Just asking this question as I am often confused when seeing posts from a seemingly devoted and admiring fan of many years of the Stones who always seems to ends up by posting he/she did not see them play this summer. What an opportunity missed if this was to be the last time any of us fans did see them.

I would be gutted if I had followed them for years and to miss them play, what was for me an incredible two venues. I am from the USA but come over to visit friends when these guys are playing. I am still in England about to do some more travelling and it has been a great summer and if I get a chance to do it again next year (you never know) then I would. I would not be content with just watching these amazing performances on TV or You Tube if I had the chance to watch them live.

I am by my own admission a lurker on sites like this but am very interested in other fans experiences and enthusiasm of the Stones.

I half agree and I half disagree. Usually, when an artist comes around my area, my thinking is like you of "well why wouldn't I go see them if I love this band." I think usually if people don't, it has to do with how many times they've seen them in the past and if its really worth it again. With someone like the Stones, as good as they are the shows might not be THAT different so it might not be worth it.

Also, especially with the Stones, price is an issue. If I didn't get the $90 seats this time around, I definitely would not have been there. I wasn't gonna spend $150-200 to be in the back of an arena. I've seen them before so its not worth shelling out that money to be that far away. If that were the case, I would just get my kicks from seeing them on Youtube.

However, on most occasions for me, I love seeing a band live if its reasonable in price and distance from me. If there's a band playing that I love within a 1 to 2 hour radius of me for between $50 and $100 I will usually end up going. So usually I'm on your side but I can totally understand the other view.

I blew a significant amount of my Student Loan last year to see them play at the 02 and right up front at Hyde Park in July. Absolutely worth it even though I was reduced to living on tesco value cardboard. On my budget I doubt I'll get as close again as I did at Hyde Park so I'll finish on a high I think.

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2013-10-16 13:49 by Max'sKansasCity.

...lengths?? .... 10,541 miles/16965 kilometers ..... hey that's pretty good don't ya reckon ???



ROCKMAN

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Rockman
...lengths?? .... 10,541 miles/16965 kilometers ..... hey that's pretty good don't ya reckon ???

That's a big one!

...that's what she said when I got there.!!!!



ROCKMAN

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Rockman
...that's what she said when I got there.!!!!

------------------------------------------
"A smile relieves a heart that grieves..."

What lengths? For me, just a subway ride, as I refuse to fly under any circumstances. Fortunately I live just outside a city they visit whenever they tour, so a subway ride does it. So, let's see, that's 10 minutes at 40 miles an hour, including stops, so that's.... Oh, I also walk 2 miles to the subway. I could take the bus, but I like to walk the 2 miles, especially with headphones playing Stones on the way to the show.

However, sometimes they play this football stadium 21 miles outside the city, when they would do stadium tours, and since I don't drive that would be too much length to travel, even if I wanted to.

So, a half-hour walk and a 10-minute train ride is length enough for me.

I interrupted my holiday in Spain, to come over for the first Hyde park gig.

It did not cost megabucks, but i know i was knackared when i got back to spain.

not sure if this counts?

From here in Budapest I would certainly go till Prague, or Munich (Vienna obviously) to see them, supposing they would not come to my hometown. So 600-700 km.

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Rollin92
I blew a significant amount of my Student Loan last year to see them play at the 02 and right up front at Hyde Park in July. Absolutely worth it even though I was reduced to living on tesco value cardboard. On my budget I doubt I'll get as close again as I did at Hyde Park so I'll finish on a high I think.

I love you, (wo-)man!!

£408 on a ticket - that's what I call dedication. Heck, my family didn't have food on their plates for nearly 2 weeks but they're an understanding bunch.

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Rollin92
I blew a significant amount of my Student Loan last year to see them play at the 02 and right up front at Hyde Park in July. Absolutely worth it even though I was reduced to living on tesco value cardboard. On my budget I doubt I'll get as close again as I did at Hyde Park so I'll finish on a high I think.

This is exactly what I did for Hyde Park. We originally scored T2 tickets, but after hearing of the whole Tier fiasco and realising T3 could get us FOS, we downgraded.

I'd never seen the band before and knew that Hyde Park was my last chance to see them. Don't think I've ever been happier to get tickets for anything. Ever.

500 km max....that's Stockholm - Gothenburg.....

2 1 2 0

Northern England to both o2 shows in the pit and both Hyde park tier1.......and 2 shows in Chicago front rows and pit.

The cost.........don't go there Worth it ? ....100% yes.

Sc uk

London to NYC in Jan 2006 for the Madison Square Garden #2 gig. Had 5 days in New York City - took an apartment in Tribeca...good times

Just for the 50 & Counting... Tour.

