Second Night In Newark (no label)
Prudential Center, Newark, NY – December 15th, 2012
Disc 1 (58:22): Opening announcement, Get Off Of My Cloud, The Last Time, It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (But I Like It), Paint It Black, Gimme Shelter (with Lady GaGa), Wild Horses, Going Down (with John Mayer & Gary Clark Jr)
Disc 2 (45:11): Dead Flowers, Who Do You Love? (with The Black Keys), Doom And Gloom, One More Shot, Miss You, Honky Tonk Women, Band Introduction, Before They Make Me Run, Happy
Disc 3 (60:01): Midnight Rambler (with Mick Taylor), Start Me Up, Tumbling Dice (with Bruce Springsteen), Brown Sugar, Sympathy For The Devil, You Can’t Always Get What You Want (with The Choir of Trinity Wall Street), Jumping Jack Flash, (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
The highlight of US shows on their short 50th Anniversary tour, the December 15th show in the Prudential Center was televised through pay-per-view. It’s not surprising they took this route. They actually invented the idea thirty-one years (almost) to the day and have used it several times since. Just like the 1989, 1994 and 1997 specials, this too features many guest appearances as have all the shows in 2012.
Instead of duplicating the video soundtrack Second Night In Newark utilizes an excellent stereo audience recording. Made by the same taper who recorded the first night in Newark and the 12-12-12 show, it has great dynamics and a wonderful live presence. It’s unique in the flood of recent releases of these Stones shows and is worth having for the different perspective it provides.
Of all the 50th Anniversary shows, this is the tightest and most professional. It received very positive reviews in the press. Rob Sheffield writes “Mick Jagger has sung the words ‘This could be the last time hundreds of times – yet the line had a special resonance tonight. The Rolling Stones’ December 15th show in Newark, New Jersey, was the final gig of their 50th anniversary tour, their first live performances in five years. And with no shows scheduled for 2013, many fans had to be wondering if tonight meant it’s all over now.
“But whatever the future holds for the World’s Greatest Rock & Roll Band, they blew it out tonight, rampaging from classic to classic in true Stones fashion – through the past, darkly. The Stones treated this show as a lavish celebration loaded with special guests, from Lady Gaga torching up ‘Gimme Shelter’ to Bruce Springsteen strapping on a guitar for ‘Tumbling Dice.'”
Kevin Mazur mentions “Yet all eyes were on Jagger, a cosmic blur of hips and ribs and lips, attacking each song with an unbelievably ruthless rocks-off energy… Keith Richards played heroic amounts of guitar all night … The brisk pace of the show didn’t leave much room for ballads or idle chit-chat. Mick whisked the guests on and off the stage so fast that at one point he joked that he felt like David Letterman.”
The tape begins with Ken Ehrlich, the producer of the pay-per-view special, giving instructions to the audience to cheer loud and to enjoy the show. There is an interval of several minutes while the audience is waiting for the start of the show. A girl can be heard flirting with the taper as he tries to quietly shoo her away.
Again, after the percussion extravaganza, they start off with “Get Off Of My Cloud” followed by “The Last Time.” Jagger seems to take delight in repeating “this may be the last time – I don’t know” over and over again as if to make a point to the audience.
In greeting the audience Jagger mentions “The Garden State. I like an ironic number plate.” The first guest appearance occurs in “Gimme Shelter.” Lady GaGa joins them onstage to sing the female lead to great effect. Her vocals are extremely powerful and seem to shock even Mick. Afterwards he gives his condolences to the Newtown, Connecticut families who lost their children in the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre the day before.
“Wild Horses” is a good song for hand holding, according to Jagger, and is followed by John Mayer and Gary Clark Jr coming onstage for “Going Down.” The Stones played this in the first O2 gig with Jeff Beck, but this version is much better. Both Mayer and Clark take turns with devastating blues riffs in the solo while Jagger speaks about texting.
“Dead Flowers” is the fan’s choice this evening. The Black Keys join the band onstage for a loose “Who Do You Love?” the only other new addition to the set. Afterwards the set returns to the same sequence as the other shows. The two new songs, “Doom And Gloom” and “One More Shot” are followed by “Miss You” and “Honky Tonk Women.”
After the band introductions Richards has his two song set with “Happy” and “Before The Make Me Run.” Mick Taylor comes onstage for “Midnight Rambler” and Bruce Springsteen join the band for “Tumbling Dice.” The finale of the show, including the encores, fare much better on this night than the first night in Newark. The choir for Trinity Wall Street again join the band for “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”
Second Night In Newark is certainly an interesting release. It offers a another glimpse of the show outside of the telecast and is a really nice document worth having. The artwork is very similar to the art for the first night, utilizing the GRRRRR motif with photos of the band.
