12 October – 13 October 2017
You simply can’t pass up the
opportunity to see some living legends ply their trade when they’re going to be
working in your neighbourhood. With the Rolling
Stones scheduled to play at the Friends Arena in Solna (Stockholm), the 55
min flight from Riga to Stockholm was akin to me taking a train from Seven
Hills station to Sydney, in terms of the time taken to get into the city. In that sense it was a no-brainer, considering the proximity to us we were just going to have to see the Stones play live.
1962! Can you believe that's the year the first stable Stones line started hitting their straps!? That’s before the moon landing,
prior to the Kennedy assassination, and
only 8 years after Elvis Presley started shaking his hips full-time. The Rolling Stones
have been around are in the midst of their third generation of influence. I remember
as a 10 year old hearing about the Stones releasing another album, this was back in the mid-80’s, and even then there had been murmurs about when these 40 years olds would be retiring. My, weren’t those calls grossly
premature.
Getting ourselves to Solna from Riga was a
dream. A simple 10 min cab ride to Riga airport, a 55 min flight to Arlanda and then a short
bus ride to Solna, on the outskirts of Stockholm, the bus stop of which was located
directly opposite the The Winery Hotel
where we had booked in for the night.
How could you go past staying at
the The Winery Hotel, especially
considering it was within easy walking distance of Friends Arena where the gig would be on! Another ‘no-brainer’.
The hotel touts itself as being the world’s first combined urban winery and boutique hotel. Making use of their vineyards in Tuscany, their wines are made in Italy mostly, and I believe a few onsite also. The feel of the hotel is industrial, open and spacious, having a Brooklyn meets Tuscany feel, in the words of the hotel website. From our perspective, visually the hotel was pleasing and the concept itself was impressive enough. Where the hotel fell well short however was their failure to plan in accordance to known circumstances. Obviously a number of people had booked in to the hotel for the show but availability to food and alcohol between 1pm and 5pm, peak check-in time, was grossly under resourced. In fact it wasn’t resourced at all. The hotel restaurant was closed, so too was the bar. Access to wine was only via the self-serve machines, a novelty for sure but somewhat redundant when what we really wanted to do was find some food in an area that was devoid of it. In the end we were pointed the way to some nearby service stations. Well done Winery Hotel, you really recognised how to make your clients feel valued and how to add additional credence to your ‘five star’ mentality.
That dude has 'Moves like Jagger'
The Rolling Stones - Friends Arena - Solna - Sweden
The Rolling Stones - Friends Arena - Solna - Sweden
The hotel touts itself as being the world’s first combined urban winery and boutique hotel. Making use of their vineyards in Tuscany, their wines are made in Italy mostly, and I believe a few onsite also. The feel of the hotel is industrial, open and spacious, having a Brooklyn meets Tuscany feel, in the words of the hotel website. From our perspective, visually the hotel was pleasing and the concept itself was impressive enough. Where the hotel fell well short however was their failure to plan in accordance to known circumstances. Obviously a number of people had booked in to the hotel for the show but availability to food and alcohol between 1pm and 5pm, peak check-in time, was grossly under resourced. In fact it wasn’t resourced at all. The hotel restaurant was closed, so too was the bar. Access to wine was only via the self-serve machines, a novelty for sure but somewhat redundant when what we really wanted to do was find some food in an area that was devoid of it. In the end we were pointed the way to some nearby service stations. Well done Winery Hotel, you really recognised how to make your clients feel valued and how to add additional credence to your ‘five star’ mentality.
Meanwhile at Friends Arena the queues were
insane, and for Sweden, unexpectedly disorganised. Crowds flooded under-staffed
gates and advice as to the correct gates for entry were both cryptic and
disjointed. Still, typically for a Swedish crowd, the masses were sedate and
not too emotional with the snail like pace of entry. Certainly had the concert
been further south there would have been far more emotional scenes that those
we encountered here.
The Rolling Stones - Friends Arena - Solna - Sweden
Standing in the crowd you could
easily see the inter-generational impact the band has had. There were audience
members of the same age as the band, my own ages, twenty-something and
teenagers. All of them either knew the songs, had grown up with them or had a
grand-father that loved listening to them, and of course, these days seeing
these guys is as much an event as listening to the music. Forever and the day
they, as well as Inga & myself, will be able to say that we saw these guys
play live.
The flattery as to their social
impact and their music generally stops where their live show commenced. As 70+
year olds these pensioners are an inspiration for many reasons, and hence, it
shouldn’t have been a surprise to allow the show to move at a pensioner pace,
but as a fan that’s not what you want. You want the energy and frenetic pace of
band that is recognised for its live performances. To me and to Inga it felt
kind of tepid and meek. It was almost as if they were performing a parody of
their younger selves, although this was serious. The music of course was great
but the dynamic, the animation and vigour felt like it was missing.
Inga and I stayed around for
about half the show. Enough to get an idea of what they’re about but not
engaging enough to be taken on the journey.
Still, living legends exist for a
reason. They are brilliant, that is for certain.
Here's the set-list from the night
Artist: The Rolling Stones
Location: Friends Arena - Solna - Sweden
Tour: No Filter
Here's the set-list from the night
Artist: The Rolling Stones
Location: Friends Arena - Solna - Sweden
Tour: No Filter
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(Buddy Johnson and His Orchestra cover)
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(Eddie Taylor cover)
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(by request)
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-
(followed by band introductions)
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(Keith Richards on lead vocals)
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(Keith Richards on lead vocals)
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- Encore:
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