Scheduled as the opening show of the postponed March Australian tour, Perth finally got its first Rolling Stones concert in almost two decades last night. Perth Arena had long ago sold out for this event, which was clearly a date with the soundtrack to 13,300 fans’ lives.
Two minutes of jungle rhythms and syncopated red lighting tumbled into the band’s 1981 hit Start Me Up, with Keith Richards’ and Ronnie Wood’s edgy guitar facing off in a duel, and Mick Jagger storming down front of stage, taking ownership of the audience, then keeping it for the next two hours.
Apologising for the delay and thanking the city for its patience, Jagger led a seductive assault that was deliberate, entertaining and enthralling. Before we knew it the Stones’ lives – and ours too – were flashing before our eyes, as the band played Get Off of My Cloud and Tumbling Dice.
A few songs in, the Stones unveiled a deep cut: the rarely – if ever – performed Worried About You from the 33-year-old Tattoo You album, which placed Jagger down front again playing keyboards and rocking his falsetto vocal.
While the band’s newest song, Doom And Gloom, and the lesser-known Out Of Control, eased the intensity a little, another nostalgia-inducing song was never too far away. Bitch was the crowd-voted track of the evening. And Honky Tonk Woman featured a saucy Battle of Britain-themed cartoon on giant screens, while Jagger wiggle-hipped on the ramp around the band’s tongue pit.
Jagger found himself in a playful mood as he introduced the band: the “sometimes malnutritious” Wood; Charlie Watts – described as “Justin Langer’s new best friend” in reference to the drummer’s recent tour of the Waca – and “to play and sing for you”, Keith Richards. The Human Riff announced he was not only happy to be here, but happy to be anywhere (he’s been delivering that line for years). The crowd seemed to hug him like a beloved uncle, as he and Wood led the band into You Got The Silver.
Following a seasoned harmonica howl from Jagger, ex-member Mick Taylor sauntered on stage and the band tore into Midnight Rambler, an essay in musical darkness and dynamics even today. And it went on: Miss You, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Brown Sugar and Sympathy For The Devil (featuring soulful backing vocals from Lisa Fischer), all played with the gusto of a band half their age.
By the time Satisfaction closed the evening, the audience had exactly that. Even so, many headed to the exit contemplating if they could afford a ticket for Saturday night’s show.
• The Rolling Stones are touring Australia
