Talkin’ bout the Midnight Rambler

The Rolling Stones in Nashville 10/9/21

The Rolling Stones played Nashville’s Nissan Stadium on October 9th with the 2021 version of the No Filter tour. The show began with a touching video salute to late drummer Charlie Watts. During the strong 2-hour performance, the drummer’s stool was ably manned by Steve Jordan.  

A sidebar on Jordan is much deserved as he had long been first in line to man the traps for the Stones. Having played in Richards’ side project The X-Pensive Winos, Jordan also has worked with the Rolling Stones proper, both playing percussion on the Stones Dirty Work set in 1986 and co-writing “Almost Hear You Sigh” with Keith. The two first joined forces supporting Chuck Berry for his 60th Birthday tribute, Hail, Hail, Rock and Roll.

With Jordan and bassist Darryl Jones manning the rhythm section, the energy of the band was remarkable. There was no let up in through the program of 19 songs. If anything the Stones seemed refreshed as the show progressed through surprises like a Chi-Lites cover, “Trouble’s a Comin,’ “19th Nervous Breakdown” and ” 1967’s “Connection.”

“Midnight Rambler” – the self-described signature song of the songwriting team of Jagger/Richards – got reworked with Robert Johnson’s “Come On in My Kitchen” dropping into the breakdown. The song hinted at the blues depths the band plumbed on 2016’s Blue and Lonesome. The unfiltered sound of the band doing it the way they wanted was complimented by an impressive fireworks show worked into the ending. A bigger bang indeed!

Just after a rousing extended version of “Satisfaction” sent the revelers into the night figuring on a wind-down of energies, the evening hit an unexpected peak. In the parking lot as the motorcade spirited the band away, Keith rolled down the window of his SUV limo and pumped his skeletal fist skyward to further rev up the nearby fans. It was as if to say “I came, I saw, I rocked!”

Having seen The Rolling Stones over several decades, it remains astonishing how little Sir Mick’s vocals have diminished. The band, perhaps the greatest 6 decade collective art project of all time, fulfilled the blues hero worship of their youth to play music late into retirement age. The message is clear: the Stones are still kicking, catch them while you can!

“Come On in My Kitchen/Midnight Rambler”

Alvin Youngblood Hart – BCI #18

Blues-rock guitar master Alvin Youngblood Hart holds forth on playing covers of Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Stephen Foster, Johnny Cash and Tom Petty with footage jamming with Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Luther Dickinson and his own Muscle Theory backing band. Les Paul, Marshall Stacks and Free on rock radio pointed the way to his own unique sound steeped in blues and Mississippi, Memphis and New Orleans tones. Building guitars, and some in-house licks complete the mix with Ric Stewart on the other mic in BCI #18. Subscribe to the series via bluescenters.com

Joe Louis Walker – Blues Center Interview #2

Joe Louis Walker sits down with Ric Stewart at 2017 Jazz Fest. The interview has been remastered with footage from his 2017 King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, AR. Joe inspired the name Save The Blues Foundation when he instructed Ric to Save the blues in 2003 while filming a tv show pilot for Raw Music. Topics discussed include pursuing one’s own style, advice from Willie Dixon and working with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Nick Lowe. He praises the minimalism of Muddy Waters and Albert King. He also shares his love for Eric Burdon and War and The Rolling Stones.

This video made possible in part by a Community Partnership grant from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation.
 

Ride ’em on Down – The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones video cover of Eddie Taylor’s  Ride ’em On Down. The Stones last featured it live on July 12, 1962 according to setlist.fm. They began their career as a Chicago blues cover band put together by founder Brian Jones. While he pushed for the Stones to remain more blues purist, he later settled for being a colourist accessorizing Jagger-Richard compositions. At the tail end of the 60’s Mick Taylor followed his bluesy Mayall Band stint with deep explorations into roots music for half a decade. After that the Stones played less Chuck Berry and fewer blues covers while still doing more than the next band. Now 50 years after moving away from blues as a main concert or album motif, the Stones seem prepared to take it in with a concentrated force unseen since 1965 when Satisfaction signaled their pop writing validation. The cd also contains count ’em 4 covers of Marksville, Louisiana’s Little Walter. In 2016, they returned to a work by a Chicago blues icon with Ride ’em on Down. Please enjoy the official video..