When they went into Sugar, the whole audience rose to their feet again, dancing and singing. Stratospheric energy. So cool! And then they said goodnight, thank you, and left.
No they didn't.
Two encore numbers: Gimme Shelter and Satisfaction. To perfection.
We gave old hippie Tim a hug and left as they were taking their final bows because we foolishly thought we'd leave the building, summon an UBER and get back to the hotel.
We briefly stopped for memorabilia. Very expensive. I got a Licks mug. Don't know how much it cost. I threw a credit card down, signed, and made off with it.
An ocean of people are flowing out of the stadium. Remember we're not stadium goers. A guy tells us that UBER is picking up at the Denny's across the road. We start walking. It's all uphill.
We're tired, we're hot, we're getting testy. The guy was lying. The UBER/Lyft is right on the road, not at the Denny's. UBER repeatedly takes and cancels our ride for nearly an hour. The hotel shuttle is running but they've dropped the schedule because the area is congested with traffic. Kid's sitting a concrete slab with a phone in each ear, one for UBER, one for Lyft. It's basically every man for himself. I suggest co-opting someone else's ride and get ignored. I
knew I could do it.
Some UBER or Lyft driver pulls up in the parking lot behind us, gets out of his car cussing his brains out at the rider. "You wanna drive the car? You're a goddamn drunk. Get out of my damned car!" (
What am I in Jersey?) I look around for possible cover.
Finally the heavens open and we get a driver that we can actually see coming across the road! He pulls into the parking lot, some cop comes and punches the hood of his car for what reason I don't know--he flings open the door and we're like criminals jumping into a getaway car.
And we get away. The driver is a resident at a local hospital. Apparently residents don't get paid so he drives UBER for 2 days. Get this. He's a cardiologist. Not joking. On the way back to the hotel, he gets a text from his wife "Oh Jesus Christ! Who is that?"
He picks up the phone and shows us his wife's text..."Ass!"
It was the best laugh we had all day, except for old hippie Tim. We discuss heart arrhythmia, meds, ablation procedures, and a 16 hour quad bypass surgery on a 500 pound man who died multiple times during the surgery. He got a copy of the video of the surgery to show to the man how many times he died. He said that when the man saw it, it scared him shitless enough to want to lose weight.
I authorized a 50$ tip. One of my co-riders thought I was nuts. I basically said that I try to be generous whenever I can especially when someone has been kind to me. I know it's his job, but still. He was kind and he made me laugh.
We crashed. Got up this morning, threw on clothes, ate whatever and as soon as I got into the car...I calmed down. What the heck. It was SO good to get out of the city.
So.
Was it worth 2K+? Yes.
Would I do it all over again? No.
I'm thrilled to have done it. I've loved the Stones from the very beginning. They are in my DNA. But, I am not a stadium person. You couldn't pay me enough to go back into a large stadium. Unless they start playing smaller venues, which they could, this was it for me. Or...and this is tentative. I was thinking about old hippie Tim and his weed. Thinking I might try edibles or CBD oil for anxiety. If that works and the Stones tour another year, I'd be all over it!
Then I'd have my hit and the Stones, too!
p.s. Please read or listen to Keith Richard's autobiography,
"Life". If you have no respect for the man, think he's a washed up dirty old recovered smack addict...it will change your mind. I guarantee it.
Thanks for reading if you did!
