As I set down to write what will likely be my best review ever I have a few things to clear off my chest.
I write as Sunak is reportedly planning to criminalize homelessness. Yet more shit from the shit stirrers for the fucking ages over the last decade and a half. Fuck right off assholes then go get fucked.
I wrote to my MP yesterday as a matter of importance. I have yet to receive a response.
I wrote to my football club on Wednesday and they were loving and responded right away.
I left my hotel yesterday morning knowing 100% that I was about to enjoy the greatest day and evening of my entire life. The park with THE view. The weather, The amble into North Beach. The missed turnoff. The carefree attitude. Lets see the Ferry Bldg. Lets chat to the guttersnipes. Let’s ask and ask again what is the actual time now. Lets sip a Japanese lemon beer and eat a purple yam croissant beside the statue of Gandhi. Let’s be inspired and share with others the poetry on the street. Lets now ask about fares on the trolley. Let’s walk anyway. It’s a steep climb but oh so worth it. Let’s instead of a Chinese meal stop at a sushi bar. Lets order the special. Let’s strike up a conversation with a lady from San Jose with her daughter who is cute. Let’s be inspired to visit. Let’s go in October one year north to south as it gets better and stop off in Hoian and use Grub.
Let’s sip more beer. Let’s find a couple of places recommended the other day in North Beach. Let’s not go too hard at this stage. Let’s instead sip Sierra Nevada. Let’s have my mind fucked by Kerauac, the contrast between the full blown Cali Creamin sun and the interior of the next bar. Is this Dublin? Am I in Aberdeen all of a sudden?
Let’s get going now but not too quick don’t miss anything. Let’s walk, Trans Am Pyramid. Hangar right somewhere. Let’s for once just land on the correct street to get there. It’s 3rd man. Let’s stop and chat to my long lost buddy from Offaly whose Dad lived and worked in My Hometown in the 1960’s and 70’s. Let’s let him keep talking instead of me keep talking for once (with apologies to anyone who ever mentored me). Now let him decide when he wants to proceed up Market to collect further “Pecks of Gold” so I can carry on my merry way.
Let’s get there real early and just go in and sit and relax. I drank all the beer anyway on Thursday and paid the price Friday morning. Let’s detox and sip water from a fountain with my bare hands as there are no cups. Let’s take a seat. I will not leave the auditorium for any reason. I will be one of the last few to leave just like at Wembley thanks to Obafemi love you man. Let’s listen in on some pre-show conversation. They’re all here man. Long time Stones fans checking out this new thing. Are the rumours that have been swirling all week true?
Thursday’s vibe was all Bruce the die-hards beside me. First time in the city since Winterland 78 man. Get your head around that. It was so special. Sunday’s vibe goes like this;
Neil Young has reduced the Stones 99 guy in front to tears at shows he’s seen. I told him about the day Rich, Damian and I saw Glen Campbell in Westmeath. A simply amazing Light of Day into gorgeous rare these days Lonesome Day greets the audience. If the Stones fans are here to check out the rumours I am already convinced at this point they will leave the auditorium in 3 hours time completely devastated at what they were witness to. Night takes me back to the arcade bars I’m steering and swaying with the crowd. Prove It All Night the candy canes just keep coming and coming in this wondrous city. Stones 99 guy is filming the guitar technicians and backroom stagecraft. How on earth does this still happen in 2024? Learn from the best. Down a notch with Darkness people remain riveted to the edges of their seats what’s coming and the vocals here echo throughout the room, Silly song time and why not Darlington County since he’s off to nearby sunny Sunderland in May. Bruce snatches at his side at one point here still clearly in some discomfort from the stomach operation and recovery, Ghosts is so powerful. I’m alive again, feel 25 again baby and I am coming home. Apologies I never sent a single Letter To You or any postcards on this trip to any single person, not even my dog. I have explained the emails I sent above though.
When speaking to Stones 99 guy he was impressed is seen Eric Clapton at Royal Albert Hall with my brother Ste back in 89 (my first concert). I discovered that not only Mark Knoplfler performed I Knew That Anyway But That IT WAS Sting who sang on the performance of Money For Nothing not as I had thought a stand in. So quite this. “I had previously been deceived ling myself. It was in fact Sting on stage at the Albert Hall performing money for nothing with Clapton, Knopfler, Buddy Guy et al. Ste will be pleased to learn, and he was”
On such a lovely mild evening like this I begin to wonder how gorgeous the city must look right about now. Stay focused. My mate Jenko was right all along in Steve Biko Bar Wolverhampton 1993 when proclaiming for the umpteenth time America was God’s own country. How’s Jeff doing? I hear he’s in a bad way? Frisco was the City in Ruins in 1906 but look what they did with it now. Alongside the E Street Band it is taking me to higher ground. Beautiful beautiful building. I haven’t prayed as much as I have this past week since I was in the boys brigade age 10 39 years ago nor blarted so frequently. No tears from me this evening however. Thanks. Rise up come on rise up and then it’s time for Spirit and I haven’t touched a drop now for close to 6 hours.
