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By Danielle Furfaro
Brooklyn Daily
The Rolling Stones have been touring for just over a half century — but those were just dry runs for the electrifying performance they held at the Barclays Center on Saturday.
Britain’s second biggest import left their gleeful audience — some of whom shelled out up to $750 a ticket — with a set packed with hits from its 50-year history.
That’s right, Mick Jagger — who’s pushing 70 — might move like a 25-year-old and have the hair to match, but his band has been together twice that long.
A tribe of masked musicians kicked everything off as they wended through the standing-room-only crowd banging out the drum beat of “Sympathy for the Devil.”
Moments later, the Stones took the stage, opening with “Get Off of My Cloud” and refused to slow down until the final bar from “Satisfaction” echoed through the Nets new home.
The Stones clearly showed that practice made perfect: they did a great job of simultaneously acting like professional showmen and a bunch of buds who have been hanging out together since high school.
Unlike many other aging bands who bring session musicians along to play the hard parts, Stones’ guitarists Ron Wood and Keith Richards tackled all of their own solos. They did, of course, bring along a fresh face to replace departed bass player Bill Wyman, and had some extra help on keyboards and backup vocals.
Guest stars included Mary J. Blige, who harmonized with Jagger on “Gimme Shelter,” guitar slinger Gary Clark Jr., who joined the band for a cover of “Going Down,” and a choir who replicated the opening aria to “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”