AUGUST 16, 2002 Surprise Club Gig in Toronto Tonight at the Palais Royale-already SOLD OUT

AUGUST 17, 2002

'Forty Licks' Collection 08/15/2002

(8/15/02, 12 p.m. ET) -- More details are emerging about Forty Licks, the upcoming Rolling Stones best-of collection.

The two-CD compilation, which the band personally selected, is due October 1 from Virgin Records. It will be preceded on August 28 by "Don't Stop," one of four new numbers included in the project. "Don't Stop" and the three other new songs--"Keys To Your Love," "Losing My Touch," and "Stealing My Heart"--were recorded earlier this year in Paris with producer Don Was. A video for "Don't Stop" is set to debut September 9.

Initial pressings of Forty Licks will feature four separate slipcase covers for the CD jewel case. A limited-edition, sequentially-numbered set for collectors will also be issued. The album will come packaged with a 24-page color booklet full of classic Stones photos.

A full tracklisting for Forty Licks hasn't been announced, but some of the tracks that will be included are: "Gimme Shelter," "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "Get Off My Cloud," "Ruby Tuesday," "Paint It Black," "Start Me Up," "Brown Sugar," "Miss You," "Happy," "Let's Spend The Night Together," "Jumping Jack Flash," "Street Fighting Man," "Honky Tonk Women," "Sympathy For The Devil," "You Can't Always Get What You Want," "Tumbling Dice," "Beast Of Burden," "Mixed Emotions," and "It's Only Rock & Roll (But I Like It)," along with the four new songs.

August 17, 2002 1,000 rock with Stones

By JACK BOLAND and ROB GRANATSTEIN -- Toronto Sun

The Palais Royale played host last night to rock's ruling monarchs -- The Rolling Stones. About 300 lucky fans paid a paltry $10 to see rock 'n' roll's elder statesmen play a 11/2-hour set at the historic Toronto venue. Another 700 invited guests swelled the crowd to 1,000. The Stones went on stage at 10:45, opening with Its Only Rock and Roll. Some fans left early, driven out by the sweltering temperatures in the lakeside dance hall. "It was unbearably hot inside but it didn't really matter," one woman said. "The sound was really good, it was crisp. This is the Stones' fourth surprise show in the GTA -- it's become a treasured Toronto tradition -- following 1977 at the El Mocambo, 1994 at the Guvernment and 1997 at the Horseshoe. All money raised last night was donated to the CNIB. Dan Contogiannis, owner of the Palais, said he was approached a few weeks ago by the band's management. "They liked it because they are happy to be on the water with a nice breeze coming in," Contogiannis said. "The Palais is part of Toronto history -- Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra have played here and now the Stones." Monte Winston, 45, and his wife Shelley, 43, of Toronto, got in line with their two sons early yesterday morning. "I first saw them in 1975 at Orchard Park," said Winston. "I heard Jumpin' Jack Flash in 1967 and was hooked from that time on." All 300 tickets were gone before 8:30 yesterday morning after hundreds of Mick maniacs lined up all night long. Doug Anderson drove all the way from Knoxville, Tenn., only to find the tickets gone. "I'm disappointed I couldn't get in," he said. "But I'm thankful I got to see all the members through the front door." The Stones upcoming Licks tour kicks off on Sept. 3 in Boston. A double CD will be released before the tour starts. The bandwill play two Toronto shows in October -- the 16th at the Air Canada Centre and two days later at the SkyDome.

SET LIST-from Shidoobee Board

It's Only Rock and Roll; Sad, Sad, Sad; If You Can't Rock Me; Stray Cat Blues; Hot Stuff; Don't Stop ; Honky Tonk Women; Torn and Frayed; Wild Horses; Happy; I Can't Turn You Loose; Heart of Stone; Can't You Hear Me Knockin'; Jumping Jack Flash; Brown Sugar [encore]

All Setlists & Reviews available at The Rolling Stones Fan Club Office/Stones Planet Web Site

September 3, 2002

I was fortunate enough to be in row 11 center on opening night at Boston's Fleet Center and what a night it was! The evening began with pre-show festivities at Sullivan's Tap, where many fan club members gathered. Complete reviews are available at the above RSFCO link and will also be featured in STONES PLANET #10 due out in October. But, to sum it up, the Fleet setlist was killer and the boys were in fine form. My faves were Loving Cup, Stray Cat Blues, Neighbors. Next the boys headed to Gilette Stadium in Foxboro, MA and then onto the first official club gig at the Orpheum. I had to return to work, so I missed those...but Chicago is next.

