Time is still on Mick Jagger's side as the Rolling Stones thrash State Farm Stadium
Could there be a human being better suited to performing “Time Is on My Side” in 2024 than Mick Jagger at 80?
To be clear, the Rolling Stones did not include that gospel-flavored classic in the set they played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Tuesday, May 7.
But watching Jagger do what Jagger does for nearly two hours in metro Phoenix so soon after seeing those videos of him leading the Stones through “Time Is on My Side” just five days earlier as a duet with the amazing Irma Thomas, who also sounded great at age 83, at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival?
You couldn’t help but marvel at the age-defying essence of what Jagger brings to a performance.
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It went beyond the sheer perpetual motion of it all. Yes, he rarely stopped moving. And there's a world of singers less than half his age who couldn't hope to match the energy he brought to State Farm Stadium.
But there’s an undeniable agility to what he does, an athleticism and a grace that invites you to imagine Mikhail Baryshnikov raised by a family of overcaffeinated roosters.
That side-to-side motion he does with his feet? The graceful swiveling of those hips that have been swiveling since the very early ‘60s? The youthful exuberance with which he glides and struts and sometimes even runs across a massive stage?
There was even a magical moment in the encore as the Stones were bringing “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” to a fevered pitch that he dropped to his knees as though he might channeling a young James Brown — at 80.
He got so into it on "Satisfaction," Keith Richards couldn't stop grinning.
The man was in total command of the stage from the time his bandmates found their footing after staggering into a looser-limbed-than-usual “Start Me Up” to the glorious pileup of iconic hits that brought their set to a breathless climax through the encore-closing “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”
Rolling Stones setlist: Every song they sang in Phoenix on the 2024 Hackney Diamonds Tour
The Rolling Stones thrive on rawness and reckless abandon
By the second song, “It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll (But I Like It),” the Rolling Stones were firing on all cylinders.
It wasn’t always pretty. And it damn sure wasn’t perfect. But the Rolling Stones have done as much as anyone to help define a rock ‘n’ roll aesthetic that thrives on the rawness and reckless abandon at the heart of what they do.
This is especially true of the guitars.
Founding member Richards and kindred spirit Ronnie Wood, who started playing with the Stones while still a member of the Faces in 1975, are essentially flip sides of the same Chuck Berry 45. They spent the night dialing up some of the raunchiest guitar sounds you could ever hope to hear, the volume just too loud enough.
Their guitar work was scrappy and soulful and ragged and real and all those other underrated qualities that make for an exciting night of rock 'n' roll, the kind of night the Rolling Stones have always been so brilliant at delivering.
And it was to great to see them having such a good time, Richards grinning ear to ear in his red knit cap and Wood engaging in the sort of loopy onstage antics that made him such a perfect onstage foil for Richards when he joined the fold back in the '70s.
Here's the Rolling Stones 2024 lineup
This was Rolling Stones’ first time in metro Phoenix since the loss of founding member Charlie Watts, who died in 2021 after encouraging his bandmates to bring in Steve Jordan on drums to finish the No Filter Tour without him when he got too sick to carry on.
Jordan has been touring with them ever since and it’s easy to see why Watts thought he was the right man for the job.
He and Darryl Jones, their touring bassist since Bill Wyman left the group in 1993, are a commanding rhythm section, a point made abundantly clear on a hard-grooving version of “Miss You” that featured a jaw-dropping solo from Jones.
Rounding out their touring band are keyboard player Chuck Leavell; Bernard Fowler on backing vocals and percussion; Matt Clifford on keyboard and the French horn on “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”; saxophonists Karl Denson and Tim Reis; and backing vocalist Chanel Haynes, who joined the fold in 2022 and stepped into the spotlight with her awe-inspiring vocal turn on “Gimme Shelter.”
They’re all extremely talented musicians more than capable of following the Stones through a variety of musical aesthetics, from the classic boogie-woogie groove of “Tumbling Dice” to the disco moves of “Miss You,” the Latin percussion of “Sympathy for the Devil,” the rock ‘n’ roll swagger of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and the soulful splendor of “Gimme Shelter” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”
'Hackney Diamonds' is Rolling Stones' 1st new album in nearly 20 years
The Stones are touring in support of “Hackney Diamonds,” their first album of original material in nearly 20 years. A lot of critics have called it their best release since “Tattoo You” in 1981 or even “Some Girls” three years earlier. And it’s easy to hear why those critics would say that.
It’s kind of amazing that a group that’s been around for more than 60 years could still be operating on that level, much less sound so vital.
