Keith Richards, right, sports a T-shirt that takes its inspiration from a 1905 Maori portrait by C.F. Goldie. Photo / Getty Images
Keith Richards, right, sports a T-shirt that takes its inspiration from a 1905 Maori portrait by C.F. Goldie. Photo / Getty Images
While Keith Richards was rocking Auckland with the Rolling Stones, the sometime painter wore a T-shirt bearing more than a nod to Kiwi art history.
While the face on Richards' mauve T-shirt might have been his own, the style, the moko, the greenstone ear ornament and the bowler hat all recalled a famous and widely reproduced 1905 Maori portrait by Auckland painter Charles Frederick Goldie.
The "Auckland" badge in the image ties the garment to the Stones' concert before more than 36,000 fans at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday night, the final show in their global On Fire tour.
The Goldie painting, named All 'e same t'e Pakeha and also called A Good Joke, depicts Te Aho-o-te-Rangi Wharepu of Ngati Mahuta.
Associate professor of art history Roger Blackley, of Victoria University in Wellington, said Richards might have worn the Goldie lookalike to make a reference to local art, "to flatter the audience".
Comedian Jeremy Elwood said on Twitter: "Keith Richards is wearing aC.F. Goldie T-shirt. Title of coolestman on the planet is still taken."
Gloria Poupard-Walbridge, the owner of Cotter House, the exclusive Remuera hotel where Richards convalesced in 2006 after brain surgery at the nearby Ascot Hospital, said the legendary musician painted while he was there and she wondered if he might also have found inspiration for his T-shirt.
"I have a book on Goldie and he would have gone through it," said Ms Poupard-Walbridge, whose luxury retreat prides itself on its art. Her contact with the band was renewed yesterday afternoon.
Image 1 of 11: Ronnie Wood, left, and Keith Richards, right, rocking it as The Rolling Stones perform live at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland. Photo / Michael Craig
"Just now I had the visit of a very special guest: Patti Hanson - Mrs Keith Richards - stopped by unexpectedly [with Richards' manager Jane Rose] for a quick cup of tea and hot ham/cheese mini sandwiches, on her way to [their] hotel to pick up luggage ... She spent time looking at the sculptures in the garden. We had a lovely time catching up."
Meanwhile, a telco said mobile data use skyrocketed just after 8.30pm on Saturday as fans raced to share their first snaps of the Stones concert on social media when they arrived on stage at Mt Smart.
Spark said more than 4GB of data was uploaded by its customers sharing images and videos on social media, the equivalent of more than 8600 photos shared on Facebook as Mick Jagger and his band entered and played their first song of the night, Start Me Up.
Mobile data use peaked again at 8.56pm - at more than 3GB - as Jagger began Like a Rolling Stone. This was the equivalent of about 6000 photos shared on Facebook.
Singer on high after her big gig
Luana Prictor is high on the excitement of singing with the Rolling Stones in front of more than 36,000 people.
Luana Prictor said the concert was run like clockwork. Photo / Greg Bowker
The 22-year-old Auckland soprano is a member of the New Zealand Youth Choir, which backed the Stones for one of their encore songs, You Can't Always Get What You Want, at Saturday night's concert at Mt Smart Stadium.
Prictor - the daughter of Pauline Prictor, nee Yandall, a member of popular 1970s group the Yandall Sisters - said she was pleased with how the choir sang.
"It was incredibly exciting. To be honest, I haven't really processed it in my mind. It was quite surreal.
"Everything was very hush-hush and security everywhere. Then you go out on stage and there's thousands and thousands of people."
Prictor said the concert was run like clockwork. "They were incredibly efficient. We rehearsed with the musical director beforehand, then they took us up for a sound-check. That was the only opportunity we got to see the band. There was no partying afterwards, unfortunately."
