Ed Masley

The Republic | azcentral.com

The Rolling Stones were midway through rocking the cross-generational masses at Empire Polo Club on the opening day of Desert Trip, a music festival bringing together no fewer than six of the most iconic figures in the history of rock and roll, when Mick Jagger playfully welcomed the crowd to "the Palm Springs retirement home for genteel musicians."

It was a brilliantly Jaggeresque nod and a wink to the snarky re-branding of Desert Trip on social media and elsewhere as Oldchella. And then he went back to doing what he does best every time he takes the boys back on the road – proving that time, as it turns out, is still on their side.

Let's face it, if you need your Rolling Stones to look the way they did in 1968 – or even in the video to "Miss You" 10 years later – that's not gonna happen, nor is it a realistic expectation. They look older now, from the lines in their faces to Keith Richards' mess of white hair sprouting from the top of that unflattering bandana, although Jagger at 73 should be an inspiration to us all that there are things called gyms that you can go to and maybe still not be as fit as he is but it couldn't hurt to try.

He worked the stage like the Jagger of legend and sounded amazing from the time they hit the stage to the opening riff of "Start Me Up." The reason these guys get away with labeling themselves the World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band is because the cockiness it takes to run with that informs their every move. That's why it feels like such a quintessential rock and roll experience. They own that stage because they know they do. And it translates to the back rows of the biggest venues.

The Stones are down to four core members as they have been since Bill Wyman left the fold. Three originals – Jagger, Richards, drummer Charlie Watts – are joined by Ronnie Wood, the newest member of the inner circle, who signed on just in time to play on 1975's "Black and Blue." But they've assembled a stellar assortment of backing musicians through the years, including Darryl Jones on bass to Chuck Leavell on keyboards and percussion, Matt Clifford on keyboards, Tim Ries and Karl Denson on saxophone, Bernard Fowler on backing vocals and percussion and Sasha Allen on backing vocals.

The auxiliary players allowed them to flesh out the songs in a way that recaptured the essence and much of the sound of the studio recordings, while the two guitarists did their best to keep it loose and sloppy. It's that combination of this well-rehearsed, professional ensemble playing and a hint of total chaos at the core that makes it what it is. And what it is, is just amazing.

After four decades of playing together, Keith and Ronnie have a chemistry that's pretty much unrivaled in the history of rock and roll, each taking his turn in the spotlight while otherwise bobbing and weaving around each other's parts like drunken sailors, finishing each other's thoughts, occasionally not quite gelling in the best way possible. They're perfect for each other, really.

They slipped in a song from their forthcoming album of blues covers, "Ride 'Em On Down" by Eddie Taylor, and sent one out to Paul McCartney, who was in the house and loving it, with the Beatles' "Come Together." That's the first time they have ever played that Beatles cover live, which makes it exactly the sort of historic performance you're hoping to see at a concert of this magnitude. And watching McCartney watching them perform it from where I was sitting made it that much more historic for the people in my section.

Their version was extremely faithful to the "Abbey Road" original, if somewhat funkier, with Jagger adding blues harp to the mix. And Jagger introduced it in his own inimitable fashion. "We're gonna do a cover song," he said, "of some sort of unknown beat group that you might remember. We're gonna try one of their tunes. Are you ready?"

Other than that and one instance of Richards slowing it down with that "Slipping Away" song from the "Steel Wheels" album and following through with "Little T&A," the first time they've played that song since 2007, the set list put the focus squarely on the staples, relegating "(I Can't Get No Satisfaction)" to the encore-closing spot, where it followed a rousing "You Can't Always Get What You Want," for which they brought in a choir without overdoing it.

In a set full of highlights, the ones that may have stood out to me included a gorgeous "Wild Horses," "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)," "Come Together," an awe-inspiring "Midnight Rambler," a very funky "Miss You" thanks to Jones' bass work, "Gimme Shelter" (which made the most of Allen's soulful voice), "Brown Sugar," "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and the two-song encore, which ended in fireworks.

