Satisfaction? Sure, for a Pretty Penny

If MasterCard is looking for new subjects for its flashy ad campaign, here’s a suggestion:

A pair of old jeans for the guitarist . . . $25.

A colorful silk scarf for the lead singer . . . $75.

A pair of state-of-the-art microphones . . . $250.

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards: priceless.

And don’t think that the Rolling Stones, who kicked off their first arena tour in two decades on Monday with a delightfully intimate and surprisingly provocative two-hour show before 17,500 fans at the Arena of Oakland here, aren’t fully aware of their worth.

Three decades ago, some people thought the Stones were obscene because of suggestive songs such as “Let’s Spend the Night Together.”

Now some people think they’re obscene because of their ticket prices.

That kind of price--up to $300 a seat on a tour that includes sold-out stops Feb. 9 and 11 at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim--isn’t uncommon at major sporting events. But there’s something a bit distasteful about the high-priced ducats in rock ‘n’ roll--especially in light of the anti-materialistic ideals of the Stones’ ‘60s generation.

Then again, the Stones were never that much for social commentary. Jagger and Richards pretty much left the ideology to the Beatles and Bob Dylan. While the Beatles were suggesting that all you need is love, the Stones were just trying to get some satisfaction.

For most of the audience members questioned before the show here, ticket price was not an issue. “It’s like the Super Bowl of rock,” said one twentysomething fan who drove here from Reno and was just happy to have a ticket.

There was more debate about Jagger’s contention in his divorce battle with model Jerry Hall that the couple’s 1990 marriage ceremony in Bali wasn’t legal because correct papers were never filed. Hall, who recently filed for divorce amid reports that Brazilian model Luciana Morad was expecting Jagger’s child, is reportedly seeking about a fifth of Jagger’s estimated $250-million fortune.

Some fans Monday felt that Jagger’s stance was unseemly, considering that the couple have been together more than 20 years and have four children. Others accepted him as simply an incurable playboy. “Buyer beware,” said one woman in the audience, most of whom appeared to be in their 40s and older.

In any case, the tension in the relationship gave some of the band’s reflections on sexual conquest and regret an unexpectedly sharp edge during the show--the songs seemed at times extra defiant or tender.

“I’ve got nasty habits . . . don’t you think there’s a place for you . . . in between the sheets?” Jagger snarled in “Live With Me,” a sassy, taunting 1969 number that stands as a manifesto of the Stones’ sexual bravado.

As Jagger moved from that crass seduction to the anxious self-examination of “Out of Control” to the wistful, moody reflection of “Moonlight Mile,” it seemed a musical exploration of his personal life. In a number from the group’s last studio album, “Bridges to Babylon,” he sang the revealing line, “You’ll never make a saint out of me.”

If the band also had done “It’s All Over Now,” one of its ‘60s hits, it would have been tempting to think the whole marital spat was simply a publicity move to stir interest in the tour.

The commentary in the songs made plain that the Stones aren’t just master showmen and classic musicians with a marvelous feel for rock’s country and blues roots. Jagger and Richards are also outstanding songwriters whose work reflects some of the contradictions and tensions of their flamboyant rock lifestyle.

They aren’t especially clever wordsmiths or even patient craftsmen, but their images are sometimes strikingly vivid and personal. Not that you had to focus on the marital conflict to be caught up in the performance.

One reason that the Stones’ tour is commanding such high prices is that it’s the first chance since the late ‘70s to see the band up close--or at least relatively close. Moving from stadiums to arenas means the bulk of the audience only needs binoculars to see them clearly now, not telescopes.

For the lucky ones down front, however, the arena setting is electrifying.

The show opened with a predictably bland, 45-minute set by Bryan Adams, a singer-songwriter who knows how to create accessible, anthem-like songs, but doesn’t have anything original or revealing to say in them.

The Stones are returning for this “No Security” tour with virtually the same cast as the 1997 “Bridges to Babylon” stadium tour, including Darryl Jones on bass, Chuck Leavell on keyboards, three backup singers and a four-piece brass section.

Things got off to a playful start Monday with a sendup on the video screens of the band’s renegade rock ‘n’ roll image. (The band also good-naturedly salutes its lengthy tenure in rock with a souvenir T-shirt that proudly proclaims, “The Rolling Stones--Established 1962.”) After the house lights dimmed, Jagger, Richards, drummer Charlie Watts and guitarist Ron Wood’s images appeared on the video screen above the stage. All four had the hard, grizzled look of old-time gunfighters as they marched menacingly down a backstage corridor to the stage.

When they reached the end of the corridor on the video, they suddenly appeared on stage and went right into a raucous version of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” with Jagger adopting the high-energy tone that he would assume most of the evening.

Around the two-thirds mark of the concert, the band moved to a smaller stage at the rear of the arena, repeating a popular sequence from the “Bridges” stadium tour. There they reached back for two numbers from their 1964 debut album--Bobby Troup’s “Route 66” and Willie Dixon’s “I Just Want to Make Love to You.” The Stones ended the mini-set with “Honky Tonk Women” before returning to the large stage for a battery of hits that included “Brown Sugar,” “Start Me Up” and “Sympathy for the Devil.”

In between the 21 songs, the Stones found time for a bit of magic--with Jagger appearing out of nowhere in an empty steel cage lowered from the ceiling.

But the real magic was the fact that the Stones continue to defy the laws of aging in rock. The band may not be even close to reliable anymore on record, but they remain masters of the stage.

Almost 30 years after the Beatles broke up, the Stones not only keep filling concert venues but also continue to warrant our attention. How many bands from 1995 can even make that boast in today’s stagnant rock climate?

*

* The Rolling Stones play Feb. 9 and 11 at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, 2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim, 8 p.m. Sold out. (714) 704-2500.