PHILADELPHIA - It was only rock 'n' roll, but 45,000 Rolling Stones fans at Veterans Stadium on Wednesday liked it - a lot.

The Rolling Stones might be celebrating its 40th anniversary, but there were no signs of musical aging at the first of three shows in the city. Sure, there are more lines on their faces, but some in attendance believe the Stones never sounded better. It was difficult to argue.

The Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famers played 21 songs in a two-hour-plus rock extravaganza featuring an enormous stage and light show, but the night was really all about the music.

The Licks tour features three shows at each stop. The Stones will play a large, stadium venue, a midsize arena venue and a smaller theater in each city on the tour. The stadium shows, like the Vet, boast a greatest-hits lineup, and the set gets more obscure the smaller the venue.

The tour continues tonight at the First Union Center, followed by a show at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, Pa., on Sunday. The Stones have been catering their theater shows to the cities they play in. So at the Tower, you probably can expect some classic R&B numbers.

Not so at the Vet, where nearly every song was recognizable to even the most casual Stones fan.

After opening with the can't-miss trio of "Brown Sugar," "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It)" and a killer "Start Me Up," which drove the crowd into a frenzy, the Stones offered a new song off their upcoming retrospective "40 Licks," called "Don't Stop," before getting right back to the hits.

By the end of the evening, the audience was treated to "Undercover of the Night," "Wild Horses," "Midnight Rambler," "Sympathy for the Devil," "Honky Tonk Woman" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash."

But there also were some neat surprises. Despite a lackluster cover of the O'Jays "Love Train," the Stones made some lesser-known tunes shine on a smaller stage in the middle of the audience. Those included "You Got Me Rocking," "Let It Bleed" and a crowd-pleasing cover of Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone."

But the show-stoppers came with the epic "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and the encore "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," which had the crowd screaming for more.

Teresa Fischer, of Port Elizabeth, could be included in that category.

Sitting about 30 rows back, Fischer, who was with her husband and friends, said she hopes her first Stones concert won't be her last.

"I've been a longtime fan of theirs, and they proved they can still rock," she said. "My favorite song is 'Satisfaction.' They made me wait until the end, but I was so happy when they finally played it. They have so many songs, you can't expect them to play them all, but that was the one I wanted to hear the most."

It's really amazing that the self-proclaimed "World's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band" still delivers after all these years.

Keith Richards - who never really looked to be the healthiest man alive - hasn't gotten prettier, but his guitar work remains as catchy and inventive as ever. He is the master of the rock guitar riff, although Wednesday's show could have done without him on vocals for the sloppy "Before They Make Me Run."

Richards' guitar counterpart, Ron Wood, is equally mind-blowing, and drummer Charlie Watts, while never flashy, shows why many consider him to be one of the most effective drummers to ever sit behind a kit.

But then there's Sir Mick Jagger. Ridiculously slim, energetic, electrifying and as arrogant as a rock star this big should be, the newly knighted vocalist sounds as good as he did 20 years ago. His stage presence commands your attention, but he knows when to step aside for Richards and the gang to show off a little.

The Vet hasn't seen teamwork like this since the 1993 Phillies.

As the confetti settled and the fireworks echoed at the end of the night, it was sad to see the night end. Imagine how we'll feel once these guys retire.

Although tonight's show at the First Union Center was advertised as sold out, some tickets are expected to be released at 10 a.m. today once the stage configuration is complete. Call Ticketmaster or visit

www.ticketmaster.com