Grand Thoughts: Grandparents at the Stones, It's a gas, gas, gas

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Grand Thoughts: Grandparents at the Stones: It's a gas, gas, gas

Karen Nazor-Hill

We were like kids in a candy store - anxious, excited. We also were screaming, not usually part of candy store visits.

My husband, Hank, and I, our friend, Mickey Dobo, a former Chattanoogan living in Nashville, and about 48,000 other rock'n'roll fans were at the Rolling Stones "Zip Code" tour June 17 at LP Field in Nashville. It was hot. It was crowded. And we didn't care.

We were seeing the Rolling-freaking-Stones.

I have seen them three times and, though each concert was incredible, this one broke the record for phenomenal. Age was not a factor.

Like a lot of other grandparents in the audience, we were on our feet dancing, singing and screaming throughout the two solid hours of entertainment. Without taking a break, Mick Jagger, 72; Keith Richards, 72; Charlie Watts, 74, and Ron Wood, 68, never missed a beat. All the Stones are grandfathers, and Jagger is also a great-grandfather but, just like in his younger years, he never stood still for more than a few seconds. He ran and danced from one end of the stage to the other throughout the two hours. And he never appeared tired. Heck, he barely broke a sweat.

So for you young folks who think we baby boomers and those older than us are ready to be put out to pasture, think again. Hank and I stood next to a young couple from Colorado and the four of us (like most everyone else) sang the words to every song, jumped up and down, hugged one another and enjoyed one of the greatest rock'n'roll concerts I've ever seen.

Jagger told the audience that the Stones first played in Nashville 50 years ago. Incredible. It's pretty amazing to be sitting in an arena filled with like-minded people who admire the Stones, many of whom have done so for half a century.

Hank, a dyed-in-the-wool loyal Stones fan, says "Sympathy for the Devil" is the best rock'n'roll song in the history of rock'n'roll. He says the lyrics are brilliant - a sentiment shared by a ton of other Stones fans based on the noise level of the audience when Mick started singing: "Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm a man of wealth and taste "

I don't know that there will ever be another band that can hold a candle to the success and longevity of the Stones. Will my grandchildren go to a concert when they're in their 60s to see a band they and most of the rest of the world have loved for 50 years?

Not only did I, at 62 years old, and my husband, 66, rock throughout the show, we walked about 12 blocks afterward to catch a cab, went to bed at 1:30 a.m., got up at 6:30 a.m., drove home from Nashville and went straight to work.

So part of the legacy we're leaving our children and grandchildren is that you're never too old to have fun, and you're sure as heck never too old to rock'n'roll.

Contact Karen Nazor Hill at khill@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6396.