Boston — The Rolling Stones' new "Bigger Bang" tour opened here Sunday, continuing the band's tradition of grand-scale gimmicks with a twist, a reminder to everyone that this is not just any rock 'n' roll circus. The Stones still aspire to be the greatest show on Earth.
Opening-night fans got a set that included the warhorse hits (the show-opening "Start Me Up," "Brown Sugar," "Honky Tonk Women"), some surprises ("She's So Cold," "The Worst") and even a tribute to the late Ray Charles, whose portrait flashed on an Imax-sized screen as the band swung into the soul man's 1959 hit "(Night Time Is) The Right Time."
The twist this time is the much-hyped onstage seats that make fans an integral part of the "Bigger Bang" set design.
Other acts have put fans onstage before -- Sammy Hagar, for instance, has turned his stage into a beach bar, where fans guzzle tequila amid the amps -- or hemmed them in with stages that wrap around pits, as Metallica and U2 have memorably done.
Although those tactics brought those bands closer to their fans, the Stones' new configuration turned out to be about as intimate as the view from a high-rise. The "onstage" seating (which actually is standing -- there are no seats) put several hundred fans up on a series of tall balconies that stretched up, in a spider-like shape, from the huge screen that was the stage backdrop. Some who found themselves 40 to 60 feet above the band and watching Keith Richards from behind all night were less than thrilled.
"I am disappointed, to tell the truth," said Bob Durham, who paid $500 for his perch. "It's the Stones and it's great, but these seats are not what I thought they would be." Just then, Mick Jagger, Richards and company launched into "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction."
As the Stones roll across North America, many in the concert business are wondering just how much more satisfaction they'll get from the band and other veteran rockers such as Paul McCartney, the Eagles, Elton John and others, all of whom edge ever closer to retirement age.
Each new Stones tour is met in equal measure by amazement and eye-rolling: How long can they keep doing this? For many fans and the concert industry, though, it's a different question: What happens when they stop?
In the last 15 years, the Stones have grossed more than $1 billion from their North American tours, leading a gallery of graying rock stars who account for the lifeblood of the top-tier concert business. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame acts from the 1960s and '70s have been the surest bets in a business that is still searching for young acts worth gambling on for the long run.
By comparison, the youth-centered hip-hop dream bill of the summer -- the "Anger Management" tour topped by rappers Eminem and 50 Cent -- just limped to a disappointing finish after weeks of playing sometimes to half-filled arenas around the country.
"These older acts are the gravy train, but someday that train is not going to run anymore, and no one really knows what to do when they're gone," said Gary Bongiovanni, editor of Pollstar, the concert industry trade magazine. "Of the young acts, you have someone like Coldplay who does quite well, but where will it be in 10 years? That's hard to say."
Where will the Stones be in a decade? Their 70s. Their fans came to see them in Boston on Sunday to celebrate their vast jukebox of hits but also to keep in touch as the years advance.
"I don't know how many times these guys will still be going, so there's a sense of urgency to see them," said Howard Dalton, who came in from Philadelphia for the night. "It's the Stones, so you gotta go. They're not getting any younger."
One reason Eminem found it hard to connect was that, with ticket prices topping $90, he was out-pricing his young fans.
That's hardly the case with the Stones, for which no price seems to be out of reach. This time the tickets run as much as $454, face value, and in the best seats in Boston, fans reported paying $1,000 above that price to brokers. The staggering amount of money changing hands is now a regular part of what gives each Stones tour the feeling of a Super Bowl, with the attendant press coverage, fan hoopla and predictions of this being the band's final road trip.
"This is the last tour; that's what we hear," said Paul Marshall, a disc jockey at Boston rock station WAAF-FM. "How did that Stones song go? 'This could be the last time.' "
If it is the last time, it's off to a loose and lively start. On Sunday night, the band was playful and, after some slight flubs in "Jumpin' Jack Flash," Richards seemed to be chuckling like a golfer who slices a drive off the first tee.