Pittsburgh -> NYC (Brooklyn, Newark 1)

Pittsburgh -> 9,940 mi cross country trip (Oakland, San Jose, Vegas)

Pittsburgh -> Philadelphia (Philly 2)

Saw the Stones in Barcelona during the Steel Wheels tour. Was only 16 at the time. Actually worked a whole year flipping burgers for that.

Saw then in Buenos Aires in 2006: wasnt a special trip as I was there on family visit anyway.

Saw them in HP#2 - cost me about 3500$ for the whole thing, including my 2 older boys.

The worst ever hassle I had for a gig was actually The Who in Dublin last spring. Ryan Air fuc*ed up my flights (turned me away at the gate of the plane as I was missing some stamp) which costed me a fortune as I had to pay last minute, full fare, for another flight. Was some extra 600$ for the alternative flight + night in a hotel.

I've got quite a few kids, god bless them. Its easier to say "what the hell: lets put it on the AMEX and see the Stones/The Who one more time" than to say "know what, son? your bass guitar is indeed old and cheap I say we get you a new bass and a good amp. this time". Still I'm happy I managed to restrain myself and make more and more of the 2nd choices and less of the 1st.

For HP #2 (which I had a feeling would be the last of the Stones "50 and counting" gigs and maybe last for me at all) I took 2 of my boys - sure: for the cost each one consumed I could have done AT LEAST one additional journey to see the Stones in the future, but then I saw them a few times and for my kids (I hope) it would be something they would cherish for years to come.

There were times when I flew, year after year, to NYC, London and again NYH to see The Who for 2-4 nights in a row, or the Stones twice in one tour. Was worth every penny/cent but then these times are over. Family comes first and the Stones prices put themselvs in opposition to "family fun".



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-10-16 16:59 by Wroclaw.

From Madrid to...London several times, Dublín, Barcelona, New York...

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Silver Dagger
£408 on a ticket - that's what I call dedication. Heck, my family didn't have food on their plates for nearly 2 weeks but they're an understanding bunch.

They'd probably gorged themselves up until the famine anyway...prolly coulda stood to lose a few pounds I'll wager.

in Germany: from Osnabrück to Hannover 1998, not so far...
from Osnabrück to London Hyde Park 2013, somewhat more...
many people thought that it would be crazy to fly to London
to see some old sacks, but they just have no idea ... I have
met there with my sister and brother in law who just came out
of their holiday in Antigua and had an intermediate landing in
London... that was really far to see a band!

The answer is : Any ...

Bjornulf

I've met many fans coming to gigs in London from U.S.A. and Japan as well as all over Europe .
I personally have been as far afield as Europe,New York and Las Vegas.
Always remember the free gig in LA where you entered a draw.
I was due to fly back home from Vegas but would have booked a new flight if got lucky.
I did get lucky and got e-mail saying I got two tix.
Only entered it as a laugh to see if there were other winners out there on IORR,and I think there were.
Had to have U.S.A . I.D. which is fair enough so my tix just went back in the draw,to I hope real fans of The Rolling Stones.

The longest length that anyone has gone is Mick Jagger.
He flew to U.K. after a gig in U.S.A. to see his dad at Kingston Hospital, my home town.
Sadly ,his dad passed away and Mick was on stage a day later,for next gig of that tour.
I like to think that he remembers that gig as a tribute to Joe Jagger.

I live in a swamp, basically, so the closest place I can ever go to a show is 2 hours away, and the Stones have certain never been there (I've been to precisely 2 shows in the last 20 years where I could go home the same night). Every show I ever go to is a drive/flight/overnight stay, and all I can say is I try to keep the international ones to a minimum! The closest I could get to the Stones on this last tour was Chicago (15 hours) and I did the O2 and Hyde Park.

Thankfully they visited me in Southern California last May so I didn't have to go to any lengths really (although I did make the trek out to Vegas for that show).

With that said, I did fly from Los Angeles to Stockholm for the 3 shows during the Licks tour, but that just happened to coincide with a pre-planned holiday.
Similar circumstances in '07 when I saw them in Nijmegen. Was already going to be in the Netherlands, so why not?

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-10-17 07:11 by Hairball.

356 quid that's what I paid for the 406 quid ticket on e_bay last November for thei first show ,plus 2 Hyde Park tier 3 tickets and 8 months taking the bus, hence doubling my commuting time. But it was definitely worth it!!!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2013-10-17 10:35 by desertblues68.

for the next (and maybe last) tour, basically i would fly in any place inside europe . the best flight and hotel rates will help for final decision

All I'll say is that my shows always involve kipping outside railway stations or on the platform. Allways

Wouldn't have in any other way though. There's usually some good company on a similar budget !