Grade-schoolers and those old enough to be their parents and even grandparents sported T-shirts bearing a lascivious lips-and-tongue logo.

This could only mean the Rolling Stones were back in town.

Returning to Philadelphia for the first time in almost three years, the self-proclaimed, 40-year-old "World's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band" opened its much-anticipated three-show stand Wednesday night at the Vet.

The visit continues Friday at a sold-out First Union Center, and concludes Sunday at the 3,200-seat Tower Theater in Upper Darby, Pa.

Tickets for that show, which originally cost $50, are going for as much as $7,000.

Fans entering the Vet's concrete-and-steel bowl were greeted by the sight of the Stones' stadium-show stage, which tour production director Jake Berry described as one of the largest ever devised for a rock concert.

It's 215 feet wide, 85 feet deep and 86 feet high, includes 24 steel towers and takes hundreds of workers six full days to set up and strike.

Among the fans at Wednesday's show was Rich Morgan, 46, of Florence.

"They (the Stones) are the world's greatest, number one. The only band to see," said Morgan, the owner of Medford Florists, who was attending his ninth Stones show.

Morgan's guests included Joe Popow, a 46-year-old Webmaster who was seeing the Stones for the first time.

"This is the night of nights," said Popow. "We're expecting a good time, the show of shows. I'm looking for ( guitarist) Keith (Richards) to come out at the opening with a cigarette in his mouth, not knowing where he is, and just playing those riffs."
 

They're the ones who weren't at Veterans Stadium Wednesday as the legendary, 40-year-old rock 'n' roll band opened its three-concert Philadelphia stand with a typically strong, and frequently explosive, set marked by some of the most brilliant melodies and hooks in the history of pop music.

As expected, the Vet show - which will be followed by Friday's First Union Center concert and Sunday's blowout at the Tower Theatre in Upper Darby, Pa. - was pretty much a "greatest hits" affair.

After a brief fanfare of jungle drums, things kicked off with a pulse-pounding "Brown Sugar" ignited by the combustible combination of Keith Richards' slashing guitar chords and Bobby Keys' rip-snorting sax solo.

Next came a chunky "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I LIke It)," which was followed by what may have been the best version of "Start Me Up" ever heard on a Philadelphia stage. From there, to the full-throttle renditions of  "Jumping Jack Flash" and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" that capped the evening, the Stones kept the hits coming, with but a few well-timed detours onto less-familiar musical roads. 

There is no doubt many among the 45,000 or so in attendance will argue each of the program's 21 numbers was a highlight. However, the pointless reading of the O'Jays' 1970s hit, "Love Train" offered little more than a few chuckles, and the show's only new song, the up-tempo "Don't Stop" from the forthcoming retrospective package, "40 Licks," sounded a might too familiar.

On the other hand, "You Can't Always Get What You Want" was the set's emotional center, despite being just a tad mushy around the edges.  The slightly speeded-up "Wild Horses" likewise connected on a deeper level. The pulsating "Sympathy For the Devil" hit the right note of controlled frenzy. "Let It Bleed," one of three songs performed on a smaller stage connected to the main stage by a long runway, was surprisingly sprightly, as was another "B-stager," a toe-tapping rendition of Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone."

And then there was "Midnight Rambler," with which the Stones hit their peak and in the process created an in-concert moment for the ages. As Mick Jagger moaned his way through the dangerous and sexy lyrics, the band coiled and slithered behind him, locking into a ferocious groove that made the song a chilling swamp-blues masterpiece. 

But Wednesday's performance wasn't just about the material. Individually and collectively, the core members put on a rock 'n' roll clinic.

Charlie Watts' elegant, welded-in-the-pocket drumming is one of the wonders of the world. That he conjures such percussive magic on the most simple of kits makes his work all the more astonishing.

Richards remains the coolest human on the planet. His signature serpentine style of playing epitomizes rock guitar. And when he and rhythm guitarist Ron Wood weave their lines and chords together, or bounce them back and forth, well, it just doesn't get any better.

And then there's the impossibly trim Jagger. At 59, he is singing as well as he ever has. If there has been any diminishing of his vocal abilities through the decades, it was imperceptible at the Vet.

He also continues to be rock's most electrifying showman. How such a small, slender man can fill such a huge stage is hard to figure. But that's what he did Wednesday as he pulled out all his tricks. Shimmying, shaking, shucking and jiving, Jagger provided visual fireworks that perfectly meshed with the musical pyrotechnics set off by his band and their support staff, which included bassist Darryl Jones, longtime keyboardist Chuck Leavell, three back-up singers and the four-piece horn section led by Keys, a veteran of every Stones tour since 1969.

With their help, Jagger, Richards, Watts and Wood proved they can still mix it up like nobody's business - and made fools of anyone who thinks their time has come and gone.

Note: According to tour officials, changes in the staging for Friday's First Union Center concert should enable the promoter to release a small amount of tickets for the show some time after 10 a.m. that day. For more information, call (856) 338-9000, or go to www.ticketmaster.com.