People,

for the second week after the release of ABB, in the "paese d'o sole" (the land of the sun), the Stones hold the roof.

Still at first place in the albums national chart. Second: Loredana Berté. Third: Macca.

That's pretty exciting, especially considering the fair reception the Stones had here with their nineties works! It'll be interesting to check the data and learn if, in the countries where ABB ranked 1st (namely, Germany, Canada, Sweden and Switzerland), the result will be kept also in the second week. Let's wait and see.

Ciao,
Chris

CHARLIE WATTS LOVES EMINEM

SIR MICK JAGGER has exposed his ROLLING STONES bandmate CHARLIE WATTS as a huge EMINEM fan.

British rocker Jagger, 62, has revealed that Watts adores the musical works of the controversial rapper - and he's particularly fond of his latest album ENCORE.

Jagger tells Maxim magazine, "You know who likes the new Eminem record? Charlie Watts. I haven't even heard it, but Charlie keeps telling me I have to listen to it. There's just so much music out there."

And Jagger also has a few surprises in his own playlist: "I like a real mixture. I download everything from classical music to country to folk music to New Age music to young British bands to blues bands. I listen to absolutely everything.

"I just listened to the new MISSY ELLIOTT album, and I'm not sure if it's that great. I'll have to give it a few more goes. I've been playing a lot of this new English band the 22-20s. They're really good, but they do sound a lot like the Stones."

16/09/2005 20:47

You cam watch the performances of Rough Justice and Waiting On A Friend, live from the Milwaukee show, that have been included on the "React" special for Katrina relief, following this http://www.mtv.com/bands/az/rolling_ston es/artist.jhtml" title="http://www.mtv.com/bands/az/rolling_ston es/artist.jhtml" target="_blank"http://www.mtv.com/bands/az/r....

East Rutherford, NJ, USA - Giants Stadium, Thursday 15th September 2005

Eleventh night and tent stand of the "A Bigger Bang" world tour.

1.Start Me Up
2.You Got Me Rocking
3.Shattered
4.Tumbling Dice
5.Rough Justice
6.Ruby Tuesday
7.Heartbreaker
8.NIght Time
INTROS
9.The Worst
10.Infamy
11.Miss you
12.Oh no not you again
13. She's So Cold 
14. Honky Tonk Women
15. Out of control
16. Sympthy For the Devil
17. Jumpin Jack Flash
18. Brown Sugar
19. Satatisfaction
ENCORE
20. You cant always get what you want
21. IORR

Twenty-one songs. No particular news. Mick, during the intro, announced the Stones will indeed play halftime show at the Superbowl.

09.14.05 The Rolling Stones New Album Makes A Big Bang On International Charts

Keith Richards Named Top Rock Hell Raiser

by Daniel Melia on 9/15/2005
gigwise

Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards has been voted the biggest hell raiser in rock but Gigwise doesn’t think much of the rest of the top ten.

Richards came in at number one for his legendary drugs intake including cocaine heroin and LSD plus his sex life and general four decades of debauchery in the VH1 poll.

He his rumoured to have needed a blood transfusion before embarking on one Stones tour. He once said: “The things that would kill other people don’t kill me. I come from very tough stock.”

Other notable inclusions in the top ten come in the form of Ozzy Osbourne, Johnny Rotten, Shaun Ryder and Tommy Lee who have also led notorious lives of excess.

However, what the fuck are the likes of plump Welsh warbler Charlotte Church, fat ex-Take That twat Robbie Williams and walking waste of space Pete Doherty doing on the list!

The fact that you can’t take your drink and fall over a lot or you’ve had a run in with a few grams of brown doesn’t make you a hell raiser!

The full top ten is:

Keith Richards
Courtney Love
Ozzy Osbourne
Pete Doherty
Shaun Ryder
Tommy Lee
Johnny Rotten
Robbie Williams
Charlotte Church
Liam and Noel Gallagher

Enjoy some high quality pictures from the MSG Show, by Yahoo news, following this http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=rollin g" title="http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?p=rollin g" target="_blank"http://search.news.yahoo.com/...+stones+madison+square+ga rden&c=news_photos. Ciao, Chris

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

© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.

