The Rolling Stones Satisfy Another Generation

The Rolling Stones
June 20, 1015
Heinz Field

Photos and re-cap by Randy Jarosz

The Rolling Stones closed out their Saturday night show with (I can’t get no) Satisfaction, but 55,000 fans left Heinz Field with plenty of satisfaction. How could you not be satisfied after watching one of the greatest rock and roll bands roll through 19 hits. Mick Jagger who will turn 72 later next month, if nothing else, is inspirational. His voice sounds great and he still prances around stage as if he were in his prime. Keith Richards who is also 71 still makes his way around the stage at ease and sings a couple himself. You couldn’t tell that Richards was a notorious partier while he sang “Before They Make Me Run,” and “Happy.”

The stones are in the midst of their Zip Code tour where they are playing medium sized cities. This is their first stop in the steel city since 2005 when they played PNC Park and first time at Heinz Field. The brit rockers have picked up a few things over the years, greeting the crowd with a how are “Yinz” doing and playing up the Steelers angle as much as possible.

Rain fell all evening and continued through openers Awolnation, but broke before the rock gods took the stage and held off the rest of the night. Stage screens lit up the anxious crowd with a video of Las Vegas, a span of the Stones career, eventually ending the recording in Pittsburgh. Jagger, Richards, bassist Ron Wood and drummer Charlie Watts invaded the stage, opening with “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” continuing with “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It).” They played “Paint it Black,” by last minute online request, to an excited crowd. The boys had a number of wardrobe changes, quite possibly out doing Taylor Swift, who graced the same venue earlier in the month.

The Penn State University Concert Choir, helped out for the opening of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” for the first of two encore songs. Mick and crew worked the crowd taking to the catwalk throughout the performance.

Many in attendance were seeing the legends for the first time, including children who were brought by their parents. Even a few were lucky enough to have experienced them at Danceland at West View Park in 1964, the Stones first appearance in Pittsburgh. If we are all fortunate enough, one more generation can experience the thrill that is The Rolling Stones.