Rolling Stones/Germany 10.9.2017

As a result, we took a week off, but this week, two titles from the Stones’ latest tour will be released at once. At the beginning of the tour, there were some really scary performances, but after getting into shape in Zurich, the performances got better and better on this “NO FILTER” tour. Rather, the Stones were reminded that they were a band that improved their performance as the tour progressed, and now it has become a really fun tour to compare the sluggish performance at the beginning of the tour to the current recovery. I want to listen to all the performances now. However, the recovery since Zurich has been remarkable, and everyone is looking forward to the next great performance. The first performance I will introduce this time, the Dusseldorf performance on October 9th, is a day that deserves to be called a new great performance without any exaggeration. It is an audience recording that captured such a wonderful day, but in terms of sound quality, it falls a little below the rank that can be called “best”. First of all, the sound image has a sense of distance, and the recording is in a thin state. Perhaps the position of the taper this time was not good. Therefore, for this release, careful treatment has succeeded in upgrading the sound quality that would have been branded as “B-class” during the “NO FILTER” tour. While the original sound source has the wonderful ability to capture Mick’s singing voice in a great balance, the weak sound image of the performance and low separation due to the previous recording state are negative. As a result of equalization to eliminate these problems, it has evolved into a state that is much more audible than the original sound source. In particular, the difference from the original sound source in that the performance can be heard clearly is clear. Since it is a wonderful performance, you want to hear it in a recording state that matches it. The thinness of the line mentioned earlier has been eliminated at once, and the sound quality with improved clarity is at a level that even beginners can hear. It does not reach the superb quality of the Hamburg and Lucca Summer Festivals. However, the overall balance improved at once, and the clarity also improved, making this release overwhelmingly easier to listen to. In addition, the sense of realism is also exquisitely balanced. As I have said repeatedly so far, the performance on this day was simply amazing. From the opening, the momentum was clearly greater than usual for the “NO FILTER” tour… well, today is going to be great. I can’t help but have that feeling. On this tour, not only Keith and Charlie, but even Mick, who always provides high-level performances, had some shaky scenes, which made enthusiasts around the world feel uneasy. But what about this day, Mick was flying from the opening. Fueled by his excellent form, the whole band had plenty of momentum. The engine was at full throttle even before the usual blues corner, so “Just Your Fool” finally showed its best performance. Mick was at the center of it all. This performance should be called the best. Compared to the beginning of the tour, the band performed in rapid succession with such momentum that it was like they were in another dimension, and the exquisite selection of songs that further raised the Stones’ tone continued. First up was “Bitch”. In the past decade, this song has been a valuable repertoire that makes the Stones’ engines go full throttle. On this day, the engine was already at full throttle, and it felt like the band was about to explode. This would have been unthinkable at the beginning of the tour. It was also exquisite that “Get Off of My Cloud” was chosen as the request tune for today because of this momentum. To tell the truth, I was nervous until the actual performance began. What if this song was played in a sluggish tone like the beginning of the tour…? However, such worries were happily unfounded. From the intro of Charlie, the tempo that ran like Tara was the best. As expected, the momentum was completely different from the beginning of the show on this day. The performance here was wonderful, as it was accelerated. It may be said that it was a wise decision not to play “NO FILTER” from the start of the tour to this day. It is no exaggeration to say that the Stones’ recovery is condensed into this one song. Aside from such a special repertoire, what is particularly noteworthy about the Stones on this day is that they finally regained the momentum that was not felt at the start of the tour in the subsequent songs. This must be due to the effectiveness of Charlie, who played “Get Off of My Cloud” with great energy. For a while after the start of the tour, “Paint It Black”, which was played so slowly that it seemed to stop, has completely recovered, which is also unique to the Stones who were full of momentum on this day. Furthermore, although the songs go back and forth, Ronnie is amazing in “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”! He may have had surgery this year, but in fact, it seems that his guitar playing is the one who is more energetic than anyone else on the “NO FILTER” tour. Of course, he is also in top form in “Midnight Rambler”. However, it is not just him, but the whole band is united and excited, which is unique to Zurich and after. In this tour, the duet between Mick and Sasha Allen was more heated than usual in “Gimme Shelter,” which was promoted to the final stage of the live performance. Since this was a day where such a fulfilling performance could be heard, it was only natural that Dusseldorf would be released as well. It is a very enjoyable album, not only for its performance full of the momentum that is unique to After Zurich, but also for its upper version, which shows a large improvement on the original thin sound quality. A new masterpiece has arrived from the latest “NO FILTER” tour! Live at Esprit Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany 9th October 2017 TRULY AMAZING/PERFECT SOUND Disc 1 (66:08) 1. Intro 2. Sympathy for the Devil 3. It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll 4. Tumbling Dice 5. Just Your Fool 6. Ride ‘Em on Down 7. Bitch 8. Get Off of My Cloud 9. You Can’t Always Get What You Want 10. Paint It Black 11. Honky Tonk Women 12. Band Introductions 13. Happy 14. Slipping Away Disc 2 (59:38) 1. Miss You 2. Midnight Rambler 3. Street Fighting Man 4. Start Me Up 5. Brown Sugar 6. Jumping Jack Flash 7. Gimme Shelte 8. Satisfaction