The Rolling Stones Concert

The concert has come and gone. It was so much fun! My brother bought me the ticket and he also went to the concert but had a ticket in a different section.  The seat mates to my left was a couple from Columbia who are here on vacation. The young woman has lived in British Columbia before and has permanent residency. She was bringing her boyfriend to check it out and they may move here together if he likes it. The seat mates to my right were a mother and son from Parksville on Vancouver Island. The young man sat next to me and we had great conversation throughout the night. He was totally enjoying himself though he didn't grow up with the music like I did.

The first thing that struck me is how many gray haired rock and rollers there were in attendance, many of them wearing merch like t-shirts.  You could see that many of them have been rocking it all their lives. 

This was my section.

This was my view as I ate a snack before the show.

I enjoyed people watching.

I didn't realize the stadium was open air.

The opening act was a group from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania called Ghost Hounds and they were very good.

I uploaded one of my videos to You Tube and I will probably add more later to my channel. First I  have to figure out how to edit the videos a bit.  It's a bit of trial and error. This song is called The Midnight Rambler. I hope you like it.

I think the last time the Rolling Stones were scheduled to come to Vancouver, Covid broke out and the show was cancelled. Mick Jagger announced that it was 19 years ago when the band last came to the city and 59 years ago when they made their first visit. 

The show was excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It took 50 years to the month that I first played the Rolling Stones on my little 8 Track Cassette Player until I finally saw the band in person. I can still see the scenes in my mind from way back then.  Moreover I can still see mom and dad and how they were appreciating the music as much as I did and how they supported me in my love of the music.  (I loved them all the more for their indulgence of me).  I think they were just grateful that I chose to enjoy the music at home rather than running around town like a lot of the other teens we knew.

 The album was called Jumping Jack Flash  and it was the only cassette I owned of the band.  How fitting it was that the band ended their set with the song "Jumping Jack Flash".  It just felt like a very special evening which had come full circle.

I'm a Huge Fan

I just got two large surprises! 

My 'baby' brother who usually joins me and other family members for Christmas, has just advised me that he will be away as of Friday, December 22nd until sometime in the New Year 2024.  The trip came up very suddenly as he was at a conference recently and won the trip credits as a door prize.  He is always lucky that way when it comes to winning air credits for travel.  The same thing happened last year though it wasn't right at Christmas holidays. So it's a huge surprise.  I'll will miss his presence over the Christmas holidays and I'll also have less help eating the turkey and all the fixings.  I just bought the turkey today. Had I known he wasn't going to join us, I may have bought a chicken instead. Oh well, I bought a Butterball turkey so it ought to be tasty.

The second big surprise is my Christmas gift from him.  He wanted me to open my gift right away.  He presented me with a cute little gift box with a Santa waving on the front of the box. Inside was a handwritten note saying 1 ticket for me to attend the Rolling Stones concert when they pass through the city in July 2024.  I can't believe it!!! 

I've been a huge Rolling Stones fan since I was 16 years old. I still have very fond memories of me playing my only two (2) 8 track cassettes on a cassette track player I bought with my babysitting money.  The 2 cassette tapes were Janis Joplin (I don't remember the name of the album) and The Rolling Stones (the Jumpin' Jack Flash album). 

I would play those 2 cassette tapes all day long after school and play them loudly on constant repeat. Mom and dad were so good about it. They never, ever complained. In fact, they enjoyed the fact that I was enjoying the music.  They didn't have any concerns about my music choices because they actually liked some of it too and they knew I was a 'good kid' who didn't hang around with the wrong crowd despite the music.  My little brother who bought me the concert ticket, would have been about 5 years old during the time I was listening to these tapes.  He would have barely been out of his "Ruby Ducky" and "Country Roads" phase, lol.😂

Anyway I look forward to hearing the concern next summer Lord willing. When I first heard the Rolling Stones was stopping in Vancouver, I thought I'd like to hear them. However I'm not the kind of person who will do whatever it takes to get a ticket. I thought I wouldn't stand a chance anyway but I did happen to mention to my brother that the band was coming to town and it would be my last opportunity to see them if ever since Mick Jagger, the lead singer is now 80 years old! Keith Richards is also 80 and Ronnie Woods is 76. They are all considerably older than I am yet they still have the stamina to put on a concert every night and travel the world. 

Here is a video of the band performing Jumpin Jack Flash a few days ago in New York City.

What about you dear reader? Are you a Rolling Stones fan? Have you ever seen them live in concert?