists; they've never shown the growth and range of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie and Prince, to name a few. But that's OK. It's only rock 'n' roll. And it was enough to make a grown man smile.

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Jon Bream is at 612-673-1719 or popmusic@startribune.com.