With the exception of a private performance in Massachusetts last week, the concert was in St. Louis made the band’s first performance since Watts’ death.
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The concert began with an empty stage, only drumming and Watts’ films. After the second song, a captivating rendition of It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (But I Like It), Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood came to the fore. Jagger and Richards clasped their hands together and thanked the fans for their support and love for Watts.
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Jagger admitted that he was moved by Watts’ photos. “This is our first ever tour without him. We will miss Charlie a lot, on and off the stage, “he said.
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The band then dedicated another song to Watts, Tumbling Dice.
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The tour was originally scheduled for 2020, but the coronavirus canceled the concert tour. According to the AP, signs of a pandemic were ubiquitous at a concert in the second largest city in the state of Missouri, heavily affected by the delta coronavirus variant. Tens of thousands of fans wore veils as required by local regulations. Before the concert, the authorities encouraged anyone who felt the symptoms of the disease to stay at home. A vaccination center was also set up at the stadium. According to the AP, similar ones should arise at other stops of the tour.
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Watts was replaced during the concert by Steve Jordan, who performed with Richards’ side project X-Pensive Winos for years.
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Seeing the Rolling Stones without Watts was bittersweet for Laura Jezewski (62) of Omaha, Nebraska: “It’s really sad. He is the first of the old members of the group to die, “she said.
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Křepčící Jagger
The concert presented a long recapitulation of the band’s hits, and Jagger kept screaming around the stage so much that, according to the AP agency, he looked more like half or a third of his 78 years. Vocals and guitars sounded as always.
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After St. Louis will follow Charlotte in North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Nashville, Minneapolis, Tampa, Dallas, Atlanta and Detroit before the tour ends in Austin, Texas on November 20. The band added new stops and performances in Los Angeles on October 14 and October 17, and a concert in Las Vegas on November 6.
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Jezewski and her 60-year-old husband Brad were brought to a concert in St. Petersburg. Louis his 30-year-old daughter Sarah, for whom it was the first opportunity to see the Rolling Stones. Her mother and father have seen them in various places since the 1970s. Since the band members are in their 70s, they didn’t want to waste the opportunity.
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“If this is the last time – we’re here,” Brad Jezewski said. “And if there’s another tour, we’ll be there,” he added.
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