Even as rain soaked into his vintage "Steel Wheels" shirt as he walked into TCF Bank Stadium early Wednesday night — after spending an hour in traffic and $300 on a ticket — Rolling Stones ultra-fan John Sorenson said he wouldn't have it any other way.
"The Metrodome was the worst place to see shows, especially for the best band ever," said Sorenson, 48, of Minneapolis, recalling the demolished stadium where the Stones played three times between 1989 and 1997. "I'll take a little rain if it means getting to see them here."
The Stones are just the start-up gig for the busiest year ever for outdoor stadium concerts in the Twin Cities, as our recent spate of stadium construction seems to be catching the eye of concert promoters.
When the Stones rolled into town, the world's biggest touring band finally landed in an outdoor Twin Cities venue that matched their grandeur. It only took 52 years of Minnesota Stones shows.
"You're looking good all you Minne … Minneapolitans?" singer Mick Jagger boomed with a smirk after the opening one-two punch of "Jumping Jack Flash" and "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll."
Even with Wednesday's sporadic rain before the Stones set, most fans seemed to like it that the band touched down at the Gophers' six-year-new football palace.
"This is way better," said Matt Levitt, 39, of St. Louis Park, who also attended one of the Stones' Dome shows as a teenager in 1994 with his mother, Sharon Levitt. "Her generation still wants to see big rock shows like this, and so does mine."
Four more major shows and a few smaller stadium gigs are on tap this summer, including two more at "The Bank."