Stone Roses led a mass singalong of 90,000 people at their first London show in four years on Saturday (17.06.17).
The Manchester group – comprising frontman Ian Brown, guitarist John Squire, bassist Gary ‘Mani’ Mountfield and drummer Alan ‘Reni’ Wren – took to the stage at a sold out Wembley Stadium and delighted gig-goers, who had spent hours in the sweltering heat, with a 90-minute set of their classic hits.
Taking to the stage to the sound of the Supremes’ ‘Stoned Love’, Mani began with ‘I Wanna Be Adored’s distinctive bassline and from there, the crowd sang along with every word of every song.
Despite Ian’s pleas last year for the crowds not to let of flares, the crowd repeatedly did throughout the gig, sending plumes of brightly-coloured smoke in front of the stage, though it didn’t seem to put the musicians off their stride.
The quartet leant heavily on their much-lauded debut album, adding in just three tracks – ‘Begging You’, ‘Love Spreads’ and ‘Breaking Into Heaven’ – from maligned follow-up ‘Second Coming’.
They also dropped in 2016’s single ‘All For One’, though most recent release ‘Beautiful Thing’ still didn’t get to make its live debut.
There was no encore at the end of the gig, but with an epic ending of ‘Love Spreads’, ‘Made of Stone’, ‘She Bangs the Drums’, ‘Breaking into Heaven’, ‘This is the One’ and ‘I Am the Resurrection’, accompanied by dazzling backdrops and lasers over the crowd, the revellers didn’t seem to mind.
Support came from Blossoms, The G-O-D and Sleaford Mods.
For more information on how Wembley is connected by EE, visit wembley.ee.co.uk/.
The Stone Roses’ Wembley Stadium set list:
‘I Wanna Be Adored’
‘Elephant Stone’
‘Sally Cinnamon’
‘Mersey Paradise’
‘(Song For My) Sugar Spun Sister’
‘Where Angels Play’
‘Shoot You Down’
‘Waterfall’
‘Don’t Stop’
‘Begging You’
‘Elizabeth My Dear’
‘Fools Gold’
‘All for One’
‘Love Spreads’
‘Made of Stone’
‘She Bangs the Drums’
Breaking into Heaven
This is the One
I Am the Resurrection