A COLLECTIVE sigh of relief could almost be heard among the crowd at the Sticky Fingers tribute show on Wednesday night at Newcastle's Civic Theatre.
The opportunity to get back out and watch a gig has been a long time coming, particularly so for this touring show, which had already been rescheduled twice due to COVID restrictions and, damn, it felt good to hear live music again.
Billed as a celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of The Rolling Stones' legendary Sticky Fingers album from 1971, the show brought together Australia's own rock'n'roll royalty.
The audience was treated to Tex Perkins (Cruel Sea, Beasts of Bourbon), Adalita (Magic Dirt), Phil Jamieson (Grinspoon) and Tim Rogers (You Am I) on stage together with a six-piece band to perform Sticky Fingers in its entirety, along with a second set of The Stones' biggest hits to close the night.
Rogers opened the show with a bang, strutting onto the stage to the unmistakable riff of Brown Sugar, dressed in skin-tight sparkly emerald green flares and a velvet purple jacket.
His whippet thin frame served us Mick Jagger all the way, complete with air jumps and Jagger-style dance moves.
"I don't know where we are or what year it is but, my God, you people are pretty," Rogers told the crowd.
"Hello, Newcastle. It's f--ing amazing to see you all!"
Rogers set the bar high for what was to come and, by the end of the night, it was clear that he stole the show.
The You Am I frontman's own rock'n'roll credentials made him the perfect choice to bring the thrill and energy of the Stones' music to the stage.
Rogers tore through the groove-driven Bitch and clearly relished the moment, while Perkins' virile baritone took control on tracks like Sway, Sister Morphine and a duet of Wild Horses with Adalita.
His whippet thin frame served us Mick Jagger all the way, complete with air jumps and Jagger-style dance moves
Can You Hear Me Knockin' delivered one of the show's highlights. Jamieson bringing his trademark energy and playfulness to the song, jumping on to play bongos during the track's extended jam, which afforded the band the opportunity to show off its chops.
You don't hear much live saxophone in rock'n'roll these days and sax player Winston Smith reminded us of just how sweet that sound is.
The band deserves massive credit for bringing the sound of The Stones live to the stage, particularly lead guitarist Jak Housden who hit the mark each and every time he featured a solo.
Dancing was not permitted due to restrictions and this felt painfully unfair when the band returned for the second set of the night to rip through the Stones' biggest hit songs.
Jamieson opened with Start Me Up and returned later for the band's most disco moment, Miss You, while Perkins brought intensity to Paint It Black and Sympathy For The Devil.
Rogers introduced Adalita to sing Ruby Tuesday ("I named my daughter after this one," he told the crowd) and he got shirtless during his performance of Midnight Rambler.
This was Rogers in his element.
The hits kept coming: You Can't Always Get What You Want, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Gimme Shelter and (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.
One thing that was clear by the end of the show is that live rock'n'roll is good for the soul. And when it comes to rock'n'roll The Rolling Stones reign supreme.
