BDS 0 Zion 1 Rolling Stones in Tel Aviv

The veteran rockers gave a performance in Yarkon Park that was thrilling, slick and unforgettable. After two unforgettable hours, I can state with some authority that watching the Rolling Stones live is a pounding, thrilling joyride of unadulterated rock and roll. About 50,000 people sweated their way across Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv on Wednesday evening to see the legendary rockers play their first concert in Israel. And I'm certain none of us were disappointed. Perhaps no one was more excited than Rami Fortis, the veteran Israeli rocker who warmed up the crowd (as if anyone there needed warming up in any way), bringing his own delighted energy to the event. Endearingly, each of his songs was punctuated by his worshipful reminders of what an honor it was to be on the same stage as the rock legends. As career highs go, that's not a bad one to have. The Stones opened with what one could assume to be their standard - and clever – choice of Start Me Up. Watching Mick Jagger explode onto the stage clad in glitter and black made tens of thousands of fans simultaneously scream in delight, and, according to reports, cause a near stampede among late-comers still queuing at the security check. And the hits kept coming – Paint it Black, Angie (note to Israelis: Jagger's cockney accent is not in fact saying "Angel" – according to Richards, Angie is a euphemism for heroin), Miss You, Sympathy for the Devil, Honky Tonk Woman, Get Off My Cloud, Jumpin' Jack Flash and Gimme Shelter. Jagger, unsurprisingly, is a dynamic stage presence. The attention to detail that was evident throughout the show included a clever choice of Hebrew phrases, with him wishing the ecstatic crowd "Chag Shavuot sameach" (happy Shavuot festival), announcing that they were "Ha'evanim Hamitgalgelot" (Rolling Stones) and even telling Ronnie Wood that, "kanita hana'alayim b'shuk" (you bought your shoes in the market). He drew the audience in easily with a joint rendition of Sympathy for the Devil's famous "woo woo" refrain, and again with the wordless chorus of Miss You. And the thrill of sharing a(n admittedly massive) singalong with Mick Jagger is certainly an enduring one. These performers are musicians at heart. They, like us, are there for the music. You could see it on the face of Keith Richards, who laughed and smiled his way through the show; in the deadpan concentration of Charlie Watts, who spent the night banging out the beat that directed the others; in Ronnie Wood's perspiration-drenched mastery of his instrument; and of course in Mick Jagger's jaw-dropping, seemingly limitless energy as he bounded, sprinted, pranced and gyrated up and down the stage for two hours in 35-degree heat. And they, each hovering around the 70 mark, made it look effortless. The music was in control of the stage throughout, with songs punctuated by long guitar riffs, harmonica and sax solos, and a staggering duet between Jagger and their crazily talented back-up vocalist Lisa Fischer. And it was divine. The Rolling Stones on stage in Tel Aviv (Photo: Orit Pnini) After a tumultuous non-stop rocking two hours, the Stones saved the best for last with an encore of You Can't Always Get What You Want, and, finally, Satisfaction. Fireworks signaled the end of the show, and the crowd, a sea of bodies pouring with sweat and hearts pounding to the beat of rock and roll at its purest, inched their way back through the park. Only the absence of Wild Horses made the tiniest, almost inconsequential, dent in what was the greatest rock concert I have ever seen. My 70-something aunt, who saw them in England in the late 1960s, told me to say hi to Mick for her, and promised me I wouldn't be disappointed. She was absolutely right. Yes, it was hot, and yes, it was crowded, but I doubt that any person standing in Yarkon Park on Wednesday night regretted being there. You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you can get to see The Rolling Stones.

BDS 0 Zion +r 1 Rolling Stones in Tel Aviv:

Rolling Stones in Tel Aviv: Chag Shavuot Samech, Israel!

With Hebrew phrases that won roars of approval from audience, Stones put on an energetic show, despite extreme heat.

It was very hot at Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park, but The Rolling Stones' frontman Mick Jagger didn't stop moving like Jagger and showing off his Hebrew, while tens of thousands of fans danced and sang along. 

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, and Ronnie Wood took the stage at 21:15, for a two-hour concert, as part of their ON FIRE 14 European tour.

Leno: Israel is 'a little paradise in the Middle East' TV comedian tells Ynet about life after 'Tonight Show,' his plans for future and his impressions of Israel. Leno: Israel is 'a little paradise in the Middle East' TV comedian tells Ynet about life after 'Tonight Show,' his plans for future and his impressions of Israel.

Rolling Stones in Israel

"Good evening Tel Aviv, Chag Shavuot Samech Israel," Jagger shouted in Hebrew at the beginning of the show, after singing the show opener "Start Me Up."

"We're the Rolling Stones," Jagger said in  broken Hebrew.

Photo: EPA

The audience particularly enjoyed "Angie," even though the tempo has been faster than that of the recorded version. "Toda, Shukroon," Jagger expressed his thanks in Hebrew and Arabic, moving onto "Doom and Gloom."

