The Rolling Stones kicked off their 50th anniversary tour — in their 51st year– with lots of action. That included guest stars Gwen Stefani and Keith Urban, who sang and played, respectively, on “Wild Horses” and “Respectable.” Jack Nicholson was among the stars spotted in the Staples Center. And the show was sold out, despite what some naysayers might think.
The fact is, the Stones always sell out in the end even if they have slow starts to sales. That’s just the way it is. They sang “This may be the last time” last night, which may be true for once. And as far as the show itself goes: my experience seeing them last December in Brooklyn and then Newark was that show was quite amazing, the group was beyond expectations. Not only are Keith and co. superbly rocking as if they were in their 20s, but I challenge anyone to do what Mick Jagger does on that stage. Cannot be done. He’s like a panther, he never stops, never stops, never stops.
And get this: I told you that AEG Live had booked 18 shows in the US and Canada. They announced nine in the first release. But in the end, they are playing those 18 shows including the one at the Echoplex. If you don’t count that one, it’s 17. But New York hasn’t been booked yet. And it will be, for the final dates. So get off my cloud.
