Stones Roll as New Tour Kicks Off on Cold Note

There were some eye-catching new elements in the opening show of the Rolling Stones’ new world tour on Tuesday night at Soldier Field, including a mammoth stage made up to look like a glitzy Babylon boudoir, complete with a pair of huge inflatable, scantily clad figures positioned suggestively on pillows.

There was also a state-of-the-art video screen above the stage that rivaled U2’s “PopMart” screen for clarity and impact. And there was dazzling lighting that bathed the stage in such striking colors as Oscar gold and Hades red.

But nothing was more remarkable on this cold, overcast night than seeing Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood and Charlie Watts still rolling before an estimated crowd of 54,000.

When the Stones kicked off their first U.S. tour 33 years ago at the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino, Sandy Koufax was still pitching for the Dodgers, Ed Sullivan still hosted his weekly television show and the first Woodstock was still five years away.

The Stones were long ago overtaken by new generations of rock musicians who speak about their world with far more relevance and insight--bands such as U2, R.E.M., Nine Inch Nails and Pearl Jam.

Yet the Stones remain unsurpassed as a live draw. The main reason the band is expected to gross more than $100 million on this tour, which includes a Nov. 9 date at Dodger Stadium, is baby-boomer nostalgia.

And, wisely, the Stones kept the focus on their ‘60s and ‘70s material in the two hour-plus set, opening with “Satisfaction,” the 1964 single that was their first No. 1 hit in this country.

What gives the show its ultimate lift, however, is that the old music stands up. The band--joined by bassist Darryl Jones and other musicians from the 1994 “Voodoo Lounge” tour--continues to play the sensual blues- and country-flavored hits with conviction and passion.

It’s a style so enduring that whole generations of bands, from Aerosmith to Guns ‘N Roses, have become superstars themselves by feeding off it. No one, however, does it like the Stones.

Ultimately, it’s not the age of the songs or the performers that matters. It’s the richness of the music, and the Stones’ best is as rich as rock has ever produced.