The Rolling Stones
September 30, 2021
Charlotte, NC
Bank of America Stadium
Review by Joseph Hett
The Rolling Stones Satisfy Charlotte
When the biggest band in the world happens to come to your city…you just know it will be a big deal. And that’s exactly what happened when the Rolling Stones stopped in Charlotte, NC on Thursday. A news helicopter constantly hovered over the Bank of America stadium (home of the Carolina Panthers NFL team). Traffic was at a standstill as all of the patrons rushed to get parked for this historic concert.
After a brief instrumental drum tribute played on the massive video screens for the recently departed Charlie Watts – Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and their backing band came out punching with “Street Fighting Man.” They continued with “Let’s Spend the Night Together” and “Tumbling Dice.”
Jagger mentioned the highly publicized visit to a local dive bar called the Thirsty Beaver. He also gave a shout out to surrounding areas by saying, “Is anybody here from Greensboro, Raleigh, Asheville, Columbia, Charleston …is anybody here actually from Charlotte?” He also gave mention of the Panthers and their catchphrase of “keep pounding.”
As expected, the country inspired “Let It Bleed” won the fan vote. Jagger had an acoustic guitar while Wood sat down for the slide. Next up was the classic “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and their new lock down inspired song called “Living in a Ghost Town.”
Jagger mentioned that the Stones first came to Charlotte in 1965. They showed a poster from that concert on the screens. Admission was listed as $2.50, $3.00 $4.00. Well, to get a good seat at a Stones concert in 2021, just remove the decimal from those 1965 prices.
The capacity crowd really got cranked up with “Start Me Up” and “Honky Tonk Women.” After band introductions, as with Stones tradition, Richards got his time to sing with “Before They Make Me Run” and “Slipping Away.”
Jagger returned and they cranked out extended jams of “Miss You” and “Midnight Rambler.”
“Sympathy for the Devil” featured huge sparklers on top of the video screens to give off feelings of fire and brimstone. They closed the main set off with “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”
They came back out for an amazing performance of “Gimme Shelter.” Jagger and Shasha Allen’s vocals were hauntingly magnificent. As “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” concluded, fireworks lit up the sky to close out the show. Everyone on stage bowed and then the 3 remaining Stones bowed again to a standing ovation.
Unfortunately, they didn’t play the recently deemed controversial (and one of their biggest songs) “Brown Sugar.”
It’s amazing how a 78-year-old Jagger can still run around stage for two hours like a significantly younger man. This was only the second stop on their 2021 No Filter Tour. The Rolling Stones are still a well oiled machine.