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Name: Travellin' Man
E-Mail:
Subject: RE: First Viewing of SAL
Date: Friday, May 2, 2008
Time: 1:00:04 AM
Remote Address: 71.171.19.132
Message ID: 229851
Parent ID: 229847
Thread ID: 229812
> I liked it better when Keith played a bad ass guitar and stayed in the background concentrating on playing rather being up front being a personality.<
Our esteemed colleague, Paul K in Ca., has pointed this out at various times here for years now. There is no doubt Keith is not the guitar player he once was, and he has become more of a showman as opposed to the dedicated team soldier, hitting every note for the benefit of the total sound. I am heavily inclined to believe this is not due to simple laziness. I do not believe it is simply a choice of style over substance on Keith's part, but an adaptation to the reality of what he can and cannot do on a consistent basis. I think it is difficult for Keith to play well consistently due to arthritis, and he covers that up with showmanship and smiles. He hits the main riffs instead of hitting every note. But I think the smiles and his personal enjoyment are legitimate. He loves playing in front of a crowd even if some pain is involved here and there. The fingers simply are not as limber and as young as they once were. Arthritis comes and goes, and I have it in my mind it was present at times for Keith at the Beacon. SFTD is a tell tale sign. And I KNOW he was in much pain in Chicago the night we saw him in the cold. He could barely play at times. His fingers were frigid and stiff. His face was a grimace. But here is what goes through my mind as a conclusion: Keith wants very badly to be up there. He gets off on it! He has to pace himself these days but he still loves playing. He still feels "the juice is worth the squeeze",(nod to Maxmeister) even though he might feel some pain during a gig. It just makes me love him that much more. He'd rather burn out than fade away! Only death will make him throw in the towel! I like brave people. I admire brave people. Playing a gig and "knowing" you will experience pain and playing it anyway is a brave act! Loving playing inspite of some pain is cool in my book. I don't feel sorry for Keith. I admire him. He has balls. Cynical mutherfuckers will say he is "taking" people for the money they spend on a ticket. Because he is not the guitar player today he was in '68 or '72. That belief says more about the people making the statement than it does about Keith. It's simple supply and demand. There is ONLY ONE Rolling Fucking Stones band, and all others pale in comparison when you consider the OVERALL picture. Who else compares?! Who else has the history? Who else is still rocking your town 45 years after they began?! Nobody else. That's "Who"!
Understand, I am not disagreeing with your statement, Undercover. Simply adding an educated guess as to why Keith is not hitting every note.
>I tried to explain to TM that I am not being critical as in condemning but as in being a critic. I like to compare the sound of the different shows I have seen.<
Right. And the Stones of today do not sound as good as the Stones of yesterday, in general. But I am still amazed by just how damn good they still sound. Find me another band in their 60s that sounds even close?! Find me another band that rocks your socks off with every song in the setlist! It all needs to be put into perspective. That's all I am saying.
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