Dear Stones Fan,

Shhhhhhh! You didn't hear it from us, but the Rolling Stones are playing a surprise club show on Wednesday, August 10th and The Rolling Stones Official Fan Club wants to get you on the list!

The Fan Club is giving a select group of fans the chance to see the Stones perform live before the A Bigger Bang tour even begins!

All you have to do is e-mail us at Show@Rollingstones.com and tell us you want in! All entries must include:

your legal first and last name in its entirety
your Rolling Stones Fan Club username
the city you're in
phone number that you can be reached at in the early morning.
That's right. Winners will be contacted by phone. So, if you hear your phone ringing between the hours of 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM EST, don't pull the plug, don't put a pillow over your head, pick it up! It might just be the Fan Club on the other end of the line and you might just be going to see the Stones live in Toronto!

So, if you want to see the Stones rock a small club and you can make it to Toronto by the afternoon to pick up your tickets - be it by plane, train, or automobile - e-mail us and cross your fingers.

Cheers,

Rollingstones.com

Tape it,please!

Congratulations davido, you surely deserve it! Have a great time, man! Oh, I envy you!


Belgrade-Bucharest-Budapest-Brno

ITS ALL BOLLOX I RECKON

whoops....did i say that out loud????

enjoy the show

all of you

see : [www.torontosun.com]

Hi everyone!

Thanks! I'm glad you liked the
story, still have to pinch myself
to see if it's true...........?!?
Yup! And I got a green "Bigger bang"
wristband on, and a ticket by me bed
tooo. It is true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rather bleary eyes, but nonetheless for
wear and tear, I'm watching the crowd
lines up still sitting outside the
Club Phoenix, as I sit here sipping
my morning coffee, at home. Heh heh ;-)

Breakfast TV will cover when the
doors open live.

By the way, I saw the Stone interviews
on t.v. too. They look a lot older and
more wrinkly, then they actually do in
person! Go figure. Now that's a twist!

There's a hot smoggy haze over the early
morning city ten floors below my
apartmento window. Possibly some
stormshowers rolling in. Ah well,
after yesterday, should be easy........

I'll of course review the show for you tonight,
but will pretty much be one of another word
snapshot for a theatre of the mind here.
Others will have to do the cameras and
recorders thing, and will no doubt
be sharper on the technical
music details, but will
continue to do my part.

Aprreciate all the kind words,
and know you are all here in spirit...........

Thanks for sharing that great story, davido! I'm sure you deserve to get that ticket. Have a ball and tell us afterwards!!!

Ah, you lucky bastards! Wish I were there... In stead, I'm in Oslo, preparing for work. But in a few days I'll be on my way to see the Stones too! My 60th gig will be the one at MSG. That calls for celebration at Mustang Harry. The Location of Mustang Harry is one block down the street from MSG, on the right. If you reach Mustang Sally, you've gone too far... See you all there!

Davido: ENJOY and pound that Molson into ya!!!

Ha ha thanks KSIE!
I'm sure gonna need A LOT
of cool drinks coz of all the
sweating we've been doing
outside the gates!!!!!!

One question:

Do you have a very snall digital recorder??

Have a great time...Looking forward to your report!

Ross

Here's what the tabloid Toronto Sun had to say
about last night. Our gate interview was dropped,
and there's only a short paragraph about those
of us there towards the end. No matter-
you know the story! ;-)

Huntin' the Stones

THE GIG is up.

By MATTHEW KWONG, TORONTO SUN

Despite intense secrecy, hundreds of Rolling Stones fans queued up
early this morning for a "surprise" concert at the Phoenix Concert
Theatre, where, sources say, the band will perform tonight.

"The rumours are true, they'll be here. This is a pilgrimage; this
is what rock and roll is all about," Monte Winston said as he waited
outside 410 Sherbourne St.

The Phoenix has an 1,100-person capacity and a permanent stage, but
sources said only 400 tickets would be put up for sale to fans this
morning at 8 a.m. with the rest of the passes going to industry
insiders and friends.

BIGGER STAGE


Sources also said the stage has been expanded to accommodate the
Stones -- singer Mick Jagger, drummer Charlie Watts and guitarists
Keith Richards and Ron Wood -- as well as their side musicians.

