Reuters Review

By Frank Scheck

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - In the tradition of the great blues masters they've long emulated, the Rolling Stones are giving it all they've got, four weeks into a world tour that will keep them on the road for the better part of a year.

Tuesday night at New York's Madison Square Garden, their 20th show at the storied venue since 1969, the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band, delivered a two-hour, 22-song set that included many classics, four selections from new release "A Bigger Bang," a few relative obscurities and a stirring cover of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh's reggae classic "Get Up Stand Up."

Mick Jagger was in top form vocally and physically, not to mention comedically. He welcomed both old fans and the youngsters who accompanied many of them. In a reference to the astronomical ticket prices being charged, he jokingly advised the latter, "There goes your college fund."

Keith Richards again displayed his absolute euphoria at playing, effortlessly swapping lead guitar chores with Ron Wood, while drummer Charlie Watts kept a dependably monstrous beat.

Beginning with the now de rigueur "Start Me Up" and concluding with a confetti-strewn encore of "Brown Sugar" (with production otherwise fairly spartan by Stones standards), the band tore into its catalog with a vengeance, even managing to infuse even such warhorses as "Satisfaction" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash" with tremendous urgency. Among the highlights: "Tumbling Dice," "Paint It, Black" and a riveting "Sympathy for the Devil." Most of the versions remained faithful to the originals, with the exception of "19th Nervous Breakdown," a new addition to the set, effectively rearranged as a slowed-down bluesy stomp.

The new tunes, although lacking the memorable hooks of the old, came off quite well in concert. Jagger, playing slide guitar, ripped through the Delta blues-inspired "Back of My Hand," Richards delivered charmingly sly vocals in the slinky "Infamy," and the band raged through the rocking if derivative "Rough Justice."

As usual, the highlight of the evening came when the band was transported to the center of the arena on the moving stage. Delivering a furious four-song miniset that included new track "Oh No Not You Again," "Miss You" and "Honky Tonk Women," the Stones made the vast arena feel as intimate as a club.

The band crosses the Hudson Thursday to play Giants Stadium, and then heads north to play Albany Saturday before taking a week off.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

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