gathering no moss

I slipped out of work around 3pm today so Sky, Rev and I could jump in the car and head for Sydney to see the Rolling Stones concert along with 60,000 other lively fans at Telstra Stadium. We were the proud possessors of some awesome tickets.

How awesome you ask? Well here's the seating chart.

The guys came out on stage and my first thought was, 'dudes...you are OLD!' Talking to people afterwards, I think it was the first thing that crossed most people's minds. The Stones have been around for 40 years!

But then the music started and hit after hit started pumping out of the speakers. They owned the stage and Mick especially travelled the length and breadth of it stirring up the audience and working the place into a mass of yelling, singing, clapping fans. By the end of the show these grand-daddies of rock were jumping around like young guys playing their first big gig. Forty years on or not, these guys love what they do.

Keith Richards was a bit of a revelation. He is craggy and cool, with a rough, destroyed voice scraping out of his throat through the cigarette smoke. He's a textbook hard-livin' rock guitarist and all I could think about was Johnny Depp doing Jack Sparrow in Keith's image - an image that couldn't have been clearer as he stood 12 feet in front of me doing the 20th century version of 'ahoy, me hearties!'. Awesome.

Here's the set list:

Jumpin’ Jack Flash
Let's Spend The Night Together
You Got Me Rocking
Oh No, Not You Again
Dead Flowers
Angie
It's Only Rock ‘n’ Roll
Tumbling Dice
Night Time Is The Right Time
This Place Is Empty
Happy

(B Stage)
Miss You
Rough Justice
Get Off My Cloud
Honky Tonk Woman

Paint It Black
Sympathy for the Devil
Start Me Up
Brown Sugar

Encore
You Can't Always Get What You Want
Satisfaction


This photo came from Baps; I didn't sneak a camera in to this one. It's not fabulous quality, but very 'Mick being Mick'. Surprisingly, neither of us knew the other was going. Halfway through the concert, when the band is playing the B stage and are not easy to see, I noticed there was a text message on my phone from Baps.

Baps: I'm at the Rolling Stones concert.
Me: Me, too. Holy crap these guys are old, haha. And fabulous!

Later, as we're all making our way out, she must have checked her phone.

Baps: Are you at the concert, too?
Me: Yes, I am.
Baps: What was the last song?
Me: Satisfaction.
Baps: Where were you sitting?
Me: A6, Row E, Seat 4

Suddenly the messages stop and my phone is ringing. I answer to an excited Baps.

Baps: Who the bloody hell did you have to sleep with to get that seat??!!
Me: Thank goodness not the band! ^_^

Anyway, even if we did crawl into our beds around 4am, and even if I was 3 hours late for work the next day, it was worth it. There's something irreplaceable about live rock. I miss seeing it more often. I know, I know...it's only rock 'n' roll.

But I like it. ^_~