The Rolling Stones LIVE in Regina - A Concert Review

The Rolling Stones LIVE in Regina, SK - October 8, 2006

By Erin Harde, October 10, 2006

There was an electrical phenomenon in the air Sunday night, but the weather had nothing to do with it. Within seconds of their entrance, the Rolling Stones took command of the skies and 45,000 people, igniting them both. Although the odd raindrop threatened the performance, it was the Stones who would storm the stage and incite an explosive audience to thunderous applause with "Paint it Black," the first song of their second Regina performance; yet, it could have been the obscurest of B tracks and still been met with pure adoration from a crowd ready to burst from the anticipation and excitement.

"You’re too kind," Mick Jagger said after the third song "It’s Only Rock and Roll (But I Like It)," his breath visible as the temperature hovered around zero, but he didn’t complain. He thanked out of town fans, carefully enunciating Saskatoon and Moose Jaw, but playfully scorned the crowd who booed at the mention of Winnipeg. "Even if they’re from Winnipeg, they’re welcome," he said.

Meanwhile Keith Richards, Ron Wood and Charlie Watts remained background fixtures, occasionally looking up to grin, but it was Jagger who commanded the spotlight. He careened around the stage with an amazing vigour and enthusiasm as though performing the classics for the first time. But while Jagger flailed his limbs wildly, his hips were finely tuned, shaking, thrusting and swivelling with the zest and energy of a frat boy.

He preened and posed, and went through several costume changes, most of them three-quarter length coats so luxurious in fabric and colour most women would have traded their parkas for them. But even as the star athlete in a two-hour marathon of dancing, running, skipping and swaggering, Jagger exposed little skin, instead showing off everything from silk coats in slick red and quilted silver to a Sergeant Pepper-like red leather jacket. Richards went from a jacket to full length coat while Wood, stylish in black jeans, white studded belt and purple scarf, sported Ug boots to stay warm.

Incredibly, their fingers didn’t fumble in the cold though Jagger joked about joining the "frozen finger brigade," on "Rain Fall Down" from A Bigger Bang, which prevented him from bouncing around to keep his skinny frame heated, instead relegated to one spot while he played guitar. Following "All Down the Line" from Exile On Main Street, Jagger teased the crowd that he wouldn’t make jokes about what the city rhymes with. "I hope that doesn’t make me sound like too much of a pussy," he mused, before announcing the Temptations’ "Too Proud To Beg," which may have surprised those not expecting to hear the wrinkled foursome play a cover song when their own catalogue extends back over 40 years.

But while Jagger’s face betrays his age, he has the stamina of a teenager. Other than to toss away a jacket or grab a guitar, he only paused if the song demanded stability; Jagger briefly stood still for "Angie," but eagerly kicked it up again for "Tumbling Dice," also the first time Richards began to look alive. Jagger handed over the mic to Richards for "You’ve Got the Silver," a competent vocal delivery, which might have caught some of the audience off guard. He carried on at the helm for "Little T and A," from Some Girls. Maybe it worked 25 years ago, but after hearing those lyrics out of Richards’ gnarled old face today, the song should be vaulted.

Happily, Jagger returned to the stage to deliver "Under My Thumb," but it was the stage itself that captured the audience’s attention. Centre-field suddenly got a lot hotter as a small stage floated the band to frenzied fans climbing onto the seats to worship the Stones. And all through the transition, Jagger didn’t miss a beat, bounding around the stage as they played "Rough Justice," "Start Me up" and "Honky Tonk Women," songs that were played toward the end of an 19-song show but for the back half of the field may have felt like the beginning of a new show just for them.

Back on the main stage, a giant inflatable tongue and lips greeted the Stones’ return but quickly deflated as the first notes of "Sympathy for the Devil" began. After trading shrill ‘ooh oohs’ with the crowd, Jagger ascended to a balcony above the band. There, with his monstrously large image on the screen behind him, he became a Mick-tator, if you will, orating to his devout legions of supporters.

After "Jumpin’ Jack Flash" and "Brown Sugar," Jagger thanked the "brilliant audience" and the Stones disappeared backstage. They didn’t hold out for long and returned to give the still boisterous crowd "You Can’t Always Get What You Want," and "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction," the perfect finish. As fireworks blasted off behind them, the Stones took their final bows and went out with a bang.

