Rolling Stones still rockin' like wild horses in their 60s
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Singapore
Who? Mick Jagger, 60, Keith Richards, 60, Ron Wood, 56, and Charlie Watts, 62. What? The greatest rock 'n' roll band in the world.
They're unstoppable, unbroken and unshaken. Like the title of one of the band's hits, they are the beasts of burden.
Before a crowd of some 7,000 at the Indoor Stadium here last Monday, the bad boys of British rock gave a stunning and fully charged performance, flawlessly belting out 19 songs that define rock 'n' roll.
It was such an incredible performance that it left me wondering, "O Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Guns 'N Roses, wherefore art thou?"
For those are some of the great bands I grew up with. But Nirvana was short-lived, Pearl Jam barely exists, and the rumor about Axl Rose's resurrection has been around for so long that it is no longer thrilling.
In contrast, after 40 years, Jagger and co. are still going strong, currently on the Asian leg of the Stones' Licks World Tour, with two Singapore dates last Monday and Wednesday.
It was surreal to see the living legends standing right in front of my very eyes, only a couple of meters away. But it was even more surreal to see the grandfathers of grunge rocking the stage, singing and jumping like men half their age.
The performance contained all that the four lads are known for: Jagger danced around the stage curling his rubbery lips, Wood doing splits, Richards was smoking with fender guitar hugging his shoulder, and Watts, still indifferent, but powerful behind his drum kit.
The concert started around 9 p.m., when the band kicked off with Brown Sugar to the roar of the audience, who, mostly in their 30s and 40s, were willing to pay as much as S$500 (US$287.50) per ticket.
Was it worth the high price? Pretty much. Because, besides being a great concert, it had historical value to it. Who knows how long they will last for? (Although, from the bursting energy they reflected in the concert, I doubt that they will retire soon).
The band brought to the stage songs spanning the four decades of their career, compiled in last year's Forty Licks.
Apart from seminal hits like (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, Honky Tonk Women and Start Me Up, they also performed new songs like Don't Stop and Sweet Virginia, a country blues number with a touch of gospel, from the 1972 album Exile on Main Street.
"I got sweet Virginia in my mind ... Drop your reds, drop your greens and blues," Jagger sang while playing acoustic guitar and also harmonica.
His voice was still clear and powerful, matching the grimaces and hip shake, and also the attractive costumes (shimmering blue jacket, or long black coat with multicolored, illuminated discs).
His duet with one of the backing vocalists, an African American woman, on Gimme Shelter, was incredible.
The band, surprisingly, did not include many of their mellow songs, like Angie for instance, in their song list.
Richards, meanwhile, sang two songs, including Slipping Away.
"Well, it's just another song.. First the sun then the moon, one of them will be round soon ... but it's slipping away," he sang, plaintively.
Oh Richards, he definitely gave a lot of nuance to the concert that night. Cool and confident, the man showed the audience why he was called the man who put the rhythm guitar in the lead.
In between, he would run off to the spit of the stage, dancing with Wood, throwing guitar picks, or lighting up a cigarette while saying "Singapore, it's good to be back."
He then chuckled and put out his cigarette on the ashtray he held, before hitting his guitar again.
At that moment I remembered a quote from the movie Wayne's World II: "Keith cannot be killed by conventional weapon."
Song after song was performed, including You Can't Always Get What You Want and Sympathy for the Devil.
The confetti, fireworks and big screen in the background contributed to the festival atmosphere.
At the 15th song, from each side of the stage, suddenly there appeared two gigantic inflatable cheerleader dolls. The dolls held a pom pom in the right hand, with a pole between their thighs. On the end of the poles were white flags with that familiar, Andy Warhol red tongue for the doll on the left side, and the Singapore flag on the right.
For the rest of the concert, the dolls would move suggestively. Very Rolling Stones.
The audience was very enthusiastic, singing each song by heart, applauding or taking pictures with their cell phones.
The concert was completed with Jumping Jack Flash, before the band bowed to the audience, Richards put on a Yasser Arafat scarf and all of them disappeared from the stage.
If I had caught the flu virus that night (luckily I did not), at least I would have been content to have seen some of the most important figures ever in musical history.