September 13, 2002

Missed the United Center on the 10th, might catch it in January. On Sept. 13th I flew to Chicago-Friday the 13th I might add! Stayed at a great hotel, the Fitzpatrick. Highly recommended,some of the greatest Irish folks ya ever wanna meet, not to mention a wonderful pub with Bass & Guiness on tap & shepherd's pie on the menu! Comiskey was that night, and I sat in section 110, row 14, seat 1 which was Keith's side next to the stage. I have to say that although the show was good, for the diehard fan it was obviously all Hot Rocks with the exception of maybe Monkey Man, Little Red Rooster & Neighbors. Had a wonderful time as always, but looking forward to the Aragon.

September 16, 2002

Began the trip by seeing all of Aerosmith at the Ritz Carlton in Chicago, kinda cool. Ahhhhh, my first club gig since Shepherd's Bush '99. Well, worth the wait. The Aragon had no seats, standing room only, even on the balcony. Hot, smokey, sweaty...just like a club gig should be. This show was beyond words. It is now my all-time favorite Stones show ever, it was number 28 for me and went to the TOP of my list. It blew every show I had ever seen out of the water,including Shepherd's Bush. Mick was just crazy full of energy. Keith, Ronnie & Charlie was ON fire. Had also seen Bono in the Ritz when I picked up my tickets, so it was no surprise to me when he stepped out to sing IORR/Going to A Go-Go. Highlights were Hand of Fate, Torn and Frayed, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Worried About You, Dance Part 2 wow...all I kept saying was wow, shit, this is unbelievable.

September 18, 2002

On the 17th I flew from Chicago to Pittsburgh & the next morning drove the 5 1/2 hours to Philly. The Vet was tonight and as far as stadium shows go, the Vet shows are usually always good, and I wasn't disappointed. I was in the 13th row on Ronnie's side. Lucky 13 again. Had a VIP pass tonight, so that was special in itself. Free beer, a no-line bathroom & some snacks are always welcome :-) It was a very warm day and sticky night for mid-September. I had heard Wild Horses here in '94, and I was happy to here it again at the same place. You Can't Always Get What You Want, Let It Bleed on the B-stage. A lot of energy & Midnight Rambler was killer on the main stage. For a stadium show, this one rocked & flat out beat Comiskey IMHO.

September 20, 2002

Saw Charlie in the Four Seasons yesterday. Today, saw Ronnie & Jo Wood, Keith & Mick. Mick said "hi" as he walked by us out the door. Damn, that was cool. First Union Center Philly. In '99 I was front row, and the show was amazing. This time I was 13th row Keith's side (did I mention lucky 13?), and it was better than my front row in '99. There is a luck I have in Philly, don't know why, but the Keithian Gods smile upon me there for some reason. In '97 I gave Keith a scarf that he wore for the final bow and tonight he repaid me by placing his guitar pick directly into my hand at the B-stage. Bless you Keith! The setlist again was a killer. If You Can't Rock Me, All Down The Line, Love In Vain, Monkey Man, I Can't Turn You Loose...Beast Of Burden on the B-stage...did I mention I couldn't even remember what they played out there after Keith gave me the pick? When you are so close to them, it's so hard to look AND listen...I do find Keith a bit visually distracting, LOL. FUC goes to #2 show so far under the #1 Aragon, of all time...it was show #30 total for me. See myPhilly Photos here.

September 22, 2002

The Tower Theatre Philly. This was the club show I really wanted to see. I hadn't planned on being at the Aragon, but I was glad I was. It turned out that the Tower tix weren't as hard to come by as first imagined. In fact, I was able to help several friends get regular price Tower tix at 2pm the day of the show. Started off with a limo ride to the show, thanks Joe. The Tower was a different atmosphere than the Aragon, definitely a theater, not a club. Everyone had seats & there was lots of security. We were 10th row Keith's side, great location. Pierre Robert of WMMR sat right behing us doing a remote broadcast at several points during the show. I thought the Tower was an excellent show, highlights for me were again Hand Of Fate, Stray Cat Blues, Sad Sad Sad, Heart of Stones and a spectacular No Expectations. But after all was said & done, I still rated the Aragon and FUC higher overall. Don't get me wrong though, every show has been great, but some just blow you away more than others.

