Stockholm Globe Arena July 20:th 2003

So what did I think about this concert then? I must say I was shocked. I both expected and wanted a different show this time, but I never thought they would change it so much. Ten new numbers replaced such classics as 'You can´t always get what you want', 'Midnight Rambler', 'Gimmie shelter' and several others. The sound was also different and sometimes drowned Mick's voice. Was it good then? Yes mostly, even if it was frustrating when you couldn't recognise a song at once from the beginning, because they sounded so different from the studio versions. Not only did they change ten numbers, but the replacements where mostly songs I never heard live before. The only 'main stream' of the new numbers was 'Miss you', which I really missed on the first concert.

The first new number was 'If you can´t rock me', which I recognised only with great difficulty. Could it be because they forgot to give Ron his guitar? According to the newspapers he didn't get it until the middle of the song. I didn't notice because I was so concentrated in trying to figure out which song it was. The next new song was 'Monkey man', which was unfortunate since I never liked it before and didn't like this version either.

Then there was a block of songs from 'Exile on main street', one of their absolutely best albums. They started calmly with 'Sweet Virginia', continued with 'Loving cup' and then exploded with 'Rocks off'. It is one of my favourites from 'Exile' and this version was really rocking. The block ended with 'Tumbling dice', which was perhaps even better than at the Stadium on Friday.

Keith changed both his songs, and I wouldn't have recognised 'Before they make me run' if he hadn't said the name before he started. The good thing is that when Mick comes back he sounds more vital than ever after his rest. The next surprise then is 'Can´t you hear me knocking' starting with Keith's classic riffs and ending with Ron trying to live up to Mick Taylor's guitar playing. He really did succeed turning Mick Taylor's blues into raw rock'n'roll. The audience was wild at his solo.

At the end they entered the small stage on the floor and started with a new surprise, 'When the whip comes down', that again was pure and raw rock'n'roll. They also played two songs they normally do on the main stage, 'It´s only rock´n´roll' and 'Brown sugar'. It was refreshing to hear them without all the backup they normally have from choir and orchestra. They left the small stage saying thank you, but then returned to the main stage for the last act, which of course was 'Satisfaction'.

So was it better than the Olympic Stadium last Friday? Hard to say. Nine of the songs they played on both concerts, and they sounded perhaps better here, but the new songs had both their up's and down's. The concerts were so different that you couldn't have just one without the other. I'm glad I could see them both. Now the only concert left is at the 'Cirkus' on Tuesday the 22:nd. Rumour says that it will be another completely different concert, so I'll try to get a ticket, but it will be both difficult and too expensive I'm afraid.

At last here is the complete set list from Sunday the 20:th:

Street fighting man
If you can't rock me
You got me rocking
Don't stop
Monkey man
Miss you
Sweet Virginia
Loving cup
Rocks off
Tumbing dice
Thru and thru
Before they make me run
Start me up
Honkey tonk women
Can't you hear me knocking
Jumping Jack Flash
When the whip comes down
It's only rock'n'roll
Brown sugar
Satisfaction

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