New York City, NY, USA - Tuesday 13th September, Madison Square Garden

Tenth night and ninth stand of the "A Bigger Bang" world tour

1. Start me Up
2. She's so Cold
3. You Got Mr Rocking
4. Tumbling Dice
5. Rough Justice
6. Back of My Hand
7. 19 Nervous Breakdown (Bluesy version)
8. Bitch
9. All Down the Line
10. Get Up Stand Up

Intros (Jagger announced Ron "Rehab" Wood!)

11. Worst
12. Infamy
13.Miss you
14. Oh No Not You Again
15.Satisfaction
16. HonkyTonk Woman
17.Sympathy for the Devil
18. Paint It Black
19. It's Only Rock n Roll
20. Jumping Jack Flash

Encore

21.You Can't Always Get What You Want
22.Brown Sugar

Back to twenty-two songs! You can't screw the Big Apple, only bite it. And then... the bluesy version of 19th Nervous Breakdown (like @ The Phoenix) and Get Up Stand Up.

Stones still packing some flash
BY JIM DEROGATIS Pop Music Critic
September 12, 2005

Of the 10 times I've seen the Rolling Stones in the last 15 years, Saturday's sold-out show at Soldier Field didn't measure up to Shea Stadium in 1989, when they dug deep for golden nuggets such as "Happy," "2000 Light Years From Home," "Dead Flowers" and "Play With Fire," or their intimate gig at the Aragon in 2002, when they cut loose on a set full of choice covers and highlights from "Exile on Main Street."

Yet surprisingly -- given the mostly pedestrian set list, yet another mediocre new album, a barely there Keith Richards and the ugly, antiseptic setting of the new Soldier Field (which both Richards and Mick Jagger praised several times, making them the only people in the world who seem to like the redesigned enormodome) -- the self-proclaimed "world's greatest rock 'n' roll band" was better than any other time I've seen it: more fiery, more passionate and seemingly more inspired.

Much of the credit was due, as always, to Charlie Watts, who at age 64 remains the Zen master of the simple but undeniable stadium-shaking backbeat, and, unexpectedly, to Ron Wood, who displayed a sharper edge and a more fluid groove than on any tour I've witnessed. Woody tore through one explosive solo after another, elevating songs such as "Start Me Up" (the too-predictable opener), "Shattered" and the classic "Tumbling Dice" (which was marred by the under-amplified horn section), and covering for the mostly M.I.A. Richards

With the exception of some silly fireworks, an even sillier paisley-adorned, giant inflatable tongue and a cool B stage that moved across the field toward the end of the show, the Stones wisely kept the focus on the music, with no overdone spectacles to distract from the power of "Ruby Tuesday," "Shattered," "She's So Cold" or "Bitch," the high points of the night.

To be sure, there were problems. The out-of-it Richards dragged things down on his two-song spotlight turn with a beyond-hammy version of "The Worst" and the poor choice of "Infamy," his awful track from "A Bigger Bang." At 90 minutes and 21 songs, the show was short and skimpy; for those in the $450 seats, that was $5 a minute or $21.43 per tune. And with the exceptions mentioned above, the set once again pandered to casual fans who only own "Hot Rocks" by delivering many of the most tired hits: "Miss You," "Honky Tonk Women," "Satisfaction" and "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll."

It must also be said that in the city that Buddy Guy, Otis Clay, Junior Wells and so many other giants of the blues call home, the Stones should be ashamed of themselves for inviting Jim Belushi and Dan Aykroyd to open with a pathetic, shtick-filled, third-rate imitation of the once-great Blues Brothers routine.

But don't take my word for it

Of course, while the history I bring to a Stones show carries the benefit of perspective, I'm aware that I have long since become immune to the power of simply seeing these rock giants in the flesh.

To counteract that, I went to Soldier Field accompanied by an assistant reviewer.

