Saturday, October 07, 2006
Sympathy for the Devil
Since I had several posts building up to the Stones concert, I expect you'll want me to do a review.
Regular readers will forgive me if I end up getting pompous and over-analytical. I don't want to start out that way. First and foremost, a Stones stadium concert is a tremendously satisfying entertainment spectacle. Pyrotechnics, multi-media show ... hell, if I was deaf I would have still enjoyed it as much (possibly more).
One very much gets the sense that these shows are all about Mick's obsession (and/or contractual obligations to Satan) and that the rest of the guys are just along for the ride, rather grudgingly. The rest of the Stones resemble those animatronic bears in the band at Chuck E Cheese.
Jagger's onstage vitality is every bit as extraordinary as it is hyped to be, but the question I couldn't help but think was "At what cost?" To create this two hour illusion of youth, Jagger must invest the rest of his time in a strict regimen of diet, exercise, rest and physical therapy. It really makes you wonder what motivates him, since it clearly isn't money.
Watching Jagger prance reminded me of watching a stripper. It all seems very alluring until you remember that he's done the exact same moves hundreds of thousands of times and that any creativity and emotion these moves once contained has long since vanished.
Stretching the sex trade analogy a little further, being an audience member at a Stones concert is like having sex with a hooker. You must bear the shameful subconscious frustration that, no matter what you do, no matter how much you scream and shout and cheer, nothing is going to make this particular performance any better or more memorable to the Stones themselves than any other performance they've ever given.
For me, the single most pleasant surprise of the evening was listening to Keith Richards do his all-too-few solo bits. I had previously regarded Richards as nothing but a joke, a self-parody. I came away with a new respect for him as a blues and bluegrass performer. There is a little sadness here that serves to make his blues music that much better. One can imagine an alternate quantum reality where Keith Richards became a successful solo artist and rose to become the peer of Bob Dylan. But in this reality, he is doomed to live his life in the shadow of a preening rooster.
Well, aren't I just a regular ray of sunshine! These are just my over-thinking musings after the fact. At the time, I was hooting and hollering like a lunatic. I had a great time. The show is a truly magnificent experience of 21st Century stagecraft and spectacle. It's well worth seeing if you get the chance, especially if you can get discount tickets.
posted by Mentok @ 5:00 p.m.,
10 Comments:
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At 7:13 p.m.,
Rachel said...
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I think Mick Jagger made a deal with the devil along time ago...Because he is what? 63 years old now...Yet he looks like the freaking energizer bunny on speed!
But cheers to the Stones, pyrotechnics, strippers, sex with hookers, Keith Richards solo's and most importantly cheers to experiences you will never forget. ;) -
At 7:18 p.m.,
Rachel said...
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*Quick edit*
Just for the record neither Mr. or Mrs. Mentok had sex with hookers (at least as far as I know)...I was merely drawing from this section of his post...
Stretching the sex trade analogy a little further, being an audience member at a Stones concert is like having sex with a hooker. -
At 8:21 p.m.,
FiL said...
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Ah, Dearest Rachel, we know what you meant...
A very good review, Dearest Mentok. I enjoyed the perspective and analogy - after all, what can one say about a Stones performance itself that hasn't already been said a squillion times before...?
FiL -
At 8:34 p.m.,
Mentok said...
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Rachel - I notice that in your clarification of your comment "...cheers to..sex with hookers", you excluded me and da missus, but not yourself ;-) Have a fun weekend, did we, wink, wink? A joke, a joke!
FiL - yes I wouldn't know how to review a concert for content. "Uh, the Stones came out and sang a buncha songs." So the pretentious musings help cover for actual insight, I find ;-) -
At 10:23 p.m.,
Suzan Abrams, email: suzanabrams@live.co.uk said...
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A witty post, Mentok. Especially the 'deaf' bit.
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At 9:40 a.m.,
Library Mama said...
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I think you're too cynical.
I think these guys are not unlike farmers or dentists who won't retire because their work is what gives their life meaning.
Do you think your father lost all "creativity and emotion" in his work life, just because he had done the same thing "hundreds of thousands of times"?
And I'm no expert, but I would think that having tens of thousands of people cheering and clapping to be in your presence would be more exciting than pulling teeth, even if you are Mick Jagger. -
At 10:09 a.m.,
Library Mama said...
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This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
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At 10:10 a.m.,
Mentok said...
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Hey, don't knock pulling teeth 'til you've tried it! ;-)
But it's a valid point. In my rush to sound too-cool-by-half, I neglected what I thought at the time was an important pre-show anecdote.
When the plane arrived (covered live on local TV), the rest of the Stones just sort of lumbered mopily down the stairs into waiting vehicles.
But Jagger stopped at the top of the stairs, smiled his face off and, for several long minutes, waived mightily to the cameras and throngs of fans.
I remember thinking "What a perfect show man...to pay attention to the needs of his audience literally from the moment he stepped off the plane." It was downright gentlemanly of him.
They used to say that Brian Mulroney's one-on-one personal charm hinged on his ability to make every single person feel that meeting them was the best thing that happened to him that day. Jagger, to his credit, succeeds at this as well, except that he deals with whole cities at a time.
So, yes, that must be what motivates him: the desire to be such a show man that thousands will continue to show up to cheer for him until he drops down dead doing it.
There are worse motivations. He sacrifices a good deal for his audience and that deserves a nod of respect. -
At 12:20 p.m.,
cchang said...
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This is an insightful review really. I get tired of reading setlists. :) I think your sex worker analogy is perfect and applies well to other great acts I enjoy who have been performing for ages like the Stones.
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At 11:07 a.m.,
Bathroom Hippo said...
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Happy Thanksgiving buddy!
