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Our Trip to see the Rolling Stones concert last year

We left home on the Gold Coast at 5.15 in the morning, heading south along the Pacific highway towards Sydney.

Twelve hours later we arrived at our hotel in Paramatta, located about thirty minutes from the Telstra Stadium where we would see, possibly for the last time in Oz, the greatest rock n’ roll band in the world, ‘The Rolling Stones’

We were hungry and too excited to stay put, so after checking in we went for a wander down the road and back to see how far it is and came across a whole street of Chinese restaurants.

I kept thinking, ‘Mick and the boys are probably here already and could be staying somewhere near the Stadium, maybe not that far from here.

What would I do if, coming from around the corner of a dark street, Mick and his coach were suddenly jogging towards me ??’ I’d probably stare and be lost for words, then maybe Mick would say, ‘wot you lookin’at ???’

The place we chose to eat at was the least trendy and looked a bit like someone’s
lounge room with a coupla huge fish tanks against the wall. (the big fish in the tanks were drawing straws to see who would be eaten next !!)

There were cheap looking tables and chairs, a white ceiling with a recess in the middle that was probably the home for a fan at one time, and there were big menus stuck on the ‘I’d really like some paint on me’ walls.

There was a short lady with hairy legs (not true,the hairy legs bit, she was wearing jeans) standing on a box so she could reach the cash register, and the place had a ton of atmosphere.

After one of the best and cheapest Chinese meals we’ve had (I think Julieanne will agree), we walked around for awhile before we went home and crashed.

Concert Day

7.00 am. breakfast

8.00 am. doing tourist type stuff around Paramatta (with maps stuffed in my pockets, enough water to last for a week and of course, taking lots of photos)

1.00 pm. lunch in the same Chinese place (bwediful!!, we couldn’t resist)

3.00 pm. home for a cuppa tea and a lie down (resting our tourist’s feet)

5.00 pm. on the train heading for Telstra Stadium

6.00 pm. souvenier hunting and finding our seats in the Stadium

7.30 pm. support band

9. 00 PM…….. the whole place fell into darkness.
The huge screen above the stage started flashing very fast coloured line images that made me think of the beginning of the universe. The accompanying music was very fast and intense.(was it leading to the ‘Big Bang’ when everything started, or an even Bigger Bang ??)

Suddenly it all stopped as fast as it started, a few seconds of darkness………………………………………………, then,
Keith’s guitar blasted out the introduction of Jumping Jack Flash and the whole stage lit up.

Fifty Eight Thousand fans roared, then Mick strutted onto the stage, lifted the mike to famous lips and sorta sang and yelled,

‘I WAS BORN IN A CROSSFIRE HURRICANE‘
Everyone went crazy, it’s was truly amazing, the “STONES” were HERE !!, right here in Sydney, jumping around like twenty year olds, as loud as buggery and firing on all eight cylinders.

There are so many bands doing tribute shows these days I had to think for a second, ‘Oh Yeah !!!!, it’s the REAL Stones.’

They played all their big hits, some new songs and a few real old ones like ‘Get Off My Cloud’. Mick was tapped into his endless energy supply doing his effortless stage
antics, running, skipping and strutting from one end of the stage to the other.

Jagger reminded me of an old lion, prowling, demanding attention, marking his territory (not literally thank god!!) and wiggling his backside at the women
just to let them know he still ‘had it’.

Keith, well he is just the greatest character to ever hit the rock n’ roll stage. The old pirate swaggering around his ship yeilding his guitar like a cutlass. When he played a solo, so loud and soaring above the rest of the band there was just KEEF……..just get outa the way or you’ll be walkin’ the plank.

Woody was a character as usual, interweaving his great playing with Keith, always ready to join in the fun and games with Mick and grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Naturally the band was held together by the the great ‘Wembley Whammer’,
or ‘Charlie the Sticks Man’ as Mick calls him.

Lisa Fischer, Blondie Chaplin and Bernard Fowler did an awesome job on
backing vocals. The lively, luscious, lovely Lisa Fischer, in a red dress that revealed more than enough leg to keep the male punters happy, came out front and sang
‘The Night Time Is The Right Time with Mick, what a voice.

The lighting and the stage design was great, about halfway through the night the band got onto a small stage that moved out into the middle of the arena giving everyone a closer view.

I swung my binnoculars around for a closer look and was taken aback when all I could see were two ‘big lips’ (the logo above the stage)

It was a great night and at the end they came out and did their usual enchore, a ten minute(or more) version of ‘Satisfaction’

The Rolling Stones did their final bow and left the stage.

The crowd cheered and clapped for five minutes and instead of a second enchore the sky lit up with beautiful fireworks on a grand scale.

A fitting end to a great show by four rock legends, Mick, Keith, Charlie and Woody.

good onya guys, keep on rockin’

P.S. I took loads of great photos, one problem though, there was no film in the camera !!!!

Set List Telstra Stadium

1. Jumping Jack Flash
2. Let’s Spend The Night Together
3. You Got Me Rocking
4. Oh No Not You Again
5. Dead Flowers
6. Angie
7. It’s Only Rock’n Roll
8. Tumbling Dice
9. Night Time Is The Right Time
— Introductions
10. This Place Is Empty (Keith)
11. Happy (Keith)
12. Miss You (to B-stage)
13. Rough Justice
14. Get Off Of My Cloud
15. Honky Tonk Women (to main stage)
16. Paint It Black
17. Sympathy For The Devil
18. Start Me Up
19. Brown Sugar
20. You Can’t Always Get What You Want (encore)
21. Satisfaction (encore)

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