Rolling Stones Rock Durham , North Carolina!!

Mick on stage in Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, North Carolina last night. (photo by Chuck Liddy - I didn't smuggle my camera in ) More great photos and a story are at: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/2813458p-9259202c.html My daughter and I were there. Another great Stones show for me, it was her first at age thirteen. I have seen 6 Stones shows across the years from many different tours and this one was as good (or better) than any I have seen. It is so hard to say one Stones show or tour is better as they have all been great. All I can say is they don't call them the World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band for nothing. "We have 265 people on the tour, 11 buses, 70 trucks per stadium show," said Dale Skjerseth, the production manager for the band's U.S. tour. "Everything you see back there is what I have to tend with, and the dressing room compounds, trucks coming in and out." Wow. As for the stage, well I think the band out-did themselves this time. I heard estimates of 80 feet tall, eleven stories tall, on and on....to me it looked exactly like someone had planted a huge office building in the end zone of Wallace Wade. The thing would come to a different life as each song played. Never have I seen such a light show from any concert production. (They had several cranes putting this thing up since Monday according to my Brother who was at Duke earlier in the week) Fireworks, Towering flames from the roof on each side, lights inside, outside, multitudes of flashing and moving colors as Mick belted the tunes of the many decades of the Stones. "Dead Flowers", "Sympathy for the Devil", "Brown Sugar", "Rough Justice", on and on...Keith even did his version of "The Worst"...very cool. The sound was as clear and good as any show. There were estimates of a sold-out capacity of 36,000 people there and I can believe it. The crowd looked like a cross between a AARP convention and young teenage couples, a few of which, should have gotten a room vs. spending big bucks to see a music show! There were $10 flashing tougue buttons flashing all over a dark stadium all night. (yes I was a victim and bought two for me and my favorite girl) The sky kept trying to mist the remnants of tropical storm Tammy on our heads but we stayed mostly dry. What a night. As we made our way back to our car across campus though the throngs of people a smile went across my face as I as thought about the show. The Stones make one feel very alive even at my middle age. Life is good.