I had a day off from work late in June in 2007, and I was listening to the Rolling Stones on my iPod, thinking about the great concerts my wife and I had seen in Chicago and Wichita during the band’s most recent Bigger Bang tour. It was great having a new Stones album, and the boys were energized to be back on the road. And the music was great! Mick had insisted that the band practice a large array of songs so that they could mix up set lists throughout the long tour, and it made the shows a lot more fun, and the band was playing very tight as a result.
Against explicit instructions from my wife, I found myself looking at the remaining tour dates, only to find that the Stones had wrapped up North America and were making their way back to England for a final three-night stand in London. It struck me that this might be the last time that the Rolling Stones would tour – I mean, they couldn’t do this forever. My eye kept moving back to that final show on August 26th, and I wondered how much flights might cost to London…
It was a beautiful Saturday in England when we landed, and we were checked into our suburban hotel by early afternoon. In an effort to shake off the jet lag, we decided to walk around and look for lunch. We had a day to attempt a ridiculous whirlwind tour of London Town, see the Stones the following day, and fly back to the States on Monday morning. We stepped into a nice restaurant, saw the menu, and walked directly back out to the street, stunned by the prices for a plate of food and a beer. Quickly switching gears, we stepped into a low-key pub and still blew the lunch and dinner budgets on two sandwiches and two pints. No wonder the Stones fled England in 1972 to record the Exile on Mean Street album.
I can say that we saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and the Tower of London, and we have the pictures to prove it. But we laughed at the speed we whipped through town, knowing we would never recommend this method of touring a new city to anybody. I’m pleased to say that we walked everywhere, so we were able to connect the sites in relation to each other in the city. My great regret though, which I’m determined to correct one day, came when we walked up to Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, and I realized that there were afternoon matinees we could have attended. The Globe was sold out that day, but I’m sure I could have purchased tickets when I bought the Stones tickets the month prior. To be able to say we saw a Shakespeare play and the Rolling Stones in London on the same day…
The concert was at the then-new O2 arena, and Mick was energized like it was the last show he would ever do – and it may have been. Keith, before the encore, promised the crowd he would be back, but it was clear he didn’t necessarily mean with the Stones. The band’s families came out on stage as the lights went up, and the standing ovation lasted over ten minutes. Rumors abound currently that the band has begun practicing for one more tour, but nothing is confirmed. If it becomes a reality, I’ll be there, but if the Stones finally pack it in, I’m so very glad I saw their final concert on August 26, 2007.
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