MORE: Get the Things to Do app | Best things we saw at Desert Trip | Talking 'bout several generations of fans who were there | What to know if you go | Day 3 review: The Who rocks, Roger Waters bring theatrics | Day 2 review: Neil Young joins Paul McCartney on two classic Beatles songs

Bob Dylan, or unlike a Rolling Stone

Dylan set the tone for his performance with a recording of "Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine" from "Blonde on Blonde," accompanied by vintage photos. Then he stayed with that two-record triumph to kick off the set with a rollicking "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35," Dylan on piano leading his loose-limbed country-blues ensemble through a spirited performance that featured him playfully changing the words to "They'll stone you like you got hit by a truck" not once but twice (for reasons known only to Dylan).



He stayed in the '60s for "Don't Think Twice It's All Right" in an awesome arrangement that found Dylan taking liberties that clearly paid off on the phrasing. And he followed through with "Highway 61 Revisited," a performance that managed to swing even harder than "Rainy Day Women," and a pedal-steel-fueled country-rock rendition of "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue."

I cannot stress enough how brilliant a job this particular stage full of backing musicians has gotten at following Dylan's mercurial lead, with a special shout-out to the drummer, George Receli, who gets exactly how the blues-based songs in Dylan's set are meant to swing. And yes, they would still mean a thing without it, but the swing is crucial, and Receli nails it every time.

As for the singing, Dylan's voice is obviously not the instrument it was when he recorded "Blonde on Blonde." It's much lower and raspier now, to the extent that on occasion it sounds as though his vocals have been filtered through a broken speaker. But the man remains a brilliant singer, a master of phrasing whose latest albums boldly speak to that.

Given the way he's been stacking the sets on his own tour with songs made popular by Frank Sinatra, in keeping with the concept of his two most recent albums, "Shadows in the Night" and "Fallen Angels," this was clearly a nod to the festival setting.

Of course, Dylan playing a "festival set" is a markedly different experience than what the Stones would then come out to do. He didn't speak, for instance. He just played. And his habit of changing up songs in a way that would render them nearly impossible for a casual fan to recognize? Four words: "Tangled Up in Blue." It sounded great that way, but it was clearly not the same song. Likewise, "Simple Twist of Fate" was recast as the sort of song that could have fit right on those Sinatra records.

Other highlights included "Early Roman Kings" (a very bluesy taste of "Tempest"), "Lovesick," "Make You Feel My Love" and two more songs from "Highway 61 Revisited" – a devastating "Desolation Row" and a caustic "Ballad of a Thin Man," which brought the set to such a brilliant close, I can't remember when the last I enjoyed a Dylan concert more was -- maybe the time he went out with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers?

I was still mulling that over when Dylan returned for a fiery one-song encore of "Masters of War," a fiery protest song that clearly needs no introduction but I would have loved to hear what Dylan had to say about how timely it remains.

Rolling Stones set list

Start Me Up

You Got Me Rocking

Out of Control

Ride 'Em on Down (an Eddie Taylor song from their upcoming blues album)

Mixed Emotions

Wild Horses

It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)

Come Together

Tumbling Dice

Honky Tonk Women

Slipping Away

Little T&A

Midnight Rambler

Miss You

Gimme Shelter

Sympathy for the Devil

Brown Sugar

Jumpin' Jack Flash

ENCORE

You Can't Always Get What You Want

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

Bob Dylan set list

Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

Don't Think Twice It's All Right

Highway 61 Revisited

It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue

High Water (for Charley Patton)

Simple Twist of Fate

Early Roman Kings

Lovesick

Tangled Up in Blue

Lonesome Day Blues

Make You Feel My Love

Pay in Blood.

Desolation Row

Soon After Midnight

Ballad of a Thin Man

ENCORE

Masters of War

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Reach the reporter at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4495. Twitter.com/EdMasley.