Stones hit their comfort zone in larger venue

Spencer Patterson

Monday, Dec. 2, 2002 | 8:23 a.m.

When: Friday.

Where: The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Tickets: $500, $750, $1,000.

Rating (out of 5 stars): ** 1/2.

With four decades behind them, the Rolling Stones have a tremendous history to cover during stops on their 2002 anniversary tour.

Fun as it might be to look back, however, two weekend Las Vegas shows proved the band is at its best when it remains firmly fixed in the present.

Friday night the Stones attempted to return to their roots, playing the smallest venue on their schedule, the 1,500-capacity Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel. The results were borderline disastrous, as the wildly anticipated event failed on almost every level.

On Saturday the Stones were back on more familiar footing, capping the tour's first leg at the 13,500-capacity MGM Grand Garden Arena. Visibly more comfortable, the group reminded fans again why it retains exclusive rights to the moniker World's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band.

Even before the opening riff of "Jumping Jack Flash," Friday night's show had the makings of a letdown for many in attendance.

The Joint's seating arrangement left little room for hordes of general-admission ticket holders, who were left jostling for position near the two bars at the back of the room.

Considering that bunch spent $500 apiece (with brokers getting upward of $1,000 for GA tickets), the ugly, semi-violent vibe that ensued hardly seemed surprising. Observing such celebrities as Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Randy Johnson and Owen Wilson making their way to and from $1,000 seats up front only fueled the mood.

When: Saturday.

Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Tickets: $125, $250, $350.

Rating (out of 5 stars): ****

When the Stones finally hit the stage at 10:45 p.m., additional problems were immediately evident. Most notable was the extremely poor sound mix, which made it nearly impossible to hear the twin guitars of Keith Richards and Ron Wood.

Consistently overpowered by a four-piece horn section -- an overkill in such an intimate setting -- as well as the work of bassist Darryl Jones, Richards and Wood appeared displeased throughout.

Fortunately, Mick Jagger saved the night from being a total loss.

The man who first defined the term "charismatic frontman" gyrated, danced and strutted around the small stage for two hours, modeling an array of flamboyant outfits and maintaining an intense energy level.

Jagger and company served a heap of seldom-played numbers, including "All Down the Line" from "Exile on Main Street," "When the Whip Comes Down" from "Some Girls," and "Monkey Man" and "Live With Me" from "Let it Bleed."

During "Worried About You," Jagger showed off his revered falsetto, proving that, at age 59, his voice remains on one of the most powerful in music. His smoking harmonica work also ensured "Midnight Rambler" -- which came, appropriately, as Friday turned into Saturday -- was a memorable experience.

Still, the band was far from crisp, as such hits as "Gimme Shelter" and "Honky Tonk Women" never locked into consistent grooves. Even normally reliable drummer Charlie Watts, perched just above and behind his three longtime bandmates, lost the beat on a couple of occasions, leaving songs to dissolve messily.

With the previous night's disappointment as the backdrop, the Stones also got off to a somewhat sluggish start Saturday. "Street Fighting Man" and "Start Me Up" should have been a perfect double-shot opener, but the distinct absence of guitars in the mix once again threatened to derail the performance.

That problem was soon corrected, as Wood finally pierced through with a fiery slide solo during "You Got Me Rocking."

But it wasn't until Jagger announced, "We're going to do some songs from 'Sticky Fingers' now," that Las Vegas finally got a taste of what makes the Rolling Stones such an enduring live act.

In the course of three songs, the band demonstrated its tremendous range with a heartfelt ballad ("Wild Horses"), a countrified number ("Dead Flowers") and a straight-ahead rocker ("Bitch"), the last with thunderous horn accompaniment.

What followed was mostly magical.

Richards took the microphone for a pair of songs, "Slipping Away" and the ever-popular "Happy," showing off a voice that can only be described as an acquired taste. Though the 58-year-old's guitar licks gradually became more audible, they never quite soared above the din, leaving fans to wonder if the Stones' Keith-Lite sound mix is actually by design these days.

Jagger ran from one end of the stage to the other during the Vegas-appropriate "Tumbling Dice," connecting with audience members and keeping the crowd involved in the show.

Watts reverted to his steady self, directing a bouncing take on "Sympathy for the Devil" with assistance from rhythm partner Jones.

And Wood all but stole the show, displaying a light touch on steel guitar during "Happy" and following a grand Bobby Keys' sax solo with a long guitar solo of his own during "Can't You Hear Me Knocking."

The core quartet, supplemented by Jones and keyboardist Chuck Leavell, also made their way down a catwalk to a small stage near the floor's center, playing a stripped-down bluesy segment: Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy," and their own "It's Only Rock & Roll (But I Like it)" and "Brown Sugar."

Most importantly, in contrast with the previous night, everyone onstage appeared in good spirits, with Jagger, Richards and Wood sharing laughs throughout the show.

As Jagger danced relentlessly and Richards performed his trademark low-down guitar swoop move, the chain-smoking Wood seemed particularly upbeat, swinging his hips, dancing with backing vocalists and giving Leavell the finger in a hilarious attempt to distract the one-time Allman Brothers' pianist.

Fans who saw both Stones' shows, just a night apart, would have been struck by the contrast in the performances. Perhaps the Stones are simply too large in sound and stature for a club as small as The Joint.

Or maybe the order of the shows should have been reversed. In Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York and Los Angeles, the band worked its way from stadiums to arenas to clubs, stripping away layers each night.

Either way, Friday's show never came close to matching its $500-$1,000 price tag.

Was Saturday's concert worth $125-$350? Difficult to say.

After all, it's only rock 'n' roll.