On Monday night, The Rolling Stones performed at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. as their final North American stop before moving onto England where they will continue their 50 and Counting Tour -- a tour they claim will be their last.
Rock education has been a central part of my upbringing. I can remember my father singing The Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" to subdue the tears that fell in my "terrible twos" as I wailed over not having the latest season of Barney on videotape or had a temper tantrum in the grocery store when I couldn't quite reach the Frosted Flakes. I probably knew the chorus of that song better than I knew the alphabet.
Seeing The Rolling Stones live in concert sat as an unchecked item on my bucket list for years, and with the cost of tickets and the age of the band members rising higher, I figured my bucket list would remain in this sad, unfulfilled state for all eternity.
As fate would have it, tickets went on sale for The Rolling Stones supposed last tour date in America EVER, and my father could not pass up this opportunity, securing tickets before they sold out in their typical, lightening speed fashion.
And so it would happen: I would see The Rolling Stones in concert. I would be in the same room as The Rolling Stones! Granted, that room is, according to www.verizoncenter.com, "a 20,000-seat multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue," but I digress.
The Stones opened with "Get Off Of My Cloud," an edgy start, but an impressive one.
Throughout the night, Mick Jagger's voice only grew stronger, and his energy level somehow managed to increase precipitously as he began to incorporate more dancing and motion across the stage. How a person can sustain such stamina at age 69 is truly beyond me. He's an inspiration to all of us less than elderly people who occasionally find ourselves breathless at the top of the stairs.
The audience, on the other hand, watched The Stones from their seats as if they were watching a game of golf on their televisions. Although sitters may be expected in the nosebleed area that I occupied, the tongue pit, a section of the audience directly in front of the stage where tickets are worth $1,600, didn't really give back the same kind of enthusiasm Mick Jagger gave out. This is the world's greatest rock and roll band, and there they are on stage pouring their hearts out on their 50th anniversary tour, how can the audience not feel motivated to get up and dance?
I decided to sum up the audience's lack of movement to a case of the Mondays, and perhaps, in some instances, a case of arthritis. I shouted the lyrics of "Gimme Shelter" back to the band, trusting they heard me from 100 feet away, and I danced excitedly as heard the first "woo woo's" of "Sympathy for the Devil."
Although the concert featured no surprise guest as became customary with the other performances of the 50 and Counting Tour, Mick Taylor, former guitarist for The Rolling Stones, did make a special appearance on stage with the band. During the performance of "Midnight Rambler," Taylor accompanied The Stones to produce pure musical gold. The intensity of Mick Jagger's vocals reached a new peak as did his harmonica playing; Keith Richards, Mick Taylor, and Ronnie Wood complimented each other's guitar playing perfectly, which resulted in raw, clear riffs; and Charlie Watts was on point on drums, as always.
Keith Richards took a turn at the mic with "You Got the Silver" and "Before They Make Me Run," sounding and appearing better than he has in recent years, with a smile on his face that lit up the crowd.
When they played "You Can't Always Get What You Want," it sunk in that I had really made it -- my life with The Rolling Stones had come full circle.
After what amounted to a two-hour and twenty-minute all-around incredible performance, The Rolling Stones closed with a very satisfying performance of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," and thus ended one of the greatest experiences of my life.
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| The Rolling Stones performed at the Verizon Center to a sold-out crowd |
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| Both Photos by Alison Wallach |
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