Rachel Good, 23, is a passionate, extremely knowledgeable, hard-core Stones fan whose favorite albums are "Between the Buttons" and "Flowers." In 2002, she camped out in front of the Aragon just to get a glimpse of their limo.

Young fan's view

Then as now, the aspiring music critic, who is waiting tables before returning to college, couldn't afford the ticket price but desperately wanted to see the show.

"I've never had the experience of seeing them, so I don't have anything to compare it to," Good said after the concert. "I was just so excited to be in the vicinity." Nevertheless, her critique is spot-on.

"Early on, when they did those three in a row of 'Ruby Tuesday,' 'Shattered' and 'Bitch,' I thought that was the highlight of the show. Those are songs I actually wanted to hear, the crowd was the most excited during them and the band seemed so much more energetic and excited to be playing those than they were at the end, when they did that run of 'Satisfaction' and 'Jumping Jack Flash.' Those just seemed phoned in."

The worst parts of the night? "That giant inflatable tongue; it was just stupid and awful, summing up the Stones at their worst," Good said. "And I love Keith so much -- he's my favorite Stone -- so I don't even really want to go here. But I don't know why he dragged out 'The Worst,' which was aptly titled, and it just seemed like a lot of his genius has been eroded. Also, he went through more costume changes than Mick, which I thought was surprising."

Ah, yes, Mick. At 62, Jagger is 39 years older than Good -- old enough to be her grandfather. Nevertheless, the craggy frontman won her affections. "I love the way he moved onstage: He looked like he was moving just because he was having fun," she said. "There were hollows in his face like I've never seen, and he does look like Frankenstein. But he was a sexy Frankenstein."

Adding it up

The bottom line: "I definitely think that show was worth $100. I would have paid that, and that's a quarter of my rent. But $450 is crazy, and as much as I love them and really wanted to see them, I could have never done it."

I've asked this question before, but it's always worth posing again: Who would you rather play for, Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ron: A huge stadium full of wealthy people who don't know any of your music beyond the classic-rock play list, or a slightly smaller, marginally less lucrative venue full of Rachel Goods -- whether they're 23 or 63 -- to whom your amazing catalog is as vibrant as it was when you were recording it?

I keep hoping that maybe, just maybe, some day before they're finally gone, the Stones will give us the answer so many fans want and deserve.

Chicago, Illinois, USA - Soldier Field, Saturday 10th September 2005

Ninth night and eight stand of the "A Bigger Bang" world tour.

1. SMU
2. YGMR
3. RJ
4. TD
5. She's So Cold
6. Ruby Tuesday
7. Shattered
8. Bitch
9. Night Time
---intros---
10. The Worst
11. Infamy
12. Miss You
13. ONNYA
14. Satisfaction
15. HTW
16. Out of Control
17. Sympathy
18. JJF
19. Brown Sugar
---encore---
20. YCAGWYW
21. IORR

Twenty-one songs. Pretty standard set-list, but played with lots of energy. Picture by LuvGlimmerTwins @Shidoobee.

No stopping Stones from rocking
Band keeps fans on feet for 2-hour show
By DAVE TIANEN
Sept. 9, 2005

King Kong is 72 years old.

Would you want to fight him?

In much the same way, the Rolling Stones remain a rock 'n' roll behemoth long after logic and the calendar should have dictated otherwise.

Thursday night the Stones brought their Bigger Bang tour to the Bradley Center for another sold-out show. For two hours from start to a one-encore "Satisfaction" finish they kept a mostly middle-age audience on its feet without a break, without even more than a smattering of ballads to rest Mick Jagger's 62-year-old bones.

How do they do it? It starts with an arsenal of great rockers that pack more bang than Saddam Hussein on his best day. "Start Me Up," "It's Only Rock and Roll," "Sympathy for the Devil," "Tumbling Dice," "Brown Sugar," "Jumpin' Jack Flash," "You Got Me Rocking," and even the Middle Eastern guitar voodoo of "Paint It Black," they are all timeless.

So in their own way are the sodden blues of "Honky Tonk Women" and even the hedonistic sentiment of "Miss You." "Miss You" is regret and longing wrapped in a slippery coat of lubricant.

