"It was bitterly cold and windswept as dusk descended on the frozen tundra of..." SOLDIER Field? Usually, those famous words would be attached to a description of a football game at LAMBEAU Field in the dead of winter, not an early October Rolling Stones concert in Chicago... but that is exactly what greeted the Stones and the thousands who braved the record cold to see the band in action this past week. The Stones gamely carried on their intended business despite the weather, and rocked the house with favorites as well as few surprises. Mick Jagger was as energetic as ever on stage (probably as much to fight off the freezing temperatures as to entertain the crowd!) and Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts bundled up and somehow managed to play with numb hands and fingers. Then again, Keith's handshake is cold and clammy to begin with, so I suspect he probably didn't even feel the cold! The previous day, the band invited me to come down to Soldier Field to check things out and get a sneak peek of what was to come the following night. Everyone was knowingly laughing about how glad they were that there was to be 470 individual pieces of pyrotechnics fired off during the show "to help keep us warm!" While there, I also chatted with the production crew to learn more specifics. The stage weighs 300 tons and is 204 feet wide, by 100 feet deep, by 92 feet high. The main big-screen is the biggest ever taken on tour, 50 feet by 50 feet. The inflatable lips/tongue logo is 30 feet high by 35 feet wide. In addition, 443 lights, 235 touring personnel, 152 trucks, 36 MILES of cable and enough generators to power a small city are used... and it usually takes a full WEEK (7 days) to set-up and tear-down. Because of the enormity of the production, there are actually THREE complete set-ups leap-frogging across the country to get set up in the next city in time for the next show. Stones ticket prices are near the top of the scale, but with the mind-boggling size (and expense) of a show they bring to town, one can see why. Precisely why the tour is called "A Bigger Bang." While in town, the guys took in the sites (as they usually do... Chicago is one of their favorite places), including Mick taking his son to the Chicago Children's Museum at Navy Pier.

The "Bigger Bang" tour concludes November 22 in Honolulu. Some are again saying this could be the last time... let's hope not... since the Stones "Rock 'n Roll Circus" is a GRAND time. (And a rollin' stone gathers no moss, right?)