Rolling Stones Tribute Band at the Palladium

I recently saw a Rolling Stones tribute band at the London Palladium.

This consisted of a backing group, 3 female vocalists and the radio music presenter Cerys Williams.

Cerys Williams explained the circumstances behind each song, most of which were composed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richard, the vocalist sang the number and the band backed it.

There was a problem of credibility as the vocalists did not in any way resemble Mick Jagger, nor could they.

One who had the moves of the strutting Jagger reminded our group of Tina Turner, another (redhead) of Kate Bush and the third – a blonde – of Dusty Springfield, but none Mick  Jagger.

What was recognisable was the quality of the compositions.

Songs like Jumping Jack Flash, Satisfaction and Ruby Tuesday caught the mood music of the sixties and in every sense were/are pop classics.

The Stones were a great live band too and still tour.

I remember a conversation with a good friend, knowledgeable on the music of that era, going to a black tie dance where Satisfaction was played that in his view reduced the impact and their bravura to the extent that the spirit of the Stones was lost.

Incredibly the Stones still go on tour and by all accounts are playing well even in their eighties.

So is a tribute band necessary?

In today’s era so much is streamed and that is how a younger generation gets their music.

Many were openly filming the show with their mobiles. I felt distracted by this – what did the performers feel?

A round of drinks at the bar in the Palladium (one middle sized wine, one small wine and a pint of lager) set me back £30 and I had to leave one queue as the machine broke down, so I had to question the whole experience too.