Some of Thursday's best moments were less expected. The Stones have always liked to use a voluptuous black woman as an erotic prop, and Lisa Fischer - all plunging cleavage, slit skirt and booming pipes - matches Mick, hoochie for coochie. On a salute to Ray Charles, Fischer and Jagger took Brother Ray's classic blur of blues and gospel in "Night Time Is the Right Time" and lit a match to it. Adding to the heat was opener Buddy Guy, who busted a string trying to fan the flames.

The Stones also served a fair sampling of new material and kept the crowd on its feet for such unfamiliar fare as "Rough Justice" and the hard-pounding "Oh No, Not You Again." Themes of sexual persecution abound on "Bigger Bang," and one of the best was Richards croaking his way through "Infamy," a sort of plea for mercy to the decadent.

And then there is the sheer force of personality. Jagger remains a study in narcissistic arrogance boiled to charismatic perfection. Still ridiculously lean and gaudy as the Vegas strip, he prances, struts, poses and shimmies like the devil's own hooker. Thursday he came on stage all in black and red with a plastic fedora, looking like a box of bon bons from Frederick's of Hollywood.

And then there is Keith. Keith Richards makes decay cool. Lined beyond cragginess, he still has the swagger of an ancient pirate, with a tangled nest of frizzy black gray hair held in check by a spangled head band. He strikes the classic Chuck Berry pose, legs splayed, bent at the waist and rocking side to side on emerald green shoes.

Even Charlie Watts is a kind of wonder. How many 64-year-old drummers could hold up to two hours of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "You Got Me Rocking" night after night?

As mentioned, Buddy Guy opened. Often cited as Eric Clapton's favorite guitarist, Guy is by far the most vital of the remaining classic Chicago bluesmen. With his muscular style, he made Stevie Ray Vaughan and all his musical progeny possible. Unfortunately, he has a tendency to clown and showboat his way through a set. Thursday, he came to play, and the Bradley crowd was rewarded with an intense one-two of "Feels Like Rain" and "Damn Right, I've Got the Blues."

Milwaukee, Winsconsin, USA - Bradley Center, 8th September 2005

Eighth night and seventh stand of "A Bigger Bang" world tour

1. Start Me Up
2. IORR
3. She's So Cold
4. Tumbling Dice
5. Rough Justice
Mick announces parts of tonights show will be on MTV Saturday night for hurricane benefit
6. Waiting on a Friend
7 YCAGWYW
8 All Down the Line
9 Night Time with Buddy Guy
intros
10 The Worst
11 Infamy
Mick in a gold jacket
12 Miss You
13 Oh No Not You Again
14 You Got Me Rocking
15 Honky Tonk Women
16 Sympathy for the Devil
17 Paint It Black
18 Brown SUgar
19 Jumping Jack Flash
Encore
20 Satisfaction

Waiting On A Friend as a "special" for the Katarina MTV benefit, and Buddy Guy (support act for the night) jamming with the band on Ray Charles' Night Time (Is The Right Time).

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.

See set list at www.startribune.com/reviews.

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

Saint-Paul, Minnesota, USA - Tuesday 6th September 2005, Xcel Energy Center

Seventh night and sixth stand of the "A Bigger Band" tour

Start Me Up
You Got Me Rocking
She's So Cold
Tumbling Dice
Rough Justice
Back Of My Hand
Beast Of Burden
Rocks Off
Night Time
Intros
The Worst
Infamy
Miss You
Oh No Not You Again
Satisfaction
Honky Tonk Women
Sympathy For The Devil
Jumping Jack Flash
Brown Sugar
You Can't Always Get What You Want
It's Only Rock'n Roll

Rocks Off made its debut in the first arena show of the tour (on the same day of the ABB album release in the USA).

CTV already offers four videos from the Moncton happening. Go to this http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/st ory/CTVNews/1125706631510 _113/?hub=Canada" title="http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/st ory/CTVNews/1125706631510 _113/?hub=Canada" target="_blank"http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/Art... (where you'll be able to read the below story) and check the video box. Enjoy, Chris

85,000 gather in N.B. for huge Stones show

CTV.ca News Staff
 
Updated: Sun. Sep. 4 2005 2:02 AM ET

About 85,000 people rocked out Saturday to the legendary Rolling Stones -- the biggest musical event Atlantic Canada has ever seen.

