Now Remember…..You Can’t Always Get What You Want…

It is an extraordinary feeling when you get to treat your parents to something special. I remember one of the first times I took my dad out to dinner when he came to visit me at Stanford; when I pulled out my credit card, he sat back in his chair and had this ‘proud-dad’ look on his face like, “She’s all grown up. My job here is done.” I was equally excited about the moment. It was a fun way for me to say thank you for all the amazing things he had done for me. I know, it was only a dinner but the moment was priceless.

For 50 years, and we calculated it with shock at our discovery…but for 50 years my mom has wanted to see The Rolling Stones in concert. She was always sad she never saw The Beatles…in fact, she cried when I took her to a taping of “Last Call with Carson Daly” and she got to see Ringo Star. I think that emotion surprised her more than anyone. But with the Stones, she still had a chance. Mick doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon…but touring? That may well come to a curtain call soon.

She was a shot away from buying tickets to their concert in London the last go-around, but didn’t. Too expensive. So when I saw they were back at it again, I knew what I had to do; it was my grateful, thankful daughter duty…and, I wanted to be there to see her face when Mick hit the stage in his tight pants. PRICELESS. So, I found a date that would work, got some flights with miles and everything fell into place. I called her and told her she was going to The Stones and I am fairly certain she went straight back to her teenage self when she screamed through the phone. For months she would tell anyone who would listen…and a few who wouldn’t, that she was headed to Detroit to FINALLY see her Rolling Stones in person. And, every time she did, I would smile…quite proud of how much this trip meant to her.

It is amazing to me the power of music. And for certain generations, it means a bit more…the fact that at 68 years of age, she can listen to “Satisfaction”, close her eyes and suddenly she is a teenager in Tekamah, Nebraska again. Brilliant. I love the Stones but for me, it is U2. “One” “I Still Haven’t Found What I am Looking For” “The Streets Have No Name”…they take me straight back to my high school self, standing in the quad wondering what the future has in store but smiling cause of all the amazing possibility!

It’s fun going to a concert with your mom. The entertainment starts with the packing. Her biggest concern was what pants to wear or whether or not to take a “light jacket”. You’ll be relieved to know we worked it all out. I scoured the internet to find us a Stones t-shirt to wear to the concert…knowing we were gonna splurge and buy an authentic one at the venue for the equivalent of a semester of college tuition. I found these at Target for $12.99…it all evens out. She wanted to know what I thought we would be eating at the concert. I looked at her with a smile and said, “Does it really matter?” Mick Jagger will be on stage! She quickly shook her head and said, “Of course not!” Mick Jagger will be on stage!

We are moments from touch down in Detroit. My goal is to soak up the show in front of me and enjoy the Stones as well. My mom’s experience is going to be what I truly want to remember. Family is everything. And as I write that all I can think of is the kids last night acting out how grandma was going to be dancing at the concert. *insert imagination here*

I am now a day removed from the most amazing concert and my mom and I find ourselves pinching each other, as we truly cannot believe we saw The Stones. They FAR exceeded our expectations. I got the chills at least a dozen times as the acoustics would literally sweep me out of my seat.

The best part was when they announced ‘Ladies and Gentleman, ‘The Rolling Stones!;’….that’s when I turned to my mom and said, “Can you believe it?!” We both couldn’t! They came on stage at 9:30pm and for 2 hours, Mick Jagger didn’t quit. I would look at him and think 2 things…1. I can’t believe I am actually watching Mick Jagger and 2. I can’t believe he is as old as my dad! His waist is so skinny, my mom and I became obsessed at figuring out his pant size! (we think he has a 28 waist) And when he did his awesome, over-the-top hand Jagger hand gestures, I would erupt with delight! He is BY FAR the coolest almost 72 year old (his birthday is July 26th) I have ever seen.

My favorite songs were “Moonlight Mile”, “Midnight Rambler” and the best encore in the world with “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and “Satisfaction”. We took video of our favorite moments, trying to capture Mick at his Mick-est and to show people what we were experiencing…also, so we would NEVER forget it. I think we knew, deep down, that we wouldn’t believe it actually happened when we woke up in the morning.

It’s funny cause we decided to wear the concert t-shirts home that we fought to buy (the crowds to pay $40 a shirt were insane and equally worth it) and we were immediately in such a fun club. Fellow concert goers came up to us at the Delta terminal and we smiled as we reminisced about the night. One guy even said to me in the coolest, calmest voice as I got off the plane, “Now remember…..you can’t always get what you want….”. I smiled as if he was reading my mind. When you really think about those lyrics, and I have a ton since the show, you get a better understanding of why music from that generation meant so much. “You can’t always get what you want. But if you try, sometimes, you get what you need.” Amen.

My mom and I feel so honored to have been in the audience to experience The Rolling Stones. It was beyond a memorable 30 hour trip to Detroit, it was the greatest gift we could give one another. Her to see The Stones and Me to watch HER watch The Stones. I am so glad we took the time and effort to mark something magical off of my mom’s bucket-list. And now, we can’t wait for our next adventure. It’s gonna be pretty hard to top this one, unless “Start Me Up” is playing in the background☺