One of the interesting things about tribute shows is that they attract a very different audience from most contemporary gigs. The people attending aren’t necessarily there to discover new music. They’re there to reconnect with songs that have been part of their lives for decades. Looking around the hall before the show started, it quickly became apparent that Emma was comfortably the youngest person in attendance by about twenty years. I suspect she felt like she’d accidentally wandered into a school reunion for people she’d never met.
Of course, the enduring appeal of The Rolling Stones is precisely why productions like this continue to thrive. Songs such as Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Paint It Black, Brown Sugar, Start Me Up and Satisfaction have become part of popular culture itself. Even people who don’t consider themselves Rolling Stones fans usually know far more of their music than they realise.
What I enjoyed most about the evening was seeing just how much affection there still is for these songs. The audience weren’t analysing performances or comparing versions. They were simply enjoying themselves, singing along and reliving memories attached to music that has survived generation after generation.
That’s one of the things live music does best. Whether it’s an emerging Scottish band playing to a few dozen people in a small venue or a theatre production celebrating one of the biggest rock bands in history, the connection between audience and music remains remarkably similar.
As for Emma, she survived the experience remarkably well despite the significant age gap between herself and most of the audience. In fairness, if you’re going to spend an evening surrounded by people several decades older than you, there are far worse soundtracks than the music of The Rolling Stones.
The videos and photographs below capture a thoroughly enjoyable evening celebrating one of the greatest catalogues in rock history.
The Photos
Cheers!
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