September 26, 2002

The Stones are onto NY & I am back to work until the Washington, DC show Oct. 4th. But, good news, Keith is on the cover of the latest issue of Rolling Stone Magazine! And also the Stones are on the cover of Fortune Magazine and the Oct. issue of Mojo with 4 different covers!

October 4-7, 2002

Drove to DC on Friday Oct. 7th, arriving around 1pm at the Melrose Hotel on PA Ave near Georgetown. Headed to the bar at the Ritz, where I ran into a few familiar faces. Had a Stonesy business meeting and some Red Stripe beer before heading back to my hotel to change for the show. Took the Metro & Shuttle to Fed Ex Field, which quite honestly was the easiest way in/out of a stadium concert ever. I walked around the parking lot for a bit looking for my friend's tailgate party to no avail. After the usual security people's response of "I have no clue where the VIP lounge is...ask him", I finally found it upstairs behind the stage. Took a few behind the stage shots while the Strokes played & then headed down to the floor. My seat was the usual row 13 seat 3, but since no one sat in seats 1 or 2, I ended up right by the catwalk which was perfect for photo shooting. Security was a little anal tonight, constantly asking people to move into their chairs if they stepped so much as one shoe into the aisle (ala San Jose '99). As far as stadium shows go, this was a great one, the sound on the floor was good, except for back at the B-stage. I shot some nice pictures at the show. Gave Keith a huge skull table/lamp covering for his hotel room as he exited the B-stage.

Keith carrying Blue Lena's skull scarf on catwalk at Fed Ex Field 10-4-02
Photo by Linda Harris

Keith with the scarf I gave him in Washington, DC!

Highlight of the night, "Can't You Hear Me Knocking", Mick did a brilliant harp solo. Fuck up of the night was when Keith started to play "Tumbling Dice" instead of "Don't Stop" and because the capo was on a different fret TD was in the wrong key, Jagger had to throw off his guitar, Woody had to switch guitars & the backup singers & horn section had to come running out onto the stage. Still 90% of the crowd had no clue it happened. Great after-party at the Ritz. Stones flew to Hartford Sat. afternoon & got back to DC 3am Sunday morning. I spent Sat.with Jaggrfn1 & SweetVA seeing the Govinda Gallery Stones Photo Exhibit-highly recommended. Now there is a 5 day break before Detroit, so many of the entourage either went home or vacationing elsewhere or stayed in DC to sightsee. Sunday afternoon was spent with some pleasant company at the Ritz, sipping far too much champagne! Thanks to Jaggrfn1 for the kind hospitality Sunday evening :-) Arrived home at 1:30pm Monday afternoon...where are all my friends...coming down again. Next report Cleveland, Ohio Oct. 14.

October 14, 2002

Arrived in Cleveland by Exec Connect luxury coach, a recommended way to get from Pittsburgh to Cleveland. The bus has leather seats, internet connection, TV's, music & is catered by Panera Bread. Donna, Joe & I were the only ones on the bus, so it was our own private coach. The trip flew by in no time & the bus dropped us off at the Ritz Carlton. We checked into our room, 12th floor, club level, only to find that Keith's room was right next door! His body guard was sitting in the hallway. Unfortunately for us, as close as he was, we never did see him. Met friends in the club level lounge & partied the afternoon away with free food & champagne, it was great. Blondie, Bernard & Chuck stopped up for a while, as did JC. Left for the show around 6:30, went to the VIP Lounge. Nice seat, 10 rows off the floor, Keith's side, seat 1. The show started off like opening night at the Fleet, "Street Fighting Man", "IORR", "If You Can't Rock Me"...then into "Don't Stop", "Live With Me"...and Mick announces again what I wished for...an Exile set. And, happily the opener of the set was none other than "Sweet Virginia"-YES. Killer, and right into"Loving Cup", "All Down The Line", "Rocks Off", "Tumbling Dice"...Oh yeah! Then it was getting to the B-stage, made it to front row by Keith again. Shot some great photos.