The Rolling Stones play 'Angie' in Tel Aviv

"HaKol Sababa?" Jagger asked in Hebrew, asking if everything was cool, after finishing "Paint It Black" and moving onto "Honky Tonk Women."

Later on, the Stones played a song requested by the audience, "Get Out of My Cloud."


"We'll try to remember this song, from 1960-something," Jagger said.

Photo: AFP

After impressing the audience with even more Hebrew, including introducing the Israeli backup band, it was Keith Richards' turn to sing "You Got The Gold," followed by "I Can't Be Seen With You."


Richards returned the microphone to Jagger, but not before bidding the audience "Shalom, Salam" (both "Hello" or "Goodbye" and "Peace" in Hebrew and Arabic).


Englishman Mick Taylor then joined the band to play an amazing guitar solo that quickly turned into a musical battle with Jagger's harmonica and Ronnie Wood's guitar. The former Rolling Stones guitarist has joined the band in other concerts and the Israeli audience was happy to have him.

Photo: Motti Kimchi

"Atem Nehenim?" Jagger asked in Hebrew, ensuring the audience was enjoying itself, before adding in English. "Want more?" when he was answered with a roar of approval, he started jumping around to "Jumpin' Jack Flash."

Next, Jagger sang "Sympathy For the Devil," adding in Hebrew at the end of the song: "Atem Kahal Metoraf" (You're a crazy audience). He then sang "Brown Sugar."


The Stones then went off stage, not before wishing the audience "Layla Tov, Tel Aviv" (Good night, Tel Aviv).

Photo: EPA

When the crowd called for an encore, the backing band went on stage and started playing "You Can't Always Get What You Want," with Jagger coming back on stage with a green striped shirt, giving the audience exactly what it wanted, and needed.


After the relatively calm song, the guitar intro for "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" introduced the last song, that ended with fireworks.

As they spilled out of the park at the end of the show, concert goers knew this was a show they'll tell their grandkids about.

While the weather doesn't seem to faze the legendary band's members who provided an energetic performance, some in the audience needed medical attention. 54 people were treated by Magen David Adom for dehydration, fainting and asthma. Five were taken to the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center.

Crowd gathering near the stage (Photo: Stelli Solomonov)

Fans dressed accordingly for the occasion (Photo: Stelli Solomonov)

Photo: Stelli Solomonov

Photo: Motti Kimchi

Photo: Motti Kimchi

Photo: Motti Kimchi

Photo: Motti Kimchi

Photo: Motti Kimchi

BDS 0 Zion 1 The Rolling Stones come to Zion

Rolling Stones rain satisfaction on Tel Aviv

There's no such thing as a mediocre concert by the epic Stones. But maybe you should read this review from end to start.

By Ben Shalev | Jun. 5, 2014 | 12:05 AM |  ( Haaretz)

 

Rolling Stones perform in Tel Aviv, June 4, 2014 Photo by Moti Milrod

Rock 'n' roll fans waited decades for this moment.

Not especially to hear Mick Jagger struggling to say in Hebrew "We are the Rolling Stones," but rather to see and hear him, Keith Richards and the rest of the Stones unleashing on the Israeli stage all the musical goods that have justifiably turned them into the greatest rock 'n' roll band in the world.

As such, it was a historic appearance with a capital H, without a doubt. But it was also, and this does not clash with the former statement, a mediocre concert. The 2014 model Rolling Stones have long stopped being the best stadium band, and that's okay. They are allowed to be that.

Jagger is in impressive physical condition, but he is no longer the mighty singer he once was. Richards was not at his best. There were moments when he squeezed out of his guitar his wonderful coarse grease, but there were many songs in which he didn't look fully focused musically. In practice, the Stones only rose to their guitar groove when Mick Taylor, who was the band's lead guitarist in the early 1970s, made a surprise appearance on the stage. "Midnight Rambler," which they played with him, was very long and very wonderful. It happened more than an hour into the show.

Then the Stones were no longer at their best, and they screwed up on some songs. The thing is that the better stadium bands don't have the Stones' songs. They don't have a quarter of the quantity or quality of the Stones' songs. And when the song was great, the sloppiness stopped being a problem.

Take for example "Get Off My Cloud." They played the song after half an hour of lesser songs from the 1970s and 1980s, and suddenly all the reservations evaporated, and we too, at least I, were sailing on a cloud. The same thing happened with "Paint It Black." When the song is played, the execution can be sloppy. It doesn't really bother you.

This review is being written during the performance, at the moments the Stones are firing their heaviest guns: "Jumping Jack Flash," "Sympathy for the Devil," "Brown Sugar." Could it be that I wrote a moment ago that it was a mediocre performance? Correct that. It couldn't be a mediocre performance with songs like these. And, soon, it will be the turn of "You Can't Always Get What You Want," and then "Satisfaction," and volumes of satisfaction will rain down on the park.

What joy. You should start reading this review right at this sentence.