The Rolling Stones in Israel: a special night!

It was a very special night. The atmosphere will stay with me, a party is what I call it. It didn’t matter that I was so far back…I could see there were people on a stage, matchstick people, ok, but watching the screen and then the stage, it kind of helped me ‘see’ the boys on the stage, if that makes any sense. I was desperate to answer the call of nature but that was easier said than done as each next song had me running back to my place. I offered friends a beer and by the time I stole myself to the bar, the beers were already in…the Stones defy the gravity of age (and sporadic debauchery) Charlie has just turned 73, Mick 70, Woody 67 ish, and Richards 70 (Mick Taylor a relative toddler at age 65)…Sir Mick must have a 28” waist, 2 hours non stop across the stage…it was better, I guess, to be at the back of the standing crowd, near the beers and the ‘facilities’ than to be a bit further in but squashed (especially as it was very hot that night). I’ve never been to a gig like that, al fresco, festival atmosphere, so relaxed, cool (not temperature wise!), singing….yes, a party but, at the same time, people lost in music (oops, wrong group!), enjoying their favourite songs, enjoying personal moments, times gone by, special times in their lives, songs which hit a nerve, “It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll”, “Get Off My Cloud”, “Brown Sugar”, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, “Angie”, the wonderful “Paint It Black”, “Satisfaction”….the list goes on… I never saw Elvis, Frank, Queen (with Freddie!), The Beatles and, of course, never will…I’m so pleased that I didn’t get to a point when the Stones would be added to that list! Big respect to the Rolling Stones for coming to Israel. They can certainly afford to pick and choose where they go…they get paid handsomely and if they hadn’t come here, they would not have starved. I guess the others in the entourage need the money more than ‘the boys’ but Mick and co are the bosses and if they had felt the pressure from Waters and those other haters, they could have caved in…there is no denying that if it was all about having an easy life, The Stones would not have come. In the words of Paul Anka (and big respect to him, too!!!), The Stones have always done it their way…and their way, coming to Israel, not Waters’ way, is the right way!