Stones on the B-stage Cleveland, Ohio 10-14-02
Photo by Blue Lena

"Stray Cat Blues"...but I have to say I feel "Like A Rolling Stone" has been played to death, but nevermind, watching Keith again so close at the B was just breathtaking. Amazing. God. And when "Brown Sugar" ended he came over to me & I gave him a silver trouser chain of skulls, and he said "for me?" and pointed to himself...I nodded. He said "thank you" and did the fist to heart gesture and I blew him a kiss and he put his fist to his mouth..and that was that. Damn. Thank YOU Keith! The band flew up to Toronto directly after the show. Next up, Columbus on Sunday.

Sunday October 20, 2002

Arrived in Columbus on Friday afternoon the 18th. My husband was running the Columbus Marathon, which happened to be the morning of the Stones show in Columbus! In fact the finish line for the marathon was right next to Nationwide Arena. I ran into Anthony Mathilde, photographer for the Rollingstones.com the official site while I was waiting for my husband to finish the marathon. We chatted about the Toronto shows for a bit. Through the doors of the arena I could see them unpacking box after box of Stones t-shirts to be sold at the concert that night. In the back, the buses and trucks were parked for load-in/out. I arrived back at the arena around 5pm, checked out Black & Blue, the bar where there was a fan pre-party. Plenty of scalpers & plenty of tickets to be had at a bargain price pre-show. Picked up my pass & headed to the VIP Lounge for an hour or so. Chuck Leavell came in for a bit. Security was tight on the floor tonight and the seats were configured weirdly. Not much space at all. In fact there was no aisle beside the catwalk, so if you sat in there, you were stuck. Highlights for me were No Expectations & a stellar mid-show version of Street Fighting Man. Mick's harp solo & Woody's solo on Can't You Hear Me Knocking are always good. Made it to the B-stage with some difficulty. Problem was, the barricades were put up all around tonight so it kept people from going to the B-stage at all. And the Stones walked through the crowd to leave the stage which always hightens security (mostly for Mick). Mannish Boy on the B-stage was nice, hearing Like A Rolling Stone Again & Brown Sugar down there...well, I'd like something different now & again. Shook Ronnie's hand as he left the stage, patted Charlie's shoulder, and gave Keith a red skull shirt tonight. He gave the usual smile & thanks. He was actually wearing the skull chain I had given him in Cleveland as a necklace! Went back to row 14 for the encores & snapped a few photos, this was the first show I didn't shoot. Sometimes it's just nice to watch. Next up San Francisco in November.

October 28, 2002

Keith Richards Plays Surprise Gig In Los Angeles

By Phyllis Pollack

Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and two of the band’s back-up vocalists, Bernard Fowler and Blondie Chaplin, gave a surprise performance on Monday night, October 28 in Los Angeles, California at the Joint, a small club that only holds approximately a hundred people.

Photo M.Sullivan Keith At the Joint LA 10-28-02

The core band was comprised of longtime Stevie Nicks guitarist Waddy Wachtel, former Tom Petty drummer Steve Jones, and bass player Rick Rosas, who played on Neil Young hits including “Rockin’ In The Free World.” Also lending support in the band were upstart vocalist Memphis, and veteran British singer Terry Reid, whose long list of performances includes having played at the wedding reception of Stones vocalist Mick Jagger to Bianca Perez Morena de Macias.

Some of those who were in the audience had arrived at the gig, anticipating that something special would happen this evening, due to the fact that prior to his joining the current Stones tour, Fowler had been a member of this band that played at the club every Monday night for over a year. It was not lost on many who were in the club that the Stones would be in town this week, gearing up for two Los Angeles shows. For many who were present, this was essentially Fowler’s greatly anticipated homecoming, and his. return would have been enough for the stunned audience, let alone to also have the stage additionally graced by Richards. Fowler credited Wachtel with inviting Richards to join the band for the evening. Backstage, Wachtel quipped, “I didn’t start the rumors that Keith would be here. Really, I didn’t! I can’t help rumors that start out there.”

Fowler entered the club, coming through the back entrance, and upon seeing his fellow musicians, gave emotional long hugs and greetings. Fowler would tell the audience, “I missed you all. Damn, I missed you all,” as he introduced the band’s members to the audience.

