Sunday, December 16, 2012

Old Hippie Girl Danced A Lot

I just really got inappropriately and inordinately excited about that concert last night and then continued to become even more so.
I mean, I was ridiculous.
When I wasn't dancing I was sitting on the floor about six inches from the TV like a child watching Roy Rogers in front of the twelve-inch black and white on Saturday morning back in the early sixties.

It was like I got two hours of time off from aging and sorrow and worry and anxiety and pain.
Okay, the tequila and drugs didn't hurt either.
Hahaha!

No, seriously. Those old boys just kicked some serious rock and roll ass and they made me happy. I don't know what sort of a pact that Jagger has signed with the devil but he's getting his money's worth. I kept looking at Mr. Moon with an expression on my face like, "Are you fucking kidding me?" as the old man strutted and sang and didn't even break a sweat and then when Lady Gaga came on I realized that yes, I guess she's pretty awesome which I had never realized and after her duet with Mick the camera kept going to her in front of the stage, dancing like the panting fan she obviously is.

Here's the thing about Mick Jagger- he's a dancer. Check this out. If you feel like it.






And Charlie Watts- well, Lord. That beautiful old man sat back there and kept it all going and I kept thinking about what Keith Richards said in his autobiography about him which is that Charlie is the mattress upon the bed on which he lies.

Ronnie Wood looked like maybe he'd been dead for a few decades and then they dug him up and dyed his hair and strapped his guitar on him but fuck if he didn't sound incredible.

But. You know. Keith Richards.

Oh Keith.

It was very apparent to me that I am not the only one who adores this man. The crowd overflowed with love for him. He has become beloved, an almost Zen-like figure driving that train with his guitar. There were no histrionics or fancy pants moves. That was never his job. His job always was and continues to be to play his guitar and that's exactly what he did. I think he was onstage for every song and he seemed happiest when he was playing with other guitar players. That's when the joy broke through and he smiled that grizzly old smile. It was like the sun coming up in  Monument Valley or something. It was flat-out beautiful. The man has survived so much- not just the usual rockstar shit like heroin and multiple arrests and too-early success but also the death of a child, and yes, hitting his head on a tree and having brain surgery. And throughout it all, what kept him alive, what kept him going was the music.
The music.

And that's what it was for me last night. It was just the plain simple fact that these guys have been playing music together for one million years and they still are and you can judge them on any scale you want and they are still the world's greatest rock and roll band and for a few hours last night, we were presented with that fact and there was never one second that I felt like, "Oh, fellas. Time to pack it up."
It seemed, in fact, like they started out with incredible energy and by the end of the show when they did their encores of Satisfaction and You Can't Always Get What You Want (with full choir) that they were truly just warmed up and when Mick said, "Hope to see you again soon," that was not only nice to hear, it seemed like a good possibility.

Why not?

I read that Jagger said something recently about how great it's been to be back onstage with the Stones. How he realized that this really is what they're supposed to be doing- playing music- and what the hell else should they be doing? This IS their life.
Which is what Richards said about fifty thousand times in his book. If you're part of the world's greatest rock and roll band (okay, he may not have used those exact words) why in the world wouldn't you want to keep playing together? What could be better?

Oh. Sigh.
Well.

It's Sunday morning. Reality intrudes again. There is still such sorrow in this world and always will be. There is pain and yes, I am most definitely aging. But for a few hours last night, there was a sort of joy and sure, it was an incredibly commercially produced event and yes, we paid good money for it and okay, okay, I'm a grandmother and I'm sure all those guys onstage are grandpas and Mick joked about that, too, and then he twirled and whirled and flew across the stage and danced like no one in the world dances but him and he blistered the walls with his harmonica solo and Ron Wood kept his eye on Keith  and handled his guitar as if it were an extension of his skinny body and Charlie Watts never blinked once and sat up straight and thin as a wire and kept the beat and Keith Richards played guitar, he played guitar, he played guitar and he sang some too and although he's never been regarded as any sort of vocalist, he sang better than he sang fifty years ago so there you go and even Bruce Springsteen had to give up his title as The Boss for an evening and he didn't look upset about that at all but in fact, joyful and happy to do so.

Church services were held early last for the Church of the Batshit Crazy and Ms. Moon, old hippie girl,  rock and roll grandmother, danced and was made whole again. Danced and was grateful to be dancing to the music of the greatest rock and roll band in the history of the world, still doing it better than anyone else and as impossible as that seems, it is just the truth.

Happy Sunday.

Love...Ms. Moon








6 comments:

  1. Gaga and Mick... Who would have ever thunk it 45 years ago. Truly awe-inspiring!

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  2. I do believe you should add Rock and Roll Critic to your resume.

    That was awesome, and it made me very, very happy.

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  3. Okay, I want you to know that I've read all of your last posts, but haven't commented on all of them. The Cuban lunch in the car makes me want to be your best friend. The open window/hot flash stuff, the assisted living stuff, the anxiety, the excitement over a PPV concert...well, all that cements it.

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  4. Rubye Jack- FIFTY YEARS AGO! Can you believe it?

    Elizabeth- Well, according to the number of comments this post did not receive, I am not sure I should quit my day job. Oh wait! I don't have a day job!

    Rox- Hello! I'm so glad you've been visiting and that now you've taken the time to comment. I'm afraid I have to tell you that I'm not much good as a friend, being all agoraphobic and a hermit and shit, but thank you for saying that because it's a huge honor to be told you are being considered as a friend. And I mean that. I'll come over and visit you at your place, okay? Come back any time. Make yourself at home. We have a lovely community here.

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  5. Glad that you saw it and danced. The Stones are awesome. And they still rule.

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  6. Sounds terrific, worth every PPV penny!

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