4:20AM EST December 9. 2012 - BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Rolling Stones fans finally got their Satisfaction, along with fever in the funk house and so much more as the ageless band nailed its first U.S. show since 2006 on Saturday at the new Barclays Center.
The iconic song, built around Keith Richards' – and rock's -- most famous guitar riff, was missing when the group opened its mini- "50 and Counting'' anniversary tour on Nov. 25 in London. But it was present in full ferocious force here as they used it to close their triumphant 23-song, 2-hour, 20-minute greatest-hits romp.
Performing beneath an arch of luscious female lips and occasionally strutting around a tongue-shaped catwalk (hollowed out to accommodate VIP seats), Mick, Keith, Ron and Charlie gave the crowd what it always wanted – an energetic and entertaining (though not epic) submersion in a half-century of rock and Baby Boomer history.
Get Off My Cloud from 1965 and the 1963 Beatles cover I Wanna Be Your Man ignited the evening, with Jagger taking command of an ensemble that also included bassist Darryl Jones and keyboardist Chuck Leavell, two sax players (including longtime Stones sideman Bobby Keys), a pair of backup singers and a choir (for the first of three encores, You Can't Always Get What You Want).
Sporting a 20-year-old body beneath a something-something head, Jagger (OK, he's 69) dominated the first half of the show with strong vocals (particularly on Paint It Black and Wild Horses) and refined moves that played down the much-parodied rooster-strut and played up the homage to late-period James Brown.
Richards, wearing a thick red headband that kept his gray-white mad-scientist mop at bay, seemed subdued at first, letting Ron Wood take most of the guitar leads. He found his footing later, most notably on All Down the Line, It's Only Rock 'n' Roll and his two vocal-croak showcases, Happy and Before They Make Me Run. But there was little interaction with friend/nemesis Jagger, save for a brief fist bump when the band members were introduced.
Plenty of explosive chemistry emerged with the two guests, however, as power-shouter Mary J. Blige played out a dangerous pas de deux with Jagger on Gimme Shelter and emerging blues guitar phenom Gary Clark Jr., tore through Goin' Down, even adding vocals to one chorus. Unlike the London shows, where former Stones Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor sat in on a few songs, Blige and Clark were the only invitees.
To their everlasting credit, the Stones refused to coast on their most popular songs, and gave Honky Tonk Women, Jumpin' Jack Flash and particularly Midnight Rambler (with Jagger on harmonica) respectful and sometimes extended treatments. By the time they ended the show, with Richards taking one final catwalk stroll while riffing on Satisfaction, the tone of the retrospective was far more elated than elegiac.
The Rolling Stones are scheduled to appear at three more U.S. dates: Wednesday in New York at the "12-12-12'' Hurricane Sandy benefit concert; and Thursday and Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J