The gathering on the 40-hectare (99-acre) field was billed as the biggest on the Stones' just-started world tour.

Magnetic Hill is the concert's site, where the layout of the surrounding land produces the optical illusion that a very slight downhill slope is in fact an uphill slope.

The gates opened at noon, and some had been waiting for that to happen since 6:30 a.m.

"This is going to rock!" hooted one fan as he went in.

The day-long event also features performances by several other bands, including Canada's Tragically Hip and Our Lady Peace, Maroon 5 and Les Trois Accord.

Concert promoter Donald K. Donald said tickets for the concert were sold in all four Atlantic provinces, in Quebec and in three American states.

"(Moncton) is a centralized place where we can reach the widest audience," he told The Canadian Press.

Security was tight, with people allowed to bring only blankets, cushions and a single litre of water.

Also, Transport Canada enforced a no-fly zone above and around the concert area.

The Stones' Big Bang Tour supports the band's forthcoming CD, A Bigger Bang, which hits record stores on Tuesday.

Late last month, the Stones played a concert in Ottawa for the first time in 40 years. They drew a crowd of 43,000 to Frank Clair Stadium.

The band will also stop in Calgary and Toronto on its 18-month world tour.

Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada - Magnetic Hill, Saturday 3rd September 2005

Sixth night and fifth stand of the "A Bigger Bang" tour

1. Start Me Up
2. It's Only Rock And Roll
3. Live With Me
4. Tumbling Dice
6. Rough Justice
6. Ruby Tuesday
7. YCAGWYW
8. All Down the Line
9. Night Time
[Band Intros]
10. The Worst
11. Infamy
12. Miss You
13. ONNYA
14. Midnight Rambler
15. Honky Tonk Woman
16. SFTD
17. Paint it Black
18. JJF
19. Brown Sugar
20. Satisfaction (Encore)

Twenty songs (please don't get shorter than this!), but plenty of novelties: Midnight Rambler, Paint It Black and Live With Me. Was it the Magnetic Hill?

To complete this Moncton serie, a video couldn't be more appropriate. See how Moncton is preparing for this once-in-a-lifetime event (85.000 people on a "Magnetic" Hill are expected), following this http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/st ory/CTVNews/1125706631510 _113" title="http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/st ory/CTVNews/1125706631510 _113" target="_blank"http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/Art... (footage will start after you'll click the link in the "video" box). Ciao, Chris

MONCTON, N.B. — A grassy field in southeastern New Brunswick is about to become one of the most populated places in Atlantic Canada as the Rolling Stones bring their Bigger Bang Tour to the region.

As many as 85,000 people are expected to converge on Magnetic Hill in Moncton on Saturday for a day-long, outdoor rock concert being billed as the biggest ever in Atlantic Canada and the biggest show of the Stones' 2005-06 world tour.

"Magnetic Hill, New Brunswick, will be without doubt the second-largest city in Atlantic Canada, after Halifax," said concert promoter Donald K. Donald.

"I think the Rolling Stones should be the mayor."

Donald said tickets for the concert have been sold in all four Atlantic provinces, in Quebec and in three U.S. states.

Dignitaries at the concert will include Frank McKenna, Canada's ambassador to the United States. McKenna, the former premier of New Brunswick, has a summer home not too far from the Magnetic Hill site.

Donald praised Moncton's central location, which has earned it the nickname the Hub City.

"This is a centralized place where we can reach the widest audience."

Organizers said more than 75,000 of the 85,000 available tickets have been sold.

Camping sites were starting to fill on Friday. Hundreds of hectares of parking have been made available, but much of it is quite a distance from the site.

On the 40-hectare field, construction of the enormous, seven-storey stage was due to be completed by Friday night. The stage includes a massive video screen so people sitting anywhere on the field will have good view.

