They're a little older, a little grayer and a lot craggier. But like the Eveready Rockers they are, the Stones keep on rolling.
Sunday night brought Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and the boys to Washington's MCI Center, where they spent a little over two hours demonstrating why, after some 36 years, they remain the World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band.
There wasn't anything flashy or fancy about it -- no giant, inflatable honky-tonk women, no sneaky, special-effects staging -- just straightforward music-making. But that was enough. Because when it comes to snarling, hip-shaking, blues-soaked rock and roll, this band is in a class by itself.
It hardly mattered how many times the songs had been played before. From the moment Richards strutted to the center of the stage and slashed the opening chords to "Jumpin' Jack Flash," the Stones had the capacity crowd in their palm and kept it there the whole night.
It helped that the band had plenty of oldies for its equally graying audience, offering everything from a feisty "Route 66" to a surging, ferocious "Paint It Black" to a defiant "It's Only Rock 'N Roll." But there were also some surprises in the set, including a decidedly non-P.C. "Some Girls" and a Richards rendition of "Before They Make Me Run."
Still, it wasn't what they played so much as how. Since the band added bassist Darryl Jones to the lineup, the Stones' sound has become impressively lean and limber, slipping a soulful swagger into every blues lick and back beat. It was amazing how much power these guys could pack into just a few notes; the first tugboat blast of Richards' guitar in "Honky Tonk Women" said more than some bands do in whole concerts.
Naturally, much of the on-stage magic derived from the incredible authority Jagger and company command. The singer, in particular, was at the top of his game. At one point, he gazed at the audience on the right-hand side of the stage and sensed some inactivity. Turning toward those fans, he cocked his hips, thrust his shoulders back and gave a two-finger point that had the audience on its feet in an instant. That's star power.
The Stones looked pretty good, too. Maybe not as good as they sounded -- Richards has taken to wearing pendants in his hair, which leave him looking like somebody dumped a tackle box on his head -- but Jagger was as fit and sinewy as ever, while drummer Charlie Watts looked younger than he did a few years ago.
Guess clean living isn't the only thing that can keep you young.
Opening was the Irish pop/rock combo the Corrs. In Britain, the band is at the top of the charts, but in America, the four siblings are all but unknown.
Somehow, that didn't stop them from getting the crowd to cheer and clap along -- an impressive feat considering most in the crowd were hearing these songs for the first time.
Surprisingly, among the best-received were the group's Irish instrumental numbers, which encouraged a lot of foot-stomping.
But the Corrs' vocal numbers, particularly "I Never Really Loved You Anyway" and their version of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams," also were received enthusiastically.
If the Stones audience's response is any indication, odds are the Corrs won't be unknown in America for long.
Rolling Stones
When: Tonight at 7: 30
Where: MCI Center, 601 F St. N.W., Washington
Tickets: Remaining tickets are $50-$300
Call: 410-481-7328 for tickets, 202-628-3200 for information Pub Date: 3/08/99