They only played three songs from “Hackney Diamonds,” but all three more than held their own against the staples fans had come to hear, from the slashing guitar riffs and snarling lead vocals of “Angry” to the disco-flavored “Mess It Up” and the smoldering gospel of “Sweet Sounds of Heaven,” a ballad they boldly held back to open the encore that featured another soulful show of force from Haynes.
“Sweet Sounds of Heaven” also boasted one of Jagger’s strongest vocals of the night. And there were many strong contenders for that title, from the soulful conviction with which he delivered “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” to the excitement he brought to the end of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”
He may have flubbed the occasional lyric, and there were some notes he didn’t try to hit. But overall, Jagger’s vocal performance was as age-defying as his movements.
Other highlights ranged from “She’s So Cold,” a song that hadn’t made a setlist since 2019, to Keith Richards taking a turn in the vocal spotlight on “Little T&A” (a song he introduced as “She’s My Little Rock & Roll” after telling the crowd, “It’s good to be here; it’s good to be anywhere”) and “Monkey Man,” which won the online fan vote.
World's greatest rock 'n' roll band? That seems right
It was all great, though. How many bands could even hope to bring a set to a climax by stringing together a series of songs as iconic as “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Honky Tonk Women,” “Miss You,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Paint It, Black” and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”?
If you want to be known as the world’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll band, that’s one way to do it.
It was after a spirited version of "Tumbling Dice" that Jagger took a moment to address how pleased he was with the welcome the Stones had received from the city of Glendale.
The city renamed a portion of 95th Avenue near the stadium Satisfaction Way and the mayor declared May 7 Ruby Tuesday.
"We’re very honored that you chose to name today Ruby Tuesday, though," he said.
"That is so nice. It’s never happened to us before. Ruby Tuesday. Unfortunately, we’re not gonna be able to play it tonight because we’ve forgotten that one."
As they were nearing the end of their set, after “Honky Tonk Women,” Jagger did some reminiscing.
“My goodness, this is our 11th show in Arizona,” he said. “Isn’t that something? I want to thank you so much for coming back to see us. You know, my favorite show in Arizona was in 1997 when we accidentally set fire to the Sun Devil Stadium.”
Then, after “Miss You,” he told the crowd, “We’re gonna go out to Valley Bar after, OK? So you can join us there.”
Having gone to Valley Bar and hung around until it closed at 2 a.m., I can assure you, he was joking.
By the time they signed off with a raucous thrill ride through an epic “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” Tuesday night at State Farm Stadium was everything a Stones fan could’ve hoped for, the quintessential rock ‘n’ roll survivors still going strong after 62 years, invigorated by their new music.
Carin Leon and Electric Mud opened for the Rolling Stones
Forty-five minutes before the show was scheduled to begin, a band from San Diego called Electric Mud (the title of a Muddy Waters album) took the stage and delivered a well-received set that often felt like they were channeling the Rolling Stones of an early '70s vintage, especially those Jagger-esque lead vocals.
Two members of Electric Mud — Marc and Matty Hansen — have an aunt named Patti Hansen who's been married to Keith Richards since 1983. That may be how they got the gig, but they turned out to be a perfect fit.
Electric Mud was followed by regional Mexican music star Carin Leon, whose latest effort, “Colmillo de Leche," picked up Best Norte?o Album at last year's Latin Grammys.
He wasn't nearly as perfect a fit, but went over surprisingly well on the strength of a powerful performance, fronting a 16-piece band complete with accordion and tuba and wearing black leather pants and matching vest over a black T-shirt, a black cowboy hat completing his look. Highlights of Leon's set included "It Was Always You (Siempre Fuiste Tú)" and Johnny Cash's "Man in Black."
Rolling Stones setlist 2024: Every song they played in Phoenix
Here's every song the Rolling Stones performed at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ.
“Start Me Up”
“It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (but I Like It)” (tour debut)
“She's So Cold”
“Angry”
“Beast of Burden”
“Monkey Man” (tour debut; fan-voted song)
“Mess It Up”
“Tumbling Dice”
“You Can't Always Get What You Want” (followed by band introductions)
“Little T&A” (Keith Richards on lead vocals)
“Sympathy for the Devil”
“Honky Tonk Women”
“Miss You”
“Gimme Shelter”
“Paint It, Black”
“Jumpin' Jack Flash”
Encore:
“Sweet Sounds of Heaven”
“(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction”
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Rolling Stones concert review: An age-defying rock 'n' roll circus