Mick Jagger Takes L.A.
For half an hour last night, Hollywood belonged to Mick Jagger. The fifty-eight-year old Rolling Stone burned through a seven-song set in the very intimate confines of the El Rey Theater, mixing songs from his forthcoming solo album, Goddess in the Doorway,” with a couple classic Stones’ numbers. Those lucky enough to slink under the velvet rope — many of whom rock or silver-screen elite themselves — witnessed Jagger’s lone planned solo gig in support of the guest-laden LP. The rest of America will have to watch ABC next Thursday, where portions of the taped performance will feature in Being Mick, a Jagger documentary.
“This is the world tour for this album,” Mick told the roughly six hundred folks on hand from stage. “And you can say you were at every gig.”
Looking ageless in tight black jeans and a Lady Liberty tee, Jagger and his band of session men, reeled off four straight songs from Goddess — “God Gave Me Everything,” “Visions of Paradise,” ” Lucky Day” and “Everybody Get High,” before Mick strapped on a guitar of his own and announced, “We’re gonna play a couple of old ones.”
Though the mood had been feverish, it boarded on near frenzy as Jagger closed his set with “Respectable” and “Miss You,” occasionally strutting down the stage’s abridged catwalk to wild screams and outstretched hands (he closed with “God Gave Me Everything,” played a second time at the request of ABC’s film crew).
The one-two punch of this being Hollywood and this being a Mick Jagger solo club gig (his first non-Stones show in eight-plus years), brought an A+ list of celebs out for an evening of rock revelry. Among those taking in the affair: Jack Nicholson, Meg Ryan, Sean Penn, David Spade, Heath Ledger, ex-Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan, Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst, Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath, Black Crowe Chris Robinson and wife, actress Kate Hudson, Alicia Silverstone and perennial Jagger maniac/Backstreet badboy A.J. McLean.
Jagger’s spirited, crisp set, replete with his trademark slithers, had all in attendance buzzing at the singer’s ability to effectively stave off Father Time. “As long as you’re a viable artist,” Corgan said. “Age has nothing to do with it. Picasso did some of his best work after age seventy. People only bring age into the question when an artist’s viability is being questioned.”
“It’s insane,” said an obviously star-struck Nikka Costa. “I’ve never seen him play before. I’ve never seen the Stones, except in old concert footage. He epitomizes the rock god.”
“It’s the closest I’ve ever been to Mick Jagger,” said Fred Durst. “I could not fucking believe how good it sounded.”
Goddess in the Doorway, Jagger’s first solo album since 1993’s Wandering Spirit, hits stores next Tuesday. Those guesting on the album include Bono, Pete Townshend, Aerosmith’s Joe Perry and Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas.