My Trip To The Stones Show

Alrighty, so this is a bit long and late, but what the heck.

Battle-Axe, the ever loving and lovely wife, scores some Stones tickets. Woo Hoo!!! We, including my son (who I named is Mick) were eagerly anticipating the day.

And then the day came. We live 25 minutes from the parking lot of Wallace Wade Stadium, the place where they were playing. So, what do we do? You guessed it. We drove 45 minutes in the opposite direction. 'Axe had also scored a VIP Rock n Roll party bus accomodations put on by a local ampitheatre as thanks to season ticket holders/sponser types.

So we get there at 2:30. What is waiting for us? Two huge coolers full of beer. Life is good. So we start drinking and then get onto the bus. Each (nice ones to boot) bus is about 1/2 full and with good music going. We, of course, go to the back.

After more and more beer, and what turned into a 90 minute bus ride drinking and having a good time with total strangers, we get to the Washington Duke Inn. It's one of those 5 start hotels located nicely accross the street form the stadium.

Before allowed off, we are told where to go for the official party they were putting on for us, and that security was tight because the Stones were staying there.

We go inside and in one of the meeting/ball rooms is an open bar, gourmet buffet and a very good cover band. Man, talk about living the high life. Good times. Mick, my son, was having a blast too. And we were worried....

So, after food and booze, we head out the door only to hear that we had just missed Keef and Charlie getting into their limo. DOAH!!!

Anyhoo, we had already missed the opening act due to the good time we were having. We get to the stadium, locate our seats and settled in for what would be a great show.

I'll spare the concert details as they are plentiful out there, but the highlight for me was them doing Dead Flowers.

Fast foward to about 3 hours later and the show ends and we're on the bus enjoying beverages (soda by now for me) and munchies. Most of the bus is in that zone. The 'omigodimsofriggintiredthaticanbarelymove' kind of zone. We get rolling, again with loud music, but this time it's a bit mellow.

It was that moment it happened. So few times in my life am I ever relaxed. Back of the bus, a good buzz wearing off, it's dark, most people are trying to catch a few zzz's. The city is alive outside the window, but inside the only thing you hear is the music and the only thing you feel is the vibration of the road and the deisel. I'm totally relaxed, and then the relaxation heads into overdrive. The Verve's Bittersweet Symphony comes on with that infectious synth rhythm.

Folks, that was the most relaxed that I have ever been in my life. A great day with the family, music, food and then the right setting to let it soak in. It's been almost a month now, but I am just now beginning to understand how I felt.

Oh, on a side note, I learned the next day that Keef and Mick wrote that tune I referenced earlier. Un-be-freakin-lievable.