When I was a kid one of my earliest memories of music involved listening to what my brother was playing on his record player. Sometimes he let me put the needle on the record, which always made me scared that I would screw it up. He had a large vinyl collection, and I remember the imagery on the album covers. One of the most memorable images was a big red mouth with lips and tongue. 

Last night, my girlfriend and I continued our Legends in Concert series by finally seeing The Rolling Stones. 

T-shirt price check: US $45, $55, $65 and there were lines at every booth filled with people throwing $20’s and plastic left and right. It’s no surprise that this band occupies the #4 spot for highest grossing tour of all time. 

For this concert, World’s Saltiest Popcorn was replaced with World’s Most Stale Popcorn. I ate it anyway to make up for my lack of evening broth for sodium intake.

The opening band was called Kaleo and hails from Iceland. Opening bands are usually too loud for some reason and Kaleo was no exception. That said, this band’s music was definitely blues rock and there were a couple of toe-tappers.

I know it’s only rock ‘n’ roll (but I like it)

On to the main act. The Stones opened with Jumpin’ Jack Flash, which I started enjoying once I got over the shock of seeing how old they look. Nevertheless, the band performed with the energy and bravado the fans have come to expect.

In April of this year, the band announced a rescheduling of tour dates because Mick underwent a heart valve replacement surgery. You could have fooled me. He was dancing around that stage for 2+ hours and belting out the hits.

My last concert was Paul McCartney in June. Both Paul and the members of The Rolling Stones are from England and grew up in the same era. Mick Jagger is 76, one year younger than Sir Paul. I can’t avoid comparing the two shows. Sir Paul told many stories and played 38 songs. Mick did not interact much with the audience, and The Stones only played 19 songs. This is why the concert felt short to me–fewer but more extended versions of songs. They did play many fan favorites, and during a few songs (notably Honky Tonk Women) Mick’s voice was drowned out by the audience sing-along. I enjoyed the jamming and musicianship. This concert was less a thematic concept and more just delivering the songs we’ve been listening to on the radio for fifty years.

I am grateful for the opportunity to watch legendary artists. Next up: Rod Stewart reuniting with Jeff Beck for a one-night-only performance at the Hollywood Bowl in September.