1. Paint it Black
2. You Got Me Rocking
3. It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll
4. All Down the Line
5. Ain’t Too Proud to Beg
6. Angie
7. Rain Fall Down
8. Tumbling Dice
9. You’ve Got the Silver
10. Little T and A
11. Under My Thumb
12. Rough Justice
13. Start Me Up
14. Honky Tonk Women
15. Sympathy for the Devil
16. Jumpin’ Jack Flash
17. Brown Sugar
Encore
18. You Can’t Always Get What You Want
19. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

In Search of the Knights Templar

Simon Brighton
Hardcover $40.00
Weidenfeld & Nicholson Publishing

Their fanatical courage and bravery struck terror and respect in their enemies. Their fabulous wealth, along with the introduction of modern banking, made them the most powerful men in the world. Their secret rites inspired rumours of heresy and witchcraft. In the Crusades, these ferocious sword-wielding monks were charged with saving the Kingdom of Jerusalem and protecting pilgrims. In defeat, they were burned at the stake. They were originally known as The Order of Poor Knights of the Temple of Solomon. Today, we simply call them the Knights Templar.

The success of Dan Brown’s best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code thrust the defunct ancient order of the Knights Templar into the spotlight. But where do the facts end and the tales of fancy begin and how do you separate them now? As the saying goes, history is written by the victors and the history of the Templar is one of contradiction, clearly written by those who successfully destroyed the order.

Indisputable is the fact the Knights Templar was a military and religious order that dominated medieval Europe from Britain to Jerusalem; they did so for nearly 200 years until the Templar was suppressed in the early 1300s as their influence began to threaten France’s Phillip IV and the French papacy itself. The warrior monks were rounded up as Philip the Fair searched for both their treasure and source of wealth. Philip found nothing and it is here that the knights disappear from history and enter into myth, their true nature blurred if not wiped away entirely and woven into fantasy. Yet, they still left a rich and very real legacy throughout the British Isles, from London’s Temple Church to Rossyln Chapel in Scotland.

In Search of the Knights Templar author Simon Brighton was brought up in Lincolnshire, in the shadow of Temple Bruer, one of the most important Templar sites in all of Great Britain. He became fascinated by the Knights at an early age and has pursued that fascination ever since. Brighton, who admits he isn’t a true historian, researched and visited every site and took all the pictures in the book. The traces the knights left behind are real, and many can still be seen and visited today. Brighton explains what there is to be seen, along with the history and mythology behind it; he even includes directions on how to get there.

With a combination of stunning photography, historical imagery and detailed descriptions, In Search of the Knights Templar provides not only a basic history of the Templar but also a comprehensive guide of all the Templar sites in Britain, making it perfect for a backpacking excursion.

Many history books are written in too scholarly a tone, which can make for a tedious and sometimes complicated read. In Search of the Knights Templar starts off with a bare bones history of the Templar, beginning with the accepted facts before getting to the various sites across Great Britain. Perhaps most importantly, Brighton doesn’t take any personal viewpoint on the fanciful stories or myths and just focusses on the facts about the sites themselves so there are no tales of the Holy Grail or mythic bloodlines found within.

Another strength of this work is its layout. Slightly larger than a standard hard cover book, it allows for the more than 180 colour and black and white photographs. Along with the photographs, diagrams, ancient texts, colour images of armour, and illuminated manuscripts, order seals are also included to give a very clear idea of everyday Templar life. The illustrations add to our understanding of what life and culture were like at the time and help tell the story of almost every significant British site of Templar activity.

Backed by authoritative text that reveals the history and notable architectural details of each site from the choices of pagan symbols in Christian churches to many of the arcane symbols on tombstones and effigies, the history is easy to understand, well-explained and well-detailed despite Brighton’s lack of formal training. There is already an abundance of information on places such as Rossyln Chapel, but Brighton offers interesting pieces of information on lesser known places such as the accidental re-discovery of the ruins of a Templar chapel in Dover during the Napoleonic Wars.

The various sites are broken up into regions for easy reading. London, Wales, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, the Southwest, Midlands, Scotland and more are shown on a map of Great Britain with a general description on each area.

This essential book for amateur exploration of legendary Knights Templar sites vividly brings alive the warrior monks’ historic impact on Great Britain, and sets the reader on their own path of discovery.