I had my college president angry at me for leaving at a time when Good Morning America (morning TV news show on a major network) was coming to film a segment on our college in 1989, Steel Wheels tour. My then-girlfriend, now-wife and I drove 1,300 miles one way to Indianapolis from Montana, car broke down in Chicago and a college buddy of mine let us borrow his car for the rest of the trek. Anyway, went to both shows. It gets even better. When I got back, the president told me that my dad in Sacramento had been unable to reach me and had finally called her and she had to tell him that I had gone to Indiana to see the Stones. So I was in trouble with both family and at work. Needless to say, I laid low for a while.

And I have made a career of, either by happenstance or by deliberately seeking them out, of attending professional conferences in or near cities where the Stones were playing at the same time. And, of course, having travel expenses paid by my employer. Thus, my job did not hinder, but helped me, to attend Stones shows.

During the 1994 Voodoo Lounge tour, there was the Mountain Plains Library Association meeting in Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada. We drove there from Montana, then went on to Oakland and saw two of the four shows there. In addition to visiting family and friends.

During the 1997 Bridges to Babylon tour, we went to the Internet Librarian conference in Monterey and got to stay in nearby idyllic Carmel-by-the-Sea and drove to two of the four shows in Oakland. Also visited family and friends again.

During the 2002 Licks tour, I flew out to my hometown of Sacramento early for a visit with friends and family, then rented a car and drove to Anaheim where I went to the show at Anaheim Stadium, then on to Palm Springs where I picked up my wife at the airport and attended the Internet Librarian conference again. Went up to LA one night and stood outside listening as best I could to the Wiltern Theater show, had no tix. Then on to San Francisco where we saw the two shows at Pac Bell Park (now AT & T Park).

During the 2005 A Bigger Bang tour, flew out to northern California early, rented a car and drove down to LA for the two shows at the Hollywood Bowl, then back up to the Bay Area where I picked up my wife at the San Francisco Airport and attended the two shows at AT & T Park sandwiched around another conference. And more visiting.

The latest example of these fortuitous, serendipitous opportunities/experiences took place a little over a year ago on the Desert Trip mini-tour in October 2016. I really had not planned on going to the festival, but there was the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums conference south of Phoenix happening a few days after the first DT weekend. I was a presenter and was receiving an award and thus obligated to attend, so we flew out early to Phoenix, rented a car and drove about 250 miles to Indio/Coachella for the weekend. AND, got to meet up with Hairball, Mr. Jimmy, Man of Wealth and Taste and Sarahunwin for a beer or two.

I can't explain this phenomenon, just uncanny and serendipitous.


plexi



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2018-01-20 08:27 by timbernardis.