Wicked Glee

Every generation has its music and if a person listens closely, they will hear the soundtrack of their life. So many life events, contexts and emotions are recalled with a compelling song in the background … the hits the year you were born, your wedding song, hymns in church, your first kiss, are enriched by a special tune. The soundtrack of my life largely belongs to the Glimmer Twins and Nanker Phelge. Since 1963, The Rolling Stones have sung my songs and colored my memories. Now, I am an official Geezer Rocker (so are The Stones) and my wife and I trekked up to SoFi Stadium to experience the 2021 tour. We grew up together and their songs resonated wildly.

Yes, I loved MOTOWN, San Francisco Rock, Blues and Soul but no acts or singers have the hang time of the Greatest Rock and Roll Band. They deliver a song for every emotion – from Paint It Black to Shine A Light. They had a phrase, a riff and a tone that captured every experience with a dose of raw, ass wiggling rock in every case.

Now that the group has aged and lost Charley Watts the lads – like all of us – are fighting the turn of time. Splendid performers, they have invented a few tricks to help them get over with the audience. Mick Jagger is backed by a wall of vocalists and a wall of massive graphic panels that project the band members into the arena to the point that the audience feels that the performers are standing next to them; Mick Jagger does not run as far or as fast (who does??) but he still delivers the performance you’d expect from the greatest frontman in rock history.

In 1968, Jagger was interviewed and he described the Stones perfectly. Jagger plays some guitar on Jumping Jack Flash and he talked about settling in to a particular riff in a particular song. This riff is the one that comes naturally and gives joy. It is the song you can play with a, “wicked glee.” Keith Richards may be the best riff creator in all of rock so the opportunities for glee are frequent. Nearly everyone of the 50,000 attendees sang along with songs that spanned six decades. When Ronnie Wood launched into a guitar section that he really liked, his beaming smile lit up the joint. From my aisle seat I watched a diminutive old lady with no rhythm whatsoever dance for a solid 40 minutes getting more exercise than she had in this year to date. You can’t have this much fun without realizing the profound influence of this band.

Once again, The Stones made my life better and more joyous with their music. For a couple of hours I was no longer a Geezer, no longer worried about Covid…the Stones had given us all a bit of shelter. It was Off The Hook.