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Posted: 09 Dec 2012 04:13 AM PST

NEW YORK: Fifty years since their first London jam sessions, the Rolling Stones kicked off the U.S. leg of a brief anniversary tour with a vibrant show in New York on Saturday that belied their years - wrinkles and nostalgia aside.

Drummers wearing gorilla masks warmed up the crowd packed into Brooklyn's Barclays Center as black-clad women swung their long tresses in rhythm.

Mick Jagger pranced, shimmied and howled his way through the 2-1/2 hour show, pausing to reminisce about the band's history and its first New York concert at Carnegie Hall in 1964.

For a group whose early years were punctuated by quarrels and occasional brushes with the law, the biggest controversy ahead of Saturday's show was the price of seats - up to $800, and as much as 10 times that amount on websites offering last-minute tickets.

In those days, milk was cheaper and "tickets to the Rolling Stones was - well, I'm not going to go there," Jagger acknowledged.

The band's last major tour was in 2007 and the latest reunion almost didn't happen, owing in part to a spat between Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards over comments Richards made about the singer in a 2010 autobiography.

Richards joked in a recent interview: "We can't get divorced - we're doing it for the kids."

A tribute video opened Saturday's proceedings featuring celebrities heaping praise on the band.

"They're great songs to do bad things to," said actor Johnny Depp. "Just how skinny they all are... It really, really pisses me off," said actress Cate Blanchett.

The Stones - average age 68 - ripped through 20 hits that began with "Get Off of My Cloud" and closed with "Sympathy for the Devil" and an encore of "You Can't Always Get What You Want", "Jumping Jack Flash" and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction".

Women in the crowd opened their arms wide as Jagger, wearing a silver sequined jacket, strutted along the horseshoe-shaped stage for "I Wanna Be Your Man", a Beatles tune. The band was then joined by R&B singer Mary J. Blige for "Gimme Shelter".

"People say 'why do you keep doing this?'" Jagger told the crowd. He thanked fans for buying records and "generally being amazing for the last 50 years."

The Stones started their brief diamond jubilee tour in London and are due to play twice in Newark, New Jersey.

Fans said it could be the last chance for New Yorkers to see the band live.

"It's the only concert I wanted to see before I die," said Lucy Webley, 33. - Reuters

Living in a box

Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:47 AM PST

Budget priced music box sets flood the festive market.

MILES Davis, Modern Jazz Quartet, De La Soul, Roberta Flack, Todd Rungren, The Incredible String Band, ZZ Top, Madonna, America, The Replacements, Elvis Costello and Alice Cooper are just some of the new editions to the Rhino Original Album Series, released by Warner Music Malaysia.

These five-pack CD packages, drawing together five seminal titles by some of the world's most revered artistes and covering every music genre from soul legend Aretha Franklin to the folk heroes Pogues, via roots rock act Los Lobos and British indie outfit Jesus And Mary Chain, have been a popular series here.

Representing the very best in value, these five disc slipcases do away with the frills and keep their attention firmly on delivering the finest classic albums available.

As the festive season is upon us, there is nothing better than grabbing one of these recently delivered five-packs as a stocking filler.

Elsewhere, the Atlantic Soul Legends: 20 Original Albums From The Iconic Atlantic Label box set is an eye-catching treat for the soul music fan.

This box set features 20 original albums recorded between 1959 and 1975 on the legendary soul label Atlantic, including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Solomon Burke's masterpieces, the classic Stax/Volt recordings by Booker T. & The M.G.'s, Rufus Thomas, Sam and Dave, Eddie Floyd and Ben E. King, Percy Sledge, Don Covay and Donny Hathaway's legendary LPs. Also includes material previously unreleased on CD, such as Sam Dee's classic The Show Must Go On.

The albums, packed in a retro box, are tucked nicely in replica paper sleeves with a 32-page booklet. Only 3,000 of these are being produced worldwide.

Blame it on the boogie

Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:46 AM PST

The Jacksons might be old enough to qualify as pensioners, but they're still promising Malaysian fans a high-energy show next week.

The "greatest entertainer of all time" is a pretty tough act to follow. There are, however, four men – all old enough to qualify for senior citizen discounts – doing just that all over the world. And on Dec 13, they'll be doing it here in Malaysia as well.

We are, of course, talking about The Jacksons, one of the biggest acts in music history. Next week, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon will be performing at Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur as part of their first world tour – The Unity Tour – since the death of their legendary brother and former band member, Michael.

In fact, Michael was actually supposed to be performing on this tour as well.

"That was the plan. After This Is It (Michael's ill-fated concert series in London), he was going to take a break for a year, and then we would start touring again as a group," said Jackie, with that same gentle tone Michael used to talk in, during a phone interview from Washington D.C.

But even without Michael, Jackie says the audience will still be in for a treat.

"No one can replace Michael," he said. "But the dynamics in our shows are still the same. Our fans are going to have a wonderful time. It's always high energy, and everyone stands up – because we keep them standing! We don't give them time to think. We just keep hitting them with the next song, and the next song."

The Jacksons first made its name in the late 1960s as The Jackson 5, with hits like I Want You Back, ABC and The Love You Save making the brothers – and the precociously talented Michael, in particular – huge stars throughout the 1970s.

Though the group has never officially disbanded, the lineup changed when it moved to CBS Records, with Jermaine staying behind with Motown Records as a solo artiste, and younger brother Randy joining the group, which was now known simply as The Jacksons.

Even after Michael's solo career exploded with 1979's Off The Wall and, of course, Thriller in 1982, the Jacksons were still performing together as a group. They even released two albums – Triumph and 2300 Jackson Street, the latter being The Jacksons' last record together, released in 1989.

Since then, the brothers have all worked on solo projects, reuniting only once for a tribute concert celebrating the 30th anniversary of Michael's solo career.

For this current tour, Jackie says the band will be performing not just The Jacksons' hits, but songs from each member's solo careers as well – and that includes Michael's.

"It's very difficult to do his songs. Even on stage, we're still mourning, but the audience helps us so much. It's amazing hearing them sing," he said.

Listening to how affectionately Jackie talks about Michael, it's hard to imagine that they are both from the same family who has been reportedly embroiled in a bitter dispute ever since Michael's death.

When asked if these reports have ever overshadowed their shows on this tour, Jackie simply replied: "That never comes up. People come to the show for the music."

When it comes to the tour, Jackie paints a picture of pure positivity. One word he keeps going back to is "energy". He says the shows they've played in the tour so far have all been wonderful, with the crowd keeping them hyped up throughout the night.

But isn't that tough on a group where every member is above 55, while Jackie himself is 61?

"It's something we were born with. We entertain. For me, it's just like a workout, like going to the gym. It keeps me in shape," he said.

They were, after all, well-drilled by their father and former manager Joe Jackson, who was an infamously strict disciplinarian.

"We still work very hard, and we rehearse a lot. We still go through our (dance) steps, just to refresh our memory. We want to make sure we give people what they want. Whenever you sing, or record or perform, you have to give 110% every time. That's how Michael was. He would give his all," said Jackie.

And with the recent resurgence in boy bands, we just couldn't help but ask – which current group do you think is the closest to having what the Jackson 5 had?

He said: "There's this band called One Direction, and I think they're doing a really good job! I like them. They're a bit like us. I think they'll have a great career."

■ The Unity Tour concert will be held at Stadium Negara on Thursday at 8pm. Tickets are priced at RM498-RM139, and are available from www.ticketpro.com.my or 03-7880 7999.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Ahad, 9 Disember 2012

The Star Online: Entertainment: Music

The Star Online: Entertainment: Music

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