Music Review | The Rolling Stones Refuse To Stop

My Dad first saw The Rolling Stones in January 1973 at the Forum in Los Angeles. “When you’d be arrested if you were caught with any amount of weed,” he joked. He had long hair and a mustache and remembers the night “like it was yesterday. They were so good. I mean, really, they were amazing.”

 Almost 50 years later, I would get to see them perform for the first time.

On July 10, which also happened to be my birthday, my family, friends, and I attended the first of two Rolling Stones shows at Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles, one of the last stops on their Hackney Diamonds Tour.

On our drive up from Santa Barbara, we made predictions about the show. The main inquiry was whether the group could maintain its energy all night. Founding members Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are both 80 and Ronnie Wood, who joined them in 1975, is 77. Surely, they are running out of steam, we all thought.

We arrived at the stadium after hours of excruciating traffic. Just about everybody had Stones merch on. The Forum is across the street from Sofi, which really made it a full-circle moment. First-timers and veterans alike wore shirts from past tours: 2016, 2006, 1999, 1975, and everywhere in between.

From our floor seats, we watched part of the opener, The War and Treaty — a country husband and wife duo. Then, at a quarter to nine, the lights dimmed. And the crowd cheered as the inaugural notes of “Start Me Up” rang throughout the stadium. Jagger materialized on stage as if he had entered through a portal. Sporting a shimmery black and gold jacket, he walked between Wood and Richards, who both combed their guitars with ease. It was one of those moments where I questioned if I was dreaming. I glanced over at my boyfriend, who also seemed unable to connect this moment to reality.

Already, I knew no birthday could top this.

After an opening track that set the mood for the night, they segued into “You Got Me Rocking,” then “It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll,” before singing “Angry,” a new track from their 24th studio album, Hackney Diamonds. Jagger changed multiple times throughout the show: a purple coat, a silver sequin jacket, and a nacreous button-down.

Of course, they rallied the crowd with their classics like “Beast of Burden” and “Paint It Black,” among others. Jagger glided about the stage effortlessly, dancing and showing no signs of slowing down. After “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” Jagger addressed the crowd, reminiscing about the group’s first gig in San Bernardino, “That was all so long ago that some of you probably think we’d be dug out of the La Brea Tar Pits,” he joked. “However, we have not.”

Jagger left the stage, and Richards performed his usual 3-4 solo numbers: “Tell Me Straight,” “Little T&A,” and “Before They Make Me Run.” The camera often zoomed in on his fingers strumming the guitar, we were literally watching a master at work.

My cousin Maxton Hunter, who is in the Santa Barbara band The Caverns, attended night two of the show. He’s a long-time Rolling Stones fan, so it only felt right that I asked him what he thought of the show. “Keith has a really special raspy, bluesy voice,” said Hunter. “It’s really special hearing him have his moment.”

The lineup differed between the two nights at Sofi Stadium. Each night got one fan-voted song; ours was “Beast of Burden,” and theirs was “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker).” Drummer Steve Jordan — who replaced Charlie Watts after his passing in 2021 — delivered quite the show, with Hunter, a drummer himself, saying, “He played in a way that reflected Charlie’s old drumming.” Ronnie Wood also impressed Hunter with his solos: “It was incredible seeing Ronnie Wood take a lot of solos. Being his age and being able to solo that way was very impressive.”

The group performed “Midnight Rambler,” which they didn’t play on night two. This performance featured Jagger on harmonica and impressive guitar riffs from Richards and Wood that lasted nearly ten minutes. Their synchronicity was alluring; each member interlaced their talents to create a sound so distinct it could only be theirs — never anyone else’s, never to be replicated.

It’s this magnetic collaboration that keeps the fan base so strong. Only when I glanced behind me at the endless rows of seats did I realize the sheer number of people, all varying in ages: parents who brought their children, grandparents and their grandchildren, and entire families who came out to see the Stones.

Then came my all-time favorite track from the group, “Gimme Shelter,” a song that I’ve only heard over my car speakers. Backing vocalist Chanel Haynes’s voice shined through here. Her rising inflection as she sang gave me, and, I’m sure, everyone else, chills. Haynes and Jagger put on a show, walking arm-in-arm up the stage catwalk, belting the lyrics, “It’s just a kiss away,” at each other.

They ended the show with “JJ Flash,” then came back out for two encore songs: “Sweet Sounds of Heaven,” another track from Hackney Diamonds, and ended the night with “Satisfaction.”

In total, over the two hours, they sang 21 tracks. No shade to any grandparents, but they’ve set the bar high; these guys may be old, but they weren’t going to let us know that. They’ve been at it for 60 years, but I’m sure they would go for 60 more if they could.

As we drifted out of the stadium, my dad swung his arm over my shoulder, smiling ear to ear.

“How was it compared to when you first saw them?” I asked. “Just as good,” he said without hesitation. “Maybe better.”