Last weekend, I was lucky enough to watch the Rolling Stones in concert, performing live after 44 years in Hyde Park. Certain articles and blogs made me consider that maybe I should be feeling guilty that I allowed myself to enjoy this gig – because it was all too expensive, too middle class and too sponsored. Nevertheless, I not only loved the concert but also the overall mood and shared experience. Which at times could only be described as hilarious and/or weird. For example…

In the portaloos of the British Summertime Village (novelty to those who were at Hyde Park in 1969), an American-sounding woman came out of her cubicle and shared with another lady freshening up at the sink:

This has been great, had champagne in the sun today, the bathrooms are clean. You know, their album was the first one my dad ever bought me…. He passed away a while back. I’ve brought his ashes here and scattered them.

I didn’t know if this was the most touching or weirdest thing I had ever heard but I sure did watch out for my pint of cider…

Precautions with my drink were not enough however as a group of over-excited fans nearby had managed to sneak in a Camelbak filled with vodka and proceeded to force it in people’s mouths asking them to suck on it (with the best of intentions).  Whoever survived their Camelbak attack, didn’t necessarily remain unscathed. Like the middle-aged father father and young son who played with fire when they asked to have their picture taken by one from the bunch:

You two are the ugliest people I have ever seen. What? Everybody’s thinking it!

And so the gig was over and everybody seemed to be leaving on a high (for some probably quite literally). Even tier 3 ticket holders – like us – that only got to see the Jagger moves on the big screens, those who waited for half an hour in a queue for a haloumi burger and paid for drinks with contactless wristbands. None of us was really sticking it to the (elusive corporate) man that day but boy that was one fun night.

I guess you can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometimes well you might find, you get what you need.