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David Smyth's rating
Reader rating
Description: The Stones band wagon rolls into town again, with Mick and the boys performing favourite tracks from their extensive back catalogue.
Phone: 0871220 0260
Website: www.theo2.co.uk
Email: customerservices@theo2.co.uk
Trains: Tube: North Greenwich, BR: Westcombe Park Railway Station 
, Tube / Bus: 108, 129, 161, 188, 422, 472, 486 
Extra info: Food, Telephones, Pub, Air Conditioning
Not fading away: The Rolling Stones' latest tour showcased a barrage of hits, and proved that it is not only age that fails to wither this seemingly unstoppable band of rockers
Affectionate: sparring partners Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood
Jumping Jack Flash: Mick Jagger dominated with the trademark energy he has employed since the Sixties
Jagger's laft hand was the busiest thing on stage
Exactly two years since they set off around the world for the umpteenth time, the Rolling Stones' latest tour is finally put to bed with three London shows this week. Yet for once, no one is speculating that these concerts, the band's first indoor gigs in London since 2003, will be their last.
Gallery: Rolling Stones at the O2
That's because this Bigger Bang tour has proved beyond doubt that it is not only age that shall fail to wither them, but also censorship in both China and America, laryngitis (Mick Jagger), rehab (Ronnie Wood) and a freak run-in with a Fijian coconut tree (Keith Richards). That they still seemed unstoppable when they took to the stage here was with good reason.
"Start me up, I'll never stop" was the first line sung by Jagger, who dominated the vast space with the same manic strut he has employed since the Sixties. His left hand was the busiest thing on the stage, constantly pointing, beckoning and sending away. Later he swapped his microphone for a hands-free headset and really let the gesticulations fly.
Both he and Wood sported clothes so tight they must have been borrowed from their daughters, only their sunken cheeks suggesting that their aged bodies might cave in on themselves at any moment.
Charlie Watts, in jeans and a white T-shirt, occupied the drum stool with quietly amused dignity, emphasising that this rock and roll lark is all too easy with the occasional effortless jazz fill.
Wood traded ragged guitar solos and affectionate embraces with Richards, who moved in slow motion and looked as if he hadn't slept in days, but still received the biggest cheer of the evening during the introductions.
With a watch on each wrist, shiny things dangling all over the place and recklessly smoking a cigarette, he even got away with the musical low point of the evening, his mangled solo vocals on You Got The Silver and Wanna Hold You, with a simple "I know I'm bad".
He may not get invited to any more cremations, but his appearances with this band are still adored.
Experts in what is expected of them, the group dealt with the promotion of the album after which the tour is named in just one song, the crass but lively Rough Justice. After that the classics came at speed, including Rocks Off, Tumbling Dice and the concluding Brown Sugar.
As with most sixtysomethings, they had a saggy middle - 1978's weary Beast Of Burden followed by rambling jam Can't You Hear Me Knocking - but spirited James Brown homage I'll Go Crazy picked up the pace again.
The most spectacular moment came during Respectable, when the centre of the stage moved slowly forwards like a launching ship and sailed to the back of the room, band and all.
A concluding barrage of hits including an epic Sympathy For The Devil, the fierce intensity of Paint It Black and a climactic Jumping Jack Flash, reinforced the reasons why thousands worldwide will never tire of seeing the Rolling Stones play live.
We'll now have to wait a few years for the opportunity to come around again, but undoubtedly it will come. Until next time.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
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