It was a year after their tour had been launched, it was their 9th Chicago area performance in 4 years and it was 28 dgerees outside. This show should have been disasterous. Instead, it was downright epic with the Stones delivering what may have been the best performance I've ever seen them give. God love them, they still had it.
Go here to read my full review of their October 11th show from Chicago in 2006.
The set list had more in common with their best club gigs from 2002 and 2003 rather than the predictable stadium set. “Live With Me” and “Monkey Man” were both delivered with urgent precision. Neither song has been a staple in any of their sets, but both songs have been performed on a regular basis going back to 1994. However, it would be the chosen rarities that would define the evening. The first jaw-dropping moment occurred during “Sway”, a song that before last year had never been performed live in its thirty-five year history. I was hoping it would appear during the band two-night arena run last January, but needless good things come to those who wait and it was delivered with seductive fervor. There raw energy with which Ron Wood delivered his solo with meticulousness also brought the crowd to its feet. Personally, I always believed Ron was a loose cannon on the concert stage, but he has proven himself over the last few tours to be the bands secret weapon waiting in the wings. There is more than a smattering of the sublime involved, whenever one bears witness to the exhibition on Ronnie’s inner light with the guitar strapped around his neck. Much like “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” (also from 1971’s Sticky Fingers), one wonders why it took the band so long to perform this one live.
Read the rest here.