Dale Skjerseth, production manager for the tour, said the field is in good shape despite heavy rain earlier in the week.

"The weather is perfect," he said. "It's going to be great; a lifetime experience."

The site was beginning to resemble a tent city Friday afternoon as food and beverage vendors put up tents. Shelters for medical personnel, security and other workers were also erected.

Security will be tight at the concert. People are allowed to bring in only blankets, cushions and a single litre of water.

Transport Canada will enforce a no-fly zone above and around the concert area.

There will be more than 600 portable toilets on site and organizers have invested tens of thousands of dollars to make sure they are kept clean and functioning.

"Controlling this kind of pandemonium is an art form," said organizer Mike Elder.

New Brunswick, where Moncton situates, is a bi-lingual region. Medias are both in french and in english. Being from a multi-lingual reality too, I've always had deep respect for everyone's identity. So, I'll offer you both kinds of reports. Let's start from "L'Acadie Nouvelle"...

Les Stones sont en ville! - Plus de quatre mois après l’annonce officielle, les Rolling Stones sont en ville. Les membres du plus grand groupe rock de tous les temps se sont envolés de Detroit, hier en début d’après-midi, et ils devaient atterrir dans la région de Moncton en fin d’après-midi. Il a été impossible de savoir où Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts et Ronnie Wood habiteront au cours de leur séjour à Moncton. «Ils vont être hébergés dans la région de Moncton parce qu’ils veulent sentir l’énergie et l’excitation du public. Ils veulent s’amuser ici à Moncton», a laissé savoir le copromoteur du spectacle, Donald K. Donald, à Moncton. «Demain (aujourd’hui) à 19 h 30, le site de la Côte magnétique sera sans aucun doute la deuxième ville la plus populeuse du Canada Atlantique, après Halifax. Je pense que les gars des Rolling Stones pourraient devenir les maires de cette ville», a ajouté M. Donald. Hier, sur le site de la Côte magnétique, plus de 200 personnes s’affairaient à finaliser les derniers préparatifs pour ce qui sera le plus grand spectacle à être organisé en Atlantique. Tranquillement, la scène commence à prendre forme, un mastodonte de sept étages qui mesurera 204 pieds de largeur, 97 pieds de haut et 96,6 pieds de profondeur. Deux tours ont été aménagées à chaque extrémité, tandis qu’un écran à haute définition de 204 pieds de large, de 60 pieds de haut sera installé au fond de la scène, pour permettre de diffuser des images géantes pendant le spectacle. En ce qui concerne l’équipement de sonorisation et les haut-parleurs, il a fallu six camions remorques pour les transporter! Selon le directeur de la production de la tournée A Bigger Bang, M. Dale Skjerseth, aucun pépin majeur n’a retardé l’équipe au cours de la dernière semaine. En fait, l’installation de la scène devait être terminée à 20 h, hier soir. «On n’a pas eu de difficultés particulières. On a respecté notre horaire et tout sera prêt à temps. La seule inquiétude que l’on a est la température», a mentionné Dale Skjerseth. Au dire du copromoteur du spectacle, Donald K. Donald, les détenteurs de billets assisteront au plus grand spectacle de tous les temps, rien de moins. «Vous pouvez vous attendre au plus grand spectacle de divertissement que vous ayez jamais vu! Dans le show business, il y a une règle qui dit que l’on doit gérer les attentes des gens prudemment. Dans ce cas-ci, je ne peux pas dire autre chose: c’est vraiment le plus grand spectacle de tous les temps au niveau technique. Le groupe lui-même n’a jamais été aussi bon et n’a jamais sonné aussi bien. Ce sera une journée phénoménale, tout simplement», prédit M. Donald, en précisant qu’environ 5000 billets sont toujours disponibles. Le copromoteur du spectacle en a aussi profité pour vanter la ville de Moncton et le site de la Côte magnétique. «À cause de sa situation géographique, Moncton peut attirer des gens de partout en Atlantique, au Québec et des États du Nord des États-Unis. Bien des gens vont découvrir cette ville et ce merveilleux site», a-t-il indiqué. En effet, il devient de plus en plus clair que la région de Moncton sera de nouveau le théâtre d’autres mégaspectacles dans un avenir rapproché. «Si le spectacle est un grand succès, je pense que ce sera une bonne idée de recommencer l’expérience l’année prochaine. Nous avons déjà entamé des discussions. Je ne veux pas nommer de noms d’artiste ou de groupe pour le moment parce que ça fera seulement attiser les rumeurs. Quand le tout sera officiel, on fera une annonce», déclare Donald K. Donald.

