From a distance, you would swear he was half his 75 years. You would never guess he underwent heart surgery two months ago. Only the cracks in his face revealed Mick Jagger's age. Not his body, which gyrated and strutted and danced for 2 hours as the legendary Rolling Stones performed before an overflowing Soldier Field in Chicago Tuesday night.
Most viewers saw him from a distance in the cavernous stadium. But the energy was high, and the audience sang and danced along with the band. Mick, Keith Richards, Ron Wood, and Charlie Watts have been recording and touring together for decades. People may think of them as the new member's, but Darryl Jones (of south Chicago), who joined the band when bassist Bill Wyman retired in 1993; and Chuck Leavell, former Allman Brothers keyboardist, who has been with the band since 1982 also have a tenure longer than most bands exist. Yet, they are newbies when compared with thier septuagenarian teammates.
This was my first time seeing the Stones and it may be their last visit to Chicago. Now in their 50th year, this year's "No Filter" tour will take them to 13 cities in the U.S. And they chose to open in Chicago, after Jagger's illness forced them to reshuffle the tour schedule.
To the delight of the crowd, they heard many references to Chicago. Mick noted the band had played the city nearly 40 times. And he introduced the new Chicago mayor and governor, who were in attendance, noting that Governor Pritzker had signed legislation that day legalizing cannabis in January. "Some of you may have jumped the gun," he quipped.
Of course, the Rolling Stones drew heavily from their catalog of hit songs - from opening with "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll" to their encores: "Gimme Shelter" and "Satisfaction". But they included a few deeper album tracks, like "Bitch" and "Slipping Away".
It was mostly an evening of high energy rock and roll and blues; but a highlight of the night was when Mick, Keith, Ron, and Charlie brought their instruments (including a small drum kit) to a platform that extended 30 yards out into the audience to play two acoustic numbers: "Play with Fire" and "Sweet Virginia".
When the evening ended, it felt like they had given all they had and all we needed.
After 50 years, the band knew every note by heart, but still brought energy and made us feel they were having a good time after all this time.