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The Rolling Stones
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Fri. April 24.1998 6:26 PM EDT
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Stones' Bridges Tour Crosses Over
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Legendary rockers end U.S. leg of latest sojourn in Windy City,
where the tour began in September.
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by Correspondent Matt Carmichael
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Stones, shown here at Thursday's final U.S. performance of current tour, were
named the top grossing act of 1997. Photo by Matt Carmichael ( )
CHICAGO -- There wasn't much hoopla. The city didn't come to a halt like it did the last time the Rolling
Stones came to town. There were no fireworks, no balloons, no stadium-sized video screens projecting
frontman Mick Jagger's every move.
But if you're the Rolling Stones and
you're playing your last U.S. show for
a while, you don't need much.
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As the Stones, arguably one of the
most beloved and certainly among
the most influential bands in rock
history, waded through the first half
of their show Thursday at the United
Center, they filled the house with
their classic blues-style rock like so
many bands who have played there
before. While they seemed naked on
the wide stage without all the
pyrotechnics and golden props
surrounding them, there was a purity
there that had been lost in the
multimillion-dollar stage designs that
have followed them on this tour.
The legendary blues-rockers wrapped
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up the U.S. portion of their
Stones !
seemingly never-ending Bridges To
Babylon tour in the Windy City,
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where they started it back in
September. Then they were playing
at the cold outdoor Soldier Field to
two nights of 54,000 screaming fans. Then they were generous enough to offer a secret show at the
tiny Double Door for 400 or so lucky fans. And everywhere there was a mood of anticipation that the
Stones did their best to live up to over two nights of live performances.
This time around it was a beautiful day, but the show was indoors in the (relatively) intimate United
Center with just 21,500 fans. Tickets to the most expensive rock show in Chicago history cost upwards
of $300, more than three times as much as the already pricey September tickets. There was
anticipation, but mostly among Stones fans, not the entire city.
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The Stones managed to recover from a rocky start Thursday to finish the show, and the tour, with a
suitable rock 'n' roll ending. They opened as they did back in September, with "Satisfaction." But muddy
sound and some technical problems, including twinges of screeching feedback, kept the crowd at a
distance. And as Jagger went to the acoustic guitar for "Sister Morphine," the fifth song, most of the
audience fell back in their seats.
John Hand, a fan who said he had spoken to the venue's staff about the technical difficulties, said that
the Stones didn't get a sound check. "Mick [Jagger] seemed pissed off," added Hand's friend Albie
Cullen. "You could see him yelling at Keith [Richards]. He made the rest of the band really play for this
crowd."
The 54-year-old Jagger, projected on two smallish screens at the side of the stage, looked as if he
were frustrated early on. He seemed to want more from the audience, but he also seemed lackluster
himself, perhaps tired from the lengthy tour that now heads off to Canada and Europe. At one point, he
asked the crowd, "Are you having a good time?" But his voice was faint and he had to ask again.
The tour and the activities surrounding it, while highly publicized and well attended, have had their low
points. A 31-year-old audience member was killed when he fell from a second-tier balcony at the
Pontiac Silverdome outside of Detroit. David Bowie had to fill in for the Stones on the premiere of
MTV's "Live at the 10 Spot" after Jagger developed a sore throat. The boat that guitarist Ronnie Wood
was riding on caught fire and he had to be rescued from the water.
Still, their tour's opening slot sported some of the most renowned artists in the business, including Bob
Dylan, the Smashing Pumpkins, Blues Traveler and Pearl Jam. But some -- such as Meredith Brooks,
who got booed off the stage in South America -- didn't fare too well with restless crowds.
And, in turn, the Stones were named the top grossing act of 1997. The 33 shows they played in 26
cities grossed $89.3 million for an average of $3.4 million on 58,125 tickets per city. That figure has
risen to about $4 million per city this year even though the Stones are playing in arenas rather than
stadiums. "They are the premiere concert attraction in the world," said Gary Bongiovanni, editor of the
concert industry weekly Pollstar. "They have proven once again that they still pack a financial and
artistic punch."
Spencer Weisz, a Chicago art dealer, said he got his front -row tickets for Thursday's show through a
friend of a friend. He was also front row back in September. "I've seen the Stones fewer than six
times," he explained. Still, for his girlfriend, this was a first.
And when Jagger and his bandmates took to a small stage in the center of the arena as they have
throughout the tour, they also returned to their legendary form. They led off with a bluesy "Little
Queenie" and "I Just Want to Make Love To You." But then, as Jagger paraded around in his patented
sinewy strut, and as the bras and roses rained down upon them, the frisky Wood grabbed the singer's
butt as he bopped by.
The Stones then launched into Dylan's classic "Like a Rolling Stone," and the crowd was on its feet.
Jagger's harp solo was much bluesier than Dylan's folky original. Lead guitarist Keith Richards' open
shirt billowed and Wood stood, cigarette clamped between his third and fourth fingers on his strumming
hand. As the sing-along continued, the audience, bathed in yellow lights, belted out the famous "How
does it feel?" refrain.
Finally, as Jagger began the migration back to the main stage during the opening bongos of "Sympathy
for the Devil," he led the band through a classic Stones set, including "Honky Tonk Woman," "Start Me
Up," "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and the confetti-filled encores of "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and
"Brown Sugar."
As they took their bows to wrap up the U.S. leg, one of the backing vocalists scooped up a bunch of
the confetti that littered the stage and sprinkled it over Jagger's head.
There was a palpable sense of finality to that moment, as first the entire crew and then just the four
Stones waved to the audience.
But for Linda Lukasik and Mary Glusak, who have been attending Stones shows together since 1964,
there is no end. "As long as the Stones keep going, we'll keep coming," Lukasik said. "They've kept me
16 for 34 years."
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