The Rolling Stones Live At BST Hyde Park 2022.
The Rolling Stones
BST Hyde Park 03/07/22
By Paul Davies
On a warm and sunny Sunday evening a few butterflies could be seen fluttering not far from the giant oak-decorated main stage as The Rolling Stones played their second BST London show as a part of their ‘Sixty’ tour, their first tour since the passing of drummer Charlie Watts. For the observant, the poignant video being screened onto the back of the stage in dedication to Watts might have taken on even more spiritual significance. As for those who spotted the butterflies, and every Stones fan, will be aware that this show took place two days prior to the date of The Stones’ 1969 free Hyde Park show and on the fifty third anniversary of Brian Jones’ death. It was at the ‘69 show where Jagger read Shelley’s poem Adonais and released a bounty of butterflies to mark Jones’ early death. Following this heartfelt tribute to Watts, the established trio of main Stones players Jagger, Richards and Wood flew headlong into a peerless set with an almost supernatural energy that must mystify the medical profession as an adrenaline injected Get Off Of My Cloud rightly raised the expectations of a febrile sell-out crowd. It was for the greatest living frontman Mick Jagger, who told the crowd “Watching those videos of Charlie before we came on… you know we played with him for sixty years…we really, really miss him. So, we’re dedicating this show to Charlie,” to sum up the feelings of the band and their fans. Then as the yet to set sun shone brighter The Rolling Stones, playing a slightly tweaked set to their previous week’s show here, dug deeper into their golden cache of hits and much-loved tunes with 19th Nervous Breakdown continuing the sixties vibe before rolling into the languid opening lick of Tumbling Dice as everybody within listening distance sang along to the entire set list.
Originally recorded by Chris Farlowe, The Glimmer Twins penned Out Of Time revealed this group’s commanding breadth of songwriting on this soulful R’N’B banger and a tour debut of Angie, from their underrated Goats Head Soup album, added another touch of class with its sophisticated live arrangement. This nerveless nineteen song set concentrated mostly on the band’s 60s and 70s period with an energetic Start Me Up, from 1981’s Tattoo You, and another tour debut of You Got Me Rocking, from 1994’s Voodoo Lounge album, being the magnificent exceptions. If ever it was in doubt, everyone got exactly what they needed from a legendary band playing on point, with a couple of slightly ragged moments always adding to their charm, as You Can’t Always Get What You Want set up another tour debut as Jagger, tongue firmly placed in cheek, announced that a Nobel prize winning writer penned a song for them as they continued to play a consummate take of Bob Dylan’s Like A Rolling Stone.
With the band locked deep into the groove, Honky Tonk Women and the fun band introductions that followed, including Jagger’s quip about Ronnie needing to sell his setlist artworks to keep his young family, found a jovial Keith Richards fronting a two-song cameo on You Got The Silver and Happy. Frontman duties resumed, Jagger led on an explosive Midnight Rambler incorporating Robert Johnson’s Come On Into My Kitchen. Paint It Black and a vocal duel between Jagger and Sasha Allen at the end of the ego ramp on Gimme Shelter almost stopped the hands of time from ticking as we were transported back down the years. Main set ender Jumping Jack Flash returned us to the majestic hits of the sixties. Then came the encore and the ‘woo-woo’ moment on Sympathy For The Devil when the entire 65,000 park crowd sounded like an army of over excited owls. The ironic titled (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, with Steve Jordan’s big beat drumming to the fore, completed a show that confirmed The Rolling Stones as a band still playing at the very top of their game.