Outside the Phoenix this morning, an estimated 30 homeless people,
some paid $100, were in line in a bid to buy tickets for scalpers.
And the muggy weather didn't stop fans from staying up all night.

"If you're a true fan, you line up no matter what," said Dave
Kruzel, who drove in from Cleveland on a friend's tip. "I made the
trip, so I hope they will be here. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't
true."

Internet bulletin boards were buzzing about a possible intimate
Toronto club appearance, but details were so scarce that "Stoners"
were sent to three different venues: Kool Haus, the Mod Club and the
Phoenix.

Two sources later confirmed it would be the Phoenix. A few fans
started lining up at the club at 9 a.m. yesterday. Fewer than 10
were there by noon. But by 1 a.m. this morning the number had
swelled to more than 400.

Robert Winter, who had the coveted spot at the front of the line,
was confident he was in the right place all along. "This is where
their equipment is," he said.

Brenda Hilt, the president of the Stones Toronto fan club, was
certain about the venue once she spotted Stones tour boss Michael
Cohl's son.

Yesterday morning, vans pulled up to the Phoenix to deliver
beverages, presumably for the crew. Later, trucks drove up the
northside alley to roll out sound equipment.

Security guards were also there, as well as official-looking types
wearing Stones T-shirts and laminated passes.

Some 50 loyal fans awaiting the boys outside Greenwood College
school where the band has been rehearsing since mid-July were given
a wristband and a ticket.

Stones promoter Cohl oversaw the giveaway.

Still, some fans worried about a possible "Filmore '99" repeat.

The band has been known to cancel surprise gigs if venue information
leaks to the media 24 hours before a show. The Stones cut their
concert at San Francisco's Filmore in 1999 after such an incident.

"But I'm not worried about that," Winston said. "We're beyond that
24-hour period now. We're safe."

PS-BV: Regret they didn't include the IORR reference,
I tried to get it in there, but we all know this
site really rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Davido...what a great story...I was totaly thrilled, while reading it.
you realy deserved it, man.
So enjoy the show..be part of the first Rolling Stones show in their BIGGER BANG world tour...
and don`t forget to give us detailed reviews tomorrow after the show.
The whole european division is waiting to hear news about the gig.
So if we wake up about 06 am on thursday morning the Stones may just
have finished.( about midnight in Toronto)
So we should get the first reviews with breakfast right here in central europe.

To those lucky guys in Toronto i say:
Enjoy the show and be part of another historical gig of the Rolling Stones.
we are with you in heart and mind.

See you next year in europe.
salar

Great man! Have a really good time! Anxious to read your review later this week!
Lucky bastard!

regards, E.

Great Story Davido, and I love your style!!
Really happy for you! Have a great time!!

I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But me leg muscles are cramping from
all that standing outside the gate
this past week. Time for some stretches
or I'm gonna be crawling in using
my arms! ;-)

BTW infidels at the gate?
At one point during the day, somebody
I didn't recognize slipped outside and said there
was a guy selling tickets for $500. I'm not sure
if this was a joke, a scam, or just a test
of our mettle, but nobody was buying it.
He left and I didn't see him again.

Did anyone win tickets through RS.com??? I am dying to know. They sent out e-mails late last night inviting people to send their phone # for free tickets (however I don't think they were paying any air fares!) DID ANYONE GET A PHONE CALL THIS MORNING?

You´re LUCKY Man!!!I wish I was there !
Enjoy the Gig and don´t forget to give us the full details afterwards!

Right. I had another little nap
and been doing some stretching exercises
before I head out again, this time
to the show!!!!! Omigod!!!!!!!
I'm still in shock.

I'm sure the big story will be tonights club
date at the Phoenix. Our heavy hitters will
no doubt be able to give you the best
musical review of the show, but for
what it's worth, I'll gladly share
my own experiences to hopefully
help give you all a good sense of
what it was like being there.

Well, I'm off to hang out outside the
club. Catch you later......................

Thanks so much for your brilliant account, which has given us a seriously vicarious thrill (just let's not get on to the seething envy of not being in your position). Your persistence and patience paid off - well done! A man after my own heart. Have a fantastic night - and don't forget to tell us ALL about it!! Am on tenterhooks waiting to read your report.