By Jae-Ha Kim
September 10, 2002
Chicago Sun-Times
Tickets are so pricey that
most of us won't be able to spend any night together with the Rolling Stones.
But if you keep your eyes peeled, you may be just a stone's throw from
one of the band members. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood and Charlie
Watts love Chicago and have a history of exploring the best it has to offer.
Chicago filmmaker Stephen
Andrzejewski, who shot a behind-the-scenes commercial with them the last
time they were in Chicago, had a bird's-eye view of the band in action.
"I've seen all of their
tours since 1978 and had a wonderful time spending some time with them,"
he says. "Mick was a little untouchable, but all the other guys were as
friendly as could be."
The Stones won't be feasting
on fare from their usual local caterer, Debra Sharpe's Eat Your Heart Out.
They've gone with a Canadian firm. Thanks to the exchange rate, it'll cost
them half as much as hiring the Chicagoans.
On their last tour, the
band eschewed limousines for vans. Expect them to do the same this time
around. Jagger and his bodyguard have one van to themselves. "There were
four vans total last time," says Andrzejewski. "Keith, Ron and Charlie
piled into one van and were almost sitting on each other's laps. Mick went
into his own. They put a little stool for him to step on, threw a blanket
on him and then off he went."
The Stones like to hear
the blues when they're in town. Sugar Blue, who has performed with them
many times, is playing Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at Rosa's. It's likely
at least some band members will check him out. Jagger likes Kingston Mines.
When it comes to restaurants,
Rush Street is always promising. Tavern on Rush, Gibson's and Le Colonial
are all band favorites.
A warm and tender moment with Watts
September 13, 2002
By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
Sandy Kagan-Angell was leaving
the Ritz-Carlton hotel to attend a friend's birthday party around 5 p.m.
Tuesday when a security guard tried to stop her from getting on the elevator.
A soft-spoken Englishman said, "You can let this lady on."
With a glance at Kagan-Angell's
tissue-thin leather shirt, he added, "I love your jacket." She replied,
"I love your accent."
They exchanged pleasantries
on the elevator ride, and he told her he was looking forward to attending
a Cubs game on Wednesday.
When she returned to the
hotel, she asked the security guard, "Who was that?" It was Charlie Watts--who
happens to be Kagan-Angell's favorite
Stone.
"Charlie Watts' 'Warm and
Tender' is my favorite all-time CD ever," she says. "I never travel without
it. But I didn't know who I was talking to at
the time. I didn't know they were staying here, and it was all out
of context. I wasn't thinking about the Rolling Stones. I was thinking
about my friend's party and my apartment that had flooded."
Now she's wondering about
the other Englishman who was chatting with Watts.
"I'm not sure who he was,"
she says. "He was a small guy who looked like Dudley Moore."
That rules out Keith Richards.
After their United Center
concert Tuesday night, the Stones had a craving for something their gourmet
caterer hadn't provided: sushi. Tsunami on
Dearborn was more than happy to accommodate Mick Jagger and company
when they rolled in around 1 a.m. to feast on maki, nigiri and other delicacies.
Wednesday night, Jagger
and Ron Wood headed over to Buddy Guy's Legends to jam with Guy on "Little
Red Rooster."
Jagger exercises religiously
when touring. Besides working out at the McClurg Court Health Center, the
whippet-thin singer does plenty of aerobics and weightlifting at weight
rooms especially set up for him at the United Center and Comiskey Park.
The Stones keep themselves
entertained backstage with at least one room designated for video games
and a pool table.
Butterfield 8 co-owners
Donnie Kruse and Demetri Alexander and promoter B.J. Murray are throwing
a shindig Sunday night at the restaurant's Honky Tonk Lounge. They're hoping
a Stone or two might stop by to sip an apple martini.
Rumor has it the Stones
will bid farewell to Chicago with a wrap party Monday night at the House
of Blues. All the parties involved insist this
isn't true. But would you expect them to say anything else?
Flu stops the music in Asia
March 27, 2003
By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
We expected it from Andy
Williams. But et tu Rolling Stones?
Glare is disappointed to
learn that after standing firm in Singapore on Wednesday, the bad boys
of rock have canceled their concerts Friday and
Saturday in Hong Kong, citing the flu outbreak in Asia that has killed
53 people worldwide. According a Stones statement, fear for their own safety
and for the welfare of their fans prompted the action. The band plans
to reschedule the gigs and is offering ticket holders full refunds.
The mystery illness known
as severe acute respiratory syndrome has caused the quarantine of 700 people
in Singapore. Locals have been wearing surgical masks in public in an attempt
to avoid the disease.
Meanwhile, in order to protect
his troupe of singers and dancers, 75-year-old crooner Williams postponed
his April concert in Hong Kong until
the summer.
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