The Rolling Stones - A Bigger Bang

The Rolling Stones , still ''the greatest rock 'n' roll band in the world '' kicked off their 31st World Tour at Boston's Fenway Park this week , to an audience of 36,000 people on an enormous $1 million steel stage, (the biggest set ever used by a rock band) weighing 300,000 tons !! They are promoting their new album '' A Bigger Bang '' due to be released on Sept.6th by Virgin records. It is the longest album since,'' Exile on Main St.'', with 16 new tracks ranging from rock and blues, and the first studio album since 1997. ''Sweet Neo Con '' is apparently the most controversial with its lyrics, "You call yourself a Christian, I call you a hypocrite/ You call yourself a patriot, Well I think you're full of shit"!

At 62, Jagger is one fit grandaddy training every other day and claims to sleep eight hours every night. Ron Wood is a shit portrait painter and now a teetotaller. Charlie Watts has recovered from throat cancer and leads a quiet life having been married for over 40 years and ,''Keith, of course , is completely straight ''! with 35 scheduled dates in U.S and Canada, the Stones will then tour Mexico, South America, the Far East, New Zealand, Australia, and finally Europe, in the summer of 2006. with a combined age of something like 246 , its great to hear that they can do it with reviews like ''electrifying, spectacular and ebullient''.

Having seen them live in 82 and the Urban jungle tour in 90, would love to see them live at the Hollywod Bowl and have pre-ordered the new album.