The Rolling Stones, in an photo recently posted on their Facebook page.
As you may have heard, Mick Jagger said at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, Aug. 1, that he had enjoyed a meal of Taylor ham, egg and cheese and disco fries, with a sloppy joe to go, at the nearby Tick Tock Diner in Clifton. As I’ve previously posted, I have several strong reasons to doubt that this actually happened.
Still, many of the state’s media outlets (here’s one example) continue to buy Jagger’s story — not intended, I believe, to be taken seriously — hook, line and sinker, without even mentioning the many reasons to be skeptical.
To strengthen my argument, I’ve decided to compile the similar comments Jagger has made at every one of the stops of the Stones’ current North American tour (which returns to MetLife Stadium, Aug. 5). If you believe everything here, the health-food fanatic, who recently had heart surgery, ate or craved a hoagie in Philadelphia, beignets in New Orleans, chips and cheese in Houston, and an Italian Beef sandwich in Chicago.
In all of the tour’s shows, he has made some comments about local stuff. It usually (but not always) involves food, and it’s usually said after “Honky Tonk Women” and before he introduced his bandmates.
So, I’m still not buying the Tick Tock story.
Here’s a look at what he’s said on the tour so far, city by city:
Soldier Stadium, Chicago, June 21, reviewed by ConsequenceOfSound.com: “All throughout the night, he spoke highly of the Windy City, but he peaked when he joked, ‘This is our 38th show in Chicago, and I still haven’t eaten an Italian Beef. Wash it down with a Malört. Should I have it dry or wet?’ ” NOTE: Italian Beef is a kind of roast beef sandwich popular in Chicago. Malört is a liqueur made in Chicago and most popular there.
Burl’s Creek Event Grounds, Oro-Medonte, Ontario, Canada, June 29, reviewed by TheStar.com: Jagger quote: “For the next 15 minutes, it’s gonna be buck-a-beer courtesy of Doug Ford.” NOTE: According to urbandictionary.com, “buck-a-beer” is Ontario slang for beer sold at the cheapest legal price, which used to be one dollar, but is now more. Doug Ford is the premier of Ontario.
FedExField, Landover, Md., July 3 (see video below, at the 4:28 mark): “We’re so excited to be here in D.C. Tomorrow we’ve got the day off. It’s the Fourth of July. The last time I did the Fourth of July, it’s just fireworks. Now we’ve got tanks on the lawn as well! And fly-bys! And some inspirational speeches!”
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass., July 7 (see video below, at the 55 second mark): Mention of “a lot of famous Bostonians with us tonight” including New Kids on the Block, Aerosmith, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, July 15, reviewed by Nola.com: “He joked that the Stones, after (Hurricane) Barry shifted Sunday’s scheduled concert to Monday, had an indoor show rained out. Having arrived in the great restaurant city that is New Orleans last Wednesday, he was looking forward to jambalaya, po-boys and beignets, but ‘thanks to Barry, I had to eat room service for four days.’ “ NOTE: Jambalaya is a dish made with rice and some mixture of meat and vegetables; po-boys are sandwiches made with various types of meat and seafood; a beignet is a deep-fried pastry, akin to doughnuts and usually eaten for breakfast.
TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, July 19, reviewed by Jacksonville.com: “During the band introductions midway through the show, Jagger joked about how long it’s been since the Stones last played Jacksonville. ‘We’ve been sharing a room at the Seahorse Motel, drinking at Pete’s Bar, went to see a Jumbo Shrimp game and had two camel riders washed down with a cherry lime-ade.’ He mentioned how much he loved the stadium, because he could put his dog in the dog park.” NOTE: The Jumbo Shrimp are a local minor league baseball team. A camel rider is a popular local sandwich, defined by this restaurant as a pita stuffed with ham, salami, bologna, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo and onions.
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, July 23, reviewed by PhillyVoice.com: “I was on my way to Wawas (sic) to get my hoagie, but then I hit a pothole. Charlie (Watts) was OK cause he gets his hoagies from Sheetz.”
NRG Stadium, Houston, July 27, reviewed by Chron.com: ” ‘We went mutton busting. Not really,’ Jagger quipped. ‘It’s just something I thought you did here. And then to celebrate we had chips and queso and Lone Star beer and margaritas.’ ” NOTE: Mutton busting is a rodeo event at which children ride or race sheep. Queso is Spanish for cheese.
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