He left the Stones twelve years ago, and despite Keith feelings, he remains (and will always be) the "Silent Stone". You don't hear or see about him for a while, and then he re-surfaces from his family and hobbies daily life, plenty of goodies to deliver. Oh Boy, Bill Wyman did it again. After disappearing for a bit, following his "farewell" Rhythm Kings tour (but he'll be on the road from October onwards, don't worry), he's now ready to hit the streets with a handful of new releases. To be totally honest, it has to be said they'll award satisfaction more to the collectors, than to the general public, but they're absolutely worth mentioning.

In Japan, the three solo album by the man himself have been recently reissued in an exclusive mini cd lp replica sleeve version. "Monkey Grip" is TECI-24300, and features two bonus tracks ("Wine And Women II" and "It's Just A Matter Of Time". "Stone Alone" is TECI-24301 (with "Can't Put Your Picture Down" and "Love Is Such A Wonderful Thing" as bonuses). "Bill Wyman" has "Lost Galaxy" as the only bonus and comes as TECI-24302. If you already own the "Compendium" 2cd set, these extra tracks are already in your collection, but here is the package that makes the difference (all of the cd's, as you can see, have an obi). If collecting is your thing, be aware that these three releases come also in a promotional "Monkey Grip" box, and one of them has a promo obi. Good hunt...

Then, London based "Classic Pictures" Label has just put out what true Wyman fans were waiting since a long time. It's the DVD edition of "Digital Dreams", 1983 Bill's movie, featuring himself, James Coburn (Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, Our Man Flint) and Richard O' Brien (The Rocky Horror Show). Starring are also Astrid and Stephen Wyman, as Sir Patrick Moore and Charlie Watts too.

What is this film about? Here you go, from the "Classic Pictures" website: Rolling Stone’, Bill Wyman crosses the fine line between dreams and reality, when his passion for documenting his life on computer, is seen as an obsession for those around him. A rich, full tapestry of the life and times of Bill Wyman through which are woven whimsical fantasy sequences, historical slices of his career with the world’s greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll band ever, The Rolling Stones, and intimate psycho-dramatic glimpses behind the public mask of this superstar. A full length-feature containing music, drama, comedy, fantasy, historical content featuring an all star cast.

The DVD goes under the title "Digital Daydreams", because the package doesn't feature only the film, but also some bonus stuff, including interviews and footage from the "making of". Have fun! To know more, follow this http://www.classicpictures.co.uk/product.php?ALBUM_ID=240&" title="http://www.classicpictures.co.uk/product.php?ALBUM_ID=240&" target="_blank"http://www.classicpictures.co...;ALBUM_TYPE=DVD

To end this Wyman parade, you've got to know that Castle Music (the midline label for the Sanctuary Group) is about to release (on 3rd october) "Stoned Alone - The Solo Anthology 1974-2001". This two disc set spans over Bill's career, starting from solo days (with a selection of tracks from the three previously mentioned albums) to the "Willie And The Poor Boys" and "Rhythm Kings" projects.

