The Rolling Stones    

Racetrack, Hockenheim   -    June 22nd 2003

   

The setlist :

  1. Brown Sugar
  2. Start Me Up
  3. You Got Me Rocking
  4. Don't Stop
  5. Bitch
  6. Angie
  7. You Can't Always Get What You Want
  8. Rock me baby
    (with Angus and Malcolm Young from AC/DC)
  9. Tumbling Dice
  10. Slipping Away
  11. You don't have to mean it
  12. Sympathy For The Devil
  13. I just want to make love to you     (B-stage)
  14. Street Fighting Man   (B-stage)
  15. Midnight Rambler     (B-stage)
  16. Gimme Shelter
  17. It's Only Rock'n Roll
  18. Honky Tonk Women
  19. Satisfaction
  20. Jumping Jack Flash 

After 2 great opening acts : The Pretenders (35 min.) and AC/DC (90 min.), the Stones came to rock Hockenheim during 130 min.

The temperature was still high at 8:30 PM as the boys started the show with Brown sugar .  I don't know if AC/DC influenced the Stones, but the 1st songs were performed in a very strong and dynamic way.

The band was really cool that night, Ronnie taking time to drink an expresso whereas Keith already started You can't always get what you want . The audience gave a fantastic response, singing with Mick during the whole song. Mick ended the song giving a long applause to a cheering audience.

 

After the 2 slower songs, the Stones were joined on stage by Angus and Malcolm Young for what will probably be their last common version of Rock me baby . They played a very strong version of the song, Malcolm and Ronnie playing and acting like fighting on the same time. Curiously, according to the official setlist, Chrissie Hynde was supposed to join the boys on Rock me baby, but she didn't appear...

The biggest disappointment came from Keith playing Slipping away AGAIN. 
The best surprise was to hear him perform a very laid back version of You don't have to mean it . Ronnie played keyboards and Blondie had a guitar. I think I heard that one pn a faster tempo during the Bridges to Babylon Tour, but it was hotter than in Jamaica that night in Hockenheim and this version sounded really good too.

Since the stage was built higher than usual, the Stones had to walk down 2 more stairs to get to the catwalk and the B-stage. They started the set with I just want to make love to you , and ended it with a very long version of Midnight rambler .

As the Stones came back to the main stage, we discovered that the screen wasn't working anymore.
After 2 songs, Mick apologised about the screen, and started walking down the catwalk again and spending some time on the B-stage. During the last 2 songs, the staff managed to bring the left half of the screen back to life.

At 10:50 PM, the Stones left Hockenheim, ending a hot and exhausting rocking day !