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nankerphelge wrote:
It first happened in the summer of 1981. I was working at a local pizza joint in my hometown in upstate New York. I was 18. The rumour of a tour was in the air and having been denied the chance to see them in '78, I was just chomping for information. Tattoo You was already out and Start Me Up dominated the airwaves, reaffirming the Stones as the World's Greatest after a limp Emotional Rescue.

The TV was on in the dark smoky bar, and I had swung through to get a couple of Genesee drafts from Earl the ultracool barkeep that kept us young "pizza boys" lubricated during those hot summer nights when the pizza ovens cranked the heat in the kitchen to up over 120 degrees.

As I got the beers from Earl, I noticed Mick sitting in the bleachers of some stadium wearing a black and white shirt that looked like a large intestine. He was by his lonesome wearing some knickers or something and the annoucer said the tour would begin in September in Philly.

I felt the tingle. A Spiderman-like feeling that I have had only five times since. Finally, I would stand at the alter of greatness. I remember just jumping straight up and down for half an hour. I looked like I had just won the World Series -- i could not contain my excitment.

Later in August, after shuffling off to college in Western New York, I would score 10 beautiful red tickets and "all my dreams would come true."

Then, the dark ages. Reading time and again in Circus and Rolling Stone and Creem that the Stones were thru. That Keith and Mick were split. The Stones had "run out of reasons to stay together."

Then, in 1989, I had been laid off from my job in Massachusetts. I was at home, I was unemployed, I was blue. No work to be found for a young, recent college grad. And while at sat at home, wondering what to do with myself, I listened to the radio announcer tell me that the Stones were patching it up and would hit the road in the fall.

There is was again. The tingle. On the back of my neck. I didn't hear that right -- it sounded like the Stones were touring again. And then the train pulled into New York and I heard them announce the Steel Wheels tour.

Poor mrs nankerphelge was on the scene then.

She had no idea when she talked my unemployed ass out of heading down to Washington Connecticut to apply for a job with tour.

She had no idea when we stayed up all nite for tickets in Leesburg, Virginia.

But soon she learned.

The best was '94. I was working at your U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, toiling away researching the patentability of important inventions, when the man on the radio announced that the Stones were going to hold a press conference.

And then it happened again. Tingle tingle.

I listened intently as the Stones boated into the New York harbor and annouced Voodoo Lounge. And it was opening in DC. More tingling. I remember that hot August nite at RFK.

Then, I was upstate in the Adirondak mountains in 1997. And I saw a copy of the New York Daily News with the Stones driving a red 1956 convertible Caddy. And I read the headline -- and it happened again in the mountains, not two hours from where it first happened in 1981.

Then, it happened in 1999 with an arena tour.

And now it has happened again. Only now, the radio doesn't announce it -- the internet does. And all my brothers and sisters of the boards get my heart a pumping. Fleabit Peanut Monkey made the tingle happen this time, announcing that IORR had posted an unofficial scehdule. He was right, IORR was the gospel not even 5 years ago -- and it still is.

I must get back to work now. I have much to do. But I am still tingling. And I am looking so forward to meeting so many more of you and having a truly wonderful year as we all tingle together.

Please take the rest of the day off.

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Cardinal Ximinez wrote:
OH MY GOD! TomL, sit down. Aug 1 is my birthday too...AND I celebrated at that show too! How about that! You and I invited 65,000 of our best pals, hired the best fuckin' band on the planet, and had ourselves one HELL of a birthday party!

I'll never forget looking wide eyed at FPM when we heard the opening notes of "Monkey Man". We started jumping up and down uncontrolled....yelling, "Oh my God, Monkey Man! They playing Monkey Man!" I forget who said it, but just before the goathead guy on stilts came on stage, either FPM or I said, "I can die a happy man now."

TomL...I'll prolly be at the DC show this year...we will toast our birthday show together...Whomever is older buys! HA!

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