July started well with a "Rolling Stones Day" on the 4th. They were playing (the old) Wembley Stadium. The day started with a rendez-vous at Brian's flat in Muswell Hill and then a second rendez-vous at Trev and Michelle's in Hendon. They lived in the smallest dwelling unit I had ever seen. You couldn't have called it a flat. The whole place was created out of a single garage. Part of the preparation for the gig involved everyone passing round Trev's prized collection of original 45rpm 7" Stones singles. He said he had bought every one on the day it was released. There was something spiritual about handling and passing on the pile of vinyl. The general feeling of euphoria and well being could have been chemically enhanced, of course. The records werre not the only things passed around. Furthermore the vinyl was not the only connection to the Stones. Trev himself was very tenuously linked to the Stones in that he once played in a Cheltenham band called the Ramrods. An earlier incarnation of the Ramrods had included Brian Jones before he was introduced to Mick Jagger by Alexis Korner and shortly after the Rolling Stones were born.
The Concert at Wembley was absolutely fantastic and remains by a long way the very best live concert I have ever seen. I couldn't even begin to describe how good it was. If you want a flavour I recommend Julian Temple's film called "The Rolling Stones: Live at the Max". As countless reviews on the internet say "The film manages to capture the euphoria of a live event due to the IMAX system format: a huge 70mm image projected on 50 X 70-foot screen, accompanied by 6-track "surround sound." It was filmed at various concerts in Turin, Berlin and London". It is entirely possible that part of it was filmed at the concert we were at. So if you look very carefully you might see me down in the crowd. What they say in those reviews is true too. I know because I was there at Wembley (or might have been, if you follow me) and I did go to Bradford with Steve and Brian to see the IMAX Movie too. That's another road trip story for another time.
Mind you just over a week later I saw The The at the Albert Hall. My mate Steve had managed to get hold of tickets that were surplus to the requirements of anyone at Barings Securities. They had a private box at the Albert Hall and for some reason it appeared that no-one at Barings was interested in seeing the band. Barings went bust, didn't they? I was lucky to get into the Albert Hall at all. Steve really did have the tickets but had only managed to fax me a copy of mine. He was late arriving and I persuaded the staff on the door to let me in. There was something surreal about watching a gig all alone from the elevated vantage point of a private box.
Steve did turn up eventually. After work social commitments had delayed him. These commitments had also made him extremely drunk. He was apologetic. It wasn't his fault. He didn't know. It was a shame he'd missed half the gig because it was really good. Johnny Marr on guitar and harmonica. I recall Matt Johnson saying that it was going to be the last live performance the band would ever do. I don't know if that was true but if it was I am extra glad I was there. Cheers Steve!
