The song selection, by and large, is material that has aged extremely well and plays to Jagger's vocal strengths, in particular "Wild Horses" with guest Gwen Stefani, "Midnight Rambler" extended via a three-way jam between former Stones guitarist Mick Taylor, his replacement Wood and Richards, and an elasticized reading of "Paint It Black" that enhanced the tune's ominous tone. Jagger finds logical spots to rest his voice and maintain a song's impact: backup singers Lisa Fischer and Bernard Fowler take on the "It's all right" portion of "Jumpin' Jack Flash," for example, allowing Jagger to firmly land the "it's a gas" line.
Naturally, with ticket prices as high as $600, the crowd upfront hails from well-to-do neighborhoods and is likely funneling each performance through memory's gauze. For Jagger and the guys, their must be some sense of triumph or discovery in performing "Emotional Rescue" for the first time ever on a tour. For the audience, it's a trip back to school days or that first professional job and long nights in clubs; unlike so many of the others songs, its significant time in the spotlight was short and specific to 1980, but judging by the enthusiastic response, it retains a certain level of gravitas.
When the tag of "greatest rock 'n' roll band in the world" was bestowed on the Stones it owed to swagger, songs and personality. Today, they maintain it through the repertoire, Jagger's kinetic energy, Richards' charisma and Watts' impeccable drumming. Filmed testimonials from Iggy Pop, Perry Farrell, Johnny Depp, uber-fans and other celebrities are shown at the beginning of the concert talking about the band's impact and memories. Fortunately, it's the only obvious piece of nostalgia in the entire night.
Set List:
Get Off Of My Cloud
The Last Time
It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It)
Paint It Black
Gimme Shelter
Wild Horses (with Gwen Stefani)
Factory Girl
Emotional Rescue
Respectable (with Keith Urban)
Doom and Gloom
One More Shot
Honky Tonk Women
Before They Make Me Run
Happy
Midnight Rambler (with Mick Taylor)
Miss You
Start Me Up
Tumbling Dice
Brown Sugar
Sympathy for the Devil
Encores
You Can't Always Get What You Want (with choir)
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
