THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 4, 1994 TAG: 9408040062
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Music Review
SOURCE: BY RICKEY WRIGHT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
``WE WANT MICK!'' demanded the crowd after the lights went down Monday night in Washington, D.C.'s RFK Stadium. When they got him, just by way of a surprise, he was singing ``Not Fade Away.'' With the wiry Mick Jagger recreating a couple of his funky, elegant moves from the 1964 ``TAMI show,'' the Rolling Stones kicked off their ``Voodoo Lounge'' tour, their first American show in nearly five years.
Jagger's early selection both tipped its hat to the past and thumbed its nose at recent media speculation that the mostly 50ish Stones might be past their prime this time around. Special-effect torches and explosions aside, the ambience was basically that of the boys having a little session.
The hip, idiosyncratic set moved on to 1983's ``Under Cover of the Night,'' with Jagger assisting on rhythm guitar. His contribution, though, was lost to the erratic stadium acoustics.
That was in contrast to the instrumental contributions of Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, so essential to the next number, ``Tumbling Dice.''
Bassist Darryl Jones, 32, filling Bill Wyman's place, made his mark on the muddy sound with the intro to ``Live With Me.'' Bobby Keys delivered the first of several recountings of his original sax solos on late '60s and early '70s classics on that tune. Keys also stood as part of a four-man horn section that was - thankfully - sparingly used, and only on the likes of ``Rocks Off,'' which really called for it.
``I Can't Get No Satisfaction'' came remarkably early, about a third of the way through, with Richards' fuzzed-tone lead burning a hole in the sonic haze and the audience roaring most of the words.
``Monkey Man'' was overshadowed by a silly creature-costume drama featuring backing vocalist Lisa Fischer. Similarly, the excellent new tune ``I Go Wild,'' and ``Love Is Strong'' were burdened by overly ambitious staging of the sort that was so present on the 1989 ``Steel Wheels'' jaunt.
Interestingly, this time the Stones wisely skipped material from that under-nourished disc.
Between openers Counting Crows and the Stones we got a ``voodoo lounge'' act with ``Apocalypso Dancer'' and many central-casting drummers. Perhaps an important word music act, but with RFK's reverberation, who knows?
Tour sponsor Budweiser was present in force, in countless ad banners and T-shirt logos and in Jagger's hand on the slightly overused huge video screen.
The frat-party-meets-the-PTA ethos mostly resulted in communal revelry. A twenty-something shirtless guy in a baseball cap howled while a number of older listeners smiled knowingly at whatever song struck them.
And rightly. Despite Jagger's deepening range (a big reason for singer Fischer and partner Bernard Fowler to be on this trip), one or two slack ballads (``Memory Motel''), and the group's occasionally allowing themselves to be dwarfed by inflatable grotesque props, it was a show that proved all that it set out to prove and not just in terms of an event, either. If any of the Stones were concerned about the effects of aging on their art and craft, the doubts should have been soundly allayed.
Jagger's limberness, Richards' rag-tag vocal on ``Before They Make Me Run,'' Charlie Watts' perfection - these were the living proof. As was the final trilogy of ``Street Fighting Man,'' ``Brown Sugar'' and ``Jumpin' Jack Flash.''
``I can turn back the hands of time, you better believe I can,'' Jagger insisted in a cover of the Temptations' ``I Can't Next to You.'' He didn't have to, though. ILLUSTRATION: MUSIC REVIEW
The Rolling Stones in concert Monday at RFK Stadium in Washington,
D.C. The performance was repeated Wednesday evening.
by CNB