Drank water instead with my bare hands. Long story short. My hunch is Spirit is actually not set in Jersey but right here the whole song makes perfect sense here and Mission Man was here all along (why would he leave?) but Bruce wanted a similar scene back east somewhere so to make it all fit and to grow a local following the story became Mission Man came across. Looking around to find that lonely angel right now. Is that Katy Perry staring back at me? She’s just slipped out. A ten dollar spectacular hot dog post show right outside will have to comfort me. Everyone in the room feels the specialness of the evening of course every evening is special. Nightshift so get this I got Gandhi, Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson in the same day can’t be bad. I’ve found another home. I’ve opened up my whole life to total strangers out here, almost all of whom were so warm and welcoming, not to mention grateful for the time they spent listening to my story. Their song is coming through. BLM. Fist salute time. Peace man. That was just me back of the stage. Bruce senses an energy in the room at this point and almost breaks down. He’s cutting up hold it together beautiful man. Bruce acknowledges there’s a Spiritual crowd here and now it’s 1965 again. Imagine how wonderful all of that felt on both sides of the fricking bar man. He talks about 65 being an explosive moment in history.
Last Man Standing now I intend that to be me in here later. The hush in the room is like a warm duvet with one or two whoops interspersed. Backstreets a call to arms until the end until the very fucking end. Now the 45’s story I go deep inside now Thanks Ste and John. Take a selfie, take another. Gaze all around the arena just like the city feast on this assault on the senses. She’s The One nice looking crowd in here all the families of the billionaires and me and that girl right there maybe, maybe not. Bring on your Wrecking Ball St Andrews it is time to go love you to bits and all that. Blues fans deserve one of these dumpster stadiums they keep building right here in California and it’s long overdue. Plus it’s the best time and place to imitate now. Hard times come and go they’re pretty tough for Blues and the UK as a whole right now but they’ll go one day and sure enough we’ll get another dose of it when I grow up for real. Easter and it’s The Rising next. Paul, you went to Akron not here with Jeff. Hope he’s comfortable. He’d probably have hated all the singalong songs here or at least pretended to hate it. We miss seeing him about.
Badlands I boing a little but I must prepare myself for Spain in the coming weeks. Then it’s the one from the movie he saw with Robert Mitchum where he took the title of the movie and used it for the title of the song kinda thing sounds pretty cool huh?? I have learned to talk better, speak up again and to take those looooong walks. I hated looking like a melon wearing that graduation cap and gown Jeff refused to show up for his he wasn’t gonna miss the Arsenal late 1990’s and anyway he saw this very band’s first show in the UK in 1975 but never really rated the guy the way he adored Velvet Underpants (respect to the graffiti artist in Tyseley for that).
Land of Hope and Dreams Oh my god. Probably this band’s last show in the golden gate until I dunno going on the previous interlude something like 2068?????!!!!! Fuck me. Thoughts turn to a similarly emotional show. MSG July 1st 2000. That could very well have been that. He had more than enough money to surf and lead the good life, occasionally playing some Vegas shows maybe. Instead he put family and friends first and twenty years later was able to sell his back catalogue to Sony for $1 billion. I think they’re now sorted and we his friends have been royally treated. Lost souls sweet souls departed foolish folks kings all aboard. This train man! My photo is taken by a real cutie behind me, one for her and one for me too. Ta. It’s fist pump time. It’s time to take a few more photos with the lights up
BTR, Rosie, skip some school (almost 5 years of it now as it happens). Stay away from stinky San Diego you guys until I sort it out I will call you when I need you. Most glorious day of my goddamn life is confirmed here in the City by the Bay on March 31st 2024. Bruce is running out of breath and it’s no panto act this is pure. Is he gonna make it? Dancing in the Dark I was just sitting around getting older. No more. Usherette stayed very professional and didn’t even wanna dance with somebody as nice as me. Instead she hit me with a Tenth Avenue Freeze Out which cut me to the bone. I can’t go home just yet until I’ve taken a ticket to ride on the slow ferry. See you on the other side C xx. I’m a piece of shit but in a good way. Twist and Shout it’s like Buenos Aires 1988 no word of a lie and what more fitting place to twist than Frisco. WAIT UNTIL SPAIN GETS THAT!!!!!!!!!!
Eddie Vedder stunningly waves at all of us at the back as he heads towards a drink with Bruce. The nice Stones fans attending their first Bruce show have been asking when the last song is so presumably they can quickly catch up with Vedder and Bruce too you know, beat the rush. Bruce does his PSA and we’re all a wreck (in a cool way no tears or snot this time I held it together but physically that ferry ride I will so so need) from what we observed back there. I’ll See You in My Dreams Bruce’s voice really struggling now so he clips the end and “That’s all I had”. He gave it to raptures man. Is LA at risk? I don’t care and the guy on the block says that it’s gonna get all the help the city needs to recover as will England he assured me. This city man. Cosmic energy abounds. He gave all he had. This city that has it all anyway was treated to something truly remarkable.
