The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones at US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis – 10-24-21

A band that needs no introductions but here it goes anyway, after 50 years these aged rockers are still filling stadiums. However, on this tour they are without one of the pivotal members, drummer, Charlie Watt who passed away just a few months prior to it kicking off. Up until the age of 80 Charlie still helped to shape the sound of rock music and The Rolling Stones and will be sadly missed by many. The band decided to carry on the rescheduled tour with blessings from Charlie before passing, echoing ‘the show must go on’.

The show certainly did go on tour after being delayed almost 18 months it was kicked into gear by the support act, Black Pumas. Enigmatic and powerful they powered through a set of ambient blues/rock style of music. The sound did not exactly connect with me, but you could feel the passion and energy from the band as they effortlessly played with instruments.

As for many tonight it was a show all about the headliners, who all aged in their 70’s played a two-hour blistering set of songs on this ‘No Filter’ tour, they hit as many hits as they could. The lighting effects with videos and screens was key to energizing all the stadium members. They played on stop and certainly make some younger bands look weak in comparison to the set length. At one point they had a random music generator to pick an older song for them to remember. Tonight’s song was ‘Money Man’ on the selection and after a minute or two they hashed out their old song without playing it for years. Many highlights from the show can be found online but for me, my favorite still has to be ‘Paint It Black’. From first track to last The Rolling Stones were a tight unit, putting all their energy and years of practice into every ounce of the show. They were more than happy to still be doing what they do on stage tonight like any other. It was an exciting and remarkable show that will be forever looked back on.