Stones Fill Smaller Venues With Enthusiasm

The biggest misconception about the Rolling Stones’ first arena tour in two decades is that it’s just one big, expensive exercise in nostalgia.

The chance to hear these masters play their classics in a relatively intimate setting is the reason fans are paying up to $300 for the best seats, but the Stones performed Tuesday at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim with an intensity and desire that are still thrilling and state of the art.

The fast-paced, two-hour set was also a reminder of why bands once routinely filled arenas.

During a period when many artists all but apologize for their success or for any trace of performance flash, the Stones exhibit a love of the spotlight and an eagerness to dazzle.

Keith Richards didn’t just play great guitar licks--he played them with a flair that made the music feel all the more soulful and enticing.

And Mick Jagger, not required to exaggerate his actions to reach the back rows of stadiums, moved about with the discipline and purpose of a performance artist, twisting his body to the music with the dexterity of the old comic book character Plastic Man.

The show’s most disarming moment was also the most unexpected. Walking down the ramp from the main stage to a smaller one at the rear of the arena, every member of the group took time to lean over and shake hands with members of the audience. Richards even bent down and hugged a couple. For all their early reputation as renegades and bad boys, the Stones showed their appreciation for the fans’ longtime support.

As in Oakland at last month’s tour opener, which was reviewed at length, this was another night when everyone did get satisfaction.

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The Rolling Stones and Bryan Adams play tonight at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, 2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim, 8 p.m. Sold out. (714) 704-2500.