Richards, donning his trademark handcuffs, skull ring and other assorted silver jewelry, was clearly the life of the party, along with Fowler. The Stones guitarist ascended the stage with a black Gibson, and then would later use Wachtel’s 1970 sunburst Gibson SG. Richards and company broke into a rendition of the song “Key To The Highway,” a blues number written by Charles Segar and Willie Broonzie, a standard that has been covered by countless blues artists. Richards and Fowler interacted on stage, and an animated Fowler grabbed Chaplin by his jacket and hugged him while the pair added vocal lines and harmonies interlaced between Richards’ vocals and guitar licks.

“You know I know some of the guys here,” quipped Richards. In addition to solo work and Stones projects that the Stones axe slinger has done with Fowler, Wachtel was Richards’ other guitarist in his side project, The X-pensive Winos, which embarked on tours in 1988 and 1992, and released two albums, yielding Richards’ solo hit “Take It So Hard.” In addition to his performances with the Stones, Chaplin appears with Richards on the Grammy-winning Hank Williams tribute album, Timeless, on the track “You Win Again.”

As the surprise ensemble broke into the Stones classic, “Jumping Jack Flash,” an energetic Richards looked as if he was performing it for the first time, as he showed endless energy on stage. The intimately situated audience caught a close-up view of Richards, who donned various silver charms that were weaved into his hair. Fowler pranced about the stage in his black leather jacket, singing lead on one of the song’s verses. In addition to his work with the Stones, Fowler’s extensive discography includes recording with Yoko Ono, as well as co-writing and co-producing Stones guitarist Ron Wood’s Slide On This.

When Richards left the stage, he joked, “Thank you very much. I’ve got work to do now. Bye, ladies and gentlemen,” and with that, the guitarist of the greatest rock and roll band in the world departed the stage.

Fowler stayed on to sing AC/DC’s metal anthem, “Sin City,” as Wachtel shredded power chords. Fowler’s mastery for captivating an audience had long been well known to members of the audience who had previously witnessed Fowler’s diverse vocal range, which allows him to seemingly effortlessly rock hard or to otherwise mesmerize an audience with his uniquely soulful introspective style.

The elated audience happily left the memorable evening at the club, in anticipation of the upcoming Los Angeles Stones shows that were scheduled for Halloween night at Staples Center and November 4 at the Wiltern Theatre.

NOVEMBER 7-12 2002

Flew to San Francisco to see the 2 Pac Bell Park shows, as well as the Oakland Arena show. Had quite an adventure. Stayed at the Fairmont, which was great for 3am room service...but partied at the Four Seasons almost daily. Don't even ask about the bar tabs. Went to a friend's private birthday bash on the 7th, at a place called Jelly's outside Pac Bell. The wind & rain were relentless & we were worried that the show might not go on...first the Teamster's picketing, now the weather. By the next day, it was still raining & I didn't realize how close the show came to being cancelled until I watched the rs.com video...wow. Michael Cohl seriously considered bagging it, that would have sucked. But, neither sleet, snow, wind nor rain will keep us true fans from the Stones & people turned out in full rain gear just to prove it. Stayed in the vip lounge until showtime & luckily, by the time the Stones were on, it was dry. We rocked by the B-stage 13th row Ronnie's side all night. Midnight Rambler was a highlight. By night two the weather was a bit better, and we were in a tent behind the scoreboard. Again we were 13th row, but Keith's side tonight. We enjoyed every minute, even more so than the night before, and stood on our seats for the B-stage set. But what we really were looking forward to was the arena show on the 12th...and it was worth the wait. We had the vip in a luxury box behind the stage, so we could watch Sheryl Crow's set before coming down to the 9th row Keith's side, which was closer than close. Felt like 5th row. Keith threw 2 picks right to us & we got both! Ain't Too Proud To Beg, nice...and finally a new set for me from Keith! "Thru & Thru" and "You Don't Have To Mean It" fabulous!!!

Then front row for the B-stage, eye contact from Ronnie, smiles from Charlie, Chuck signing to us during "Whip", Darryl looking for a pick for us...it was great! Did I mention Mick & Keith? hahahahaha Anyway, the show smoked, again one of the top arena shows I have seen. Party at the Four Seasons afterwards...and that 3am room service again. Next up? Pittsburgh January 10th. Stay Tuned.

NOVEMBER 22, 2002

I got quoted in a story about Stones fans that ran on the front page of the Wall Street Journal today: WALL STREET JOURNAL STORY

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