Here's the tracklisting, from Castle website:

Disc 1 - A STONE ALONE, 1974-82

• I Wanna Get Me A Gun
  
• Pussy
  
• Mighty Fine Time
  
• Monkey Grip Glue
  
• What A Blow
  
• White Lightnin'
  
• It's A Wonder
  
• A Quarter To Three
  
• Gimme Just One Chance
  
• Soul Satisfying
  
• Feet
  
• If You Wanna Be Happy
  
• What's The Point
  
• Ride on Baby
  
• A New Fashion
  
• Nuclear Reactions
  
• Jump Up
  
• Come Back Suzanne
  
• Rio De Janeiro
  
• Girls
  
• (Si, Si) Je Suis Un Rock Star

Disc 2 - POOR BOYS AND RHYTHM KINGS, 1985-2001

• Willie And The Poor Boys - Baby Please Don't Go
  
• Willie And The Poor Boys - These Arms Of Mine
  
• Willie And The Poor Boys - Let's Talk It Over
  
• Willie And The Poor Boys - High School Confidential
  
• Willie And The Poor Boys - Stagger Lee
  
• Willie And The Poor Boys - Land Of A Thousand Dances
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Melody
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Melody
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Stuff (Can't Get Enough)
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Green River
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Let The Good Times Roll
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Mystery Train
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Anyway the Wind Blows
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Mojo Boogie
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Days Like These
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Mood Swing
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Hole In the Wall
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Daydream
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Love Letters
  
• The Rhythm Kings - The Joint Is Jumping
  
• The Rhythm Kings - Rollin' And Stumblin'
  
• +hidden bonus track, with Professor Stanley Unwin

Once again, the hidden track will made the day for collectors, but this could be a nice addition to your collection too, if you're starting from zero on Wyman. That's it right now. Ciao, Chris

Let's celebrate the Euro release of "A Bigger Bang" with one of the best reviews it's got so far. Taken from "The Independent" (original link at the end of the story), it awards the lads' last effort with a stunning five stars. We'll see charts soon. Ciao, Chris

Album: The Rolling Stones
A Bigger Bang, VIRGIN
By Andy Gill
Published: 02 September 2005

Throughout the Nineties, we got used to hearing that the latest Stones album was rather better than one might expect, despite the likes of Steel Wheels, Voodoo Lounge and Bridges to Babylon ultimately being regarded as little more than audio fly-posters for the band's latest globe-girdling tour, each ekeing out the usual one or two decent tracks with acres of half-hearted filler.

So it's with a certain trepidation that I welcome A Bigger Bang as, yes, better than one might expect; a lot better, in fact - good enough to put on instead of reaching for the band's former glories again. Let's put it this way: if albums were still only 10 or 12 tracks long, and all the fat was trimmed from the 16 here, the result might well be fit to stand alongside Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers. Which is about as good as it gets.

The opening "Rough Justice" serves notice of their intentions with a classic Keith Richards raunch-riff in the vein of "Brown Sugar", while Jagger reflects on "animal attraction" with all the charm and elegance befitting a sixtysomething reprobate. "Once upon a time I was your little rooster," he leers, "now I'm just one of your cocksss!", drawing out the sibilant like a schoolboy sniggering at his own cheek. One's first reaction is amused exasperation, a weary shake of the head, but then you think, well, isn't that exactly what he's there for? The second time around, you're singing along, your inner schoolkid awakened.

A few tracks later, he's slaying you in a different way with the haunting new single "Streets of Love", which features Mick's most affecting delivery in decades, and a hum-along falsetto hook which, once under your skin, won't easily be dislodged. It's just one in a series of songs which characterise him as the regretful or reproachful victim of love, taken to the cleaners by women more devious and manipulative than himself, unlikely as that may seem. Meanwhile Keith has gone back to the basics which served him so well three or four decades ago, distilling the essence of rock'n'roll to just two or three judiciously chosen chords, played with his own distinctive swagger-sway panache. And, whether it's due to his getting through chemotherapy, or simply a desire to get back in the saddle after a longer-than-usual hiatus, Charlie's on storming form throughout A Bigger Bang, powering songs like "It Won't Take Long" and the irresistible funk-rock juggernaut "Rain Fall Down".

Mick also plays some sizzling slide-guitar licks on the hallucinatory blues "Back Of My Hand" ("I see dreams, I see visions/ Images I don't understand/ I see Goya's paranoias/ I can read it like the back of my hand"), and his blues-harp work there and on the political broadside "Sweet Neo Con" has bite and piquancy.

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