Rolling Stones ‘Welcome to Shepherd’s Bush’ Features Rarely Played Songs: Review
by Jeff Burger
The Rolling Stones at Shepherd’s Bush, 1999
A gargantuan crowd—like the estimated one-and-a-half-million fans who gathered for a 2006 outdoor gig in Rio de Janeiro—adds energy and excitement to a Rolling Stones show. But relatively tiny audiences also have their pluses. They inject a note of intimacy and allow the band to loosen up, take chances, connect more with their listeners, and feature some personal favorites rather than just the hits the masses want to hear.
That’s why the Stones have occasionally performed at small venues, often with little or no advance notice. In 1977, for example, they gave an unannounced show at Toronto’s 300-seat El Mocambo club; and, in 2002, they turned up at Los Angeles’s 2,500-seat Wiltern theatre.
The group also went small for a “secret” June 8, 1999, concert at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire music venue, which seats 1,800. Like the El Mocambo and Wiltern gigs, this performance was recorded and has been released on disc on December 6, 2024. Called Welcome to Shepherd’s Bush, it is available in multiple formats, including vinyl, a Blu-ray-plus-two-CD package, and, in a first for this group, 4K UHD with a Dolby Atmos audio option. They’re available in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here.
Unlike some Rolling Stones videos, this nearly hour-and-a-half concert is presented on the Blu-ray with pristine DTS-HD Master sound. There’s also a high-quality widescreen picture, though the video’s surfeit of split-screen images can be annoying.
Like El Mocambo and Wiltern, the Shepherd’s Bush show—which came right before two sold-out performances at the 70,000-seat Wembley stadium—features a star-studded audience and a particularly fired-up band. “It’s so great to be back in London doing this gig with all our friends here!” proclaims Mick Jagger, noting the presence of such rock royalty as the Who’s Pete Townshend and Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and Jimmy Page.
The concert finds Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and the late Charlie Watts backed by such longtime accompanists as bassist Darryl Jones, keyboardist Chuck Leavell and saxophonist Bobby Keys. Their 18-song set includes a few numbers that the Stones often showcase, among them “Brown Sugar,” “Honky Tonk Women” (here with guest Sheryl Crow), “It’s Only Rock ’n Roll (But I Like It)” and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” But there are also some rarely heard numbers.
Among those relative obscurities are “Brand New Car” and the previously unperformed “Moon Is Up,” both from 1994’s Voodoo Lounge; “I Got the Blues,” from 1971’s Sticky Fingers; “You Got the Silver,” with vocal by Richards, from 1969’s Let It Bleed; and, from 1976’s Black and Blue, “Melody,” which the Stones had played live only once before, at El Mocambo. Also notable in the set are four numbers from 1978’s terrific Some Girls, including the title track, “Shattered,” “Respectable” and “Before They Make Me Run” (one of several songs to feature a four-piece horn section).
Throughout the set, the band seems to have at least as much fun as their audience. Even Watts, who often displays a poker face, can’t resist the occasional smile.
Related: Our review of a 2024 Stones show in Vegas
A top editor at leading consumer and trade magazines for more than 40 years, Jeff has interviewed dozens of musical luminaries, including Bruce Springsteen, Steve Van Zandt, Roger McGuinn, John Sebastian, Wolfman Jack, Tommy James, Tom Waits, the Righteous Brothers, and the members of Steely Dan.
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