I know it’s only rock and roll, but I like the Stones, and although I sometimes half-expect the band to be wheeled out with IVs in their arms, I am always blown away by the amount of energy they put into a live performance. I bought tickets as soon as I heard they were coming to Charlotte to play opening night at the brand-new Bobcat Arena. I’ve always liked classic rock, and it didn’t take my parents’ old vinyl collection for me to be acquainted with the band.

It’s not my first Stones show. I saw them in 2002 on the Licks World Tour, and was disappointed. The on-stage pyrotechnics were dazzling, but seeing them at Turner Field in Atlanta didn’t do the Stones justice. The venue was gigantic, and a lot of the atmosphere was lost. I hoped this new indoor arena would be more intimate.

We paid good money for tickets. I won’t say how much they were considering the utter disappoint I felt upon seeing our seats – we were in the nosebleed section.

I’m not about to complain about the seats, though. Any venue would be better than Turner Field. After a boring opening performance, we waited for the stage to be set up. And waited. And waited.

It took forever, but I was entertained by the drunken complaints of a woman behind me. Apparently, she spilled a beer, and she blamed everyone on her row for it. (Rare example of expletive-free rant: “Excuse me sir, excuse me, I mean, seriously, do you want this beer poured all over you? Because you just spilled MINE!”)

This woman’s friend and I debated which songs will be played. It’s a given they open with “Start Me Up” and I had a feeling they would play both “Shattered” and “Paint it Black”, both of which were conspicuously absent from the set list on their 2002 tour.

Sure enough, 20,000 people exploded as the opening chord of “Start Me Up” reverberated throughout the arena. Mick Jagger, with his signature attitude worn on his sleeve, strutted onstage. The man is in his mid-60s and still owns the stage, prowling and running back-and-forth non-stop. The energy in the band continues to amaze me – I figured I was seeing them on their last tour in 2002.

The third song in was “Shattered”; I was pleased. They followed up with “Tumbling Dice” and “Ruby Tuesday,” a rarely performed classic that the audience greeted with deafening applause.

Jagger summed up what was going on in his head by saying he’s happy to be the one to “pop the new stadium’s cherry.” Except for the band introductions half-way through the show, Jagger kept the stage banter to a minimum, and instead concentrated on skilled showmanship.

Keith Richards, looking more and more like the drunken pirate he’s rumored to be playing in a sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean, still managed to grind out the raw bluesy riffs he is so famous for. Charlie Watts, the long-time drummer who is recovering from throat cancer during the recording of their new album A Bigger Bang, smiled through the set. He was relaxed, cool, and he sounded great.

As on their last tour, the Stones come out into the floor seating section towards the last half of the show to play a few numbers on a smaller stage. On the Licks tour, they walked out to the stage. This time, the stage moved them out to the audience.

They played the great “Miss You” first, then “Honky Tonk Women,” a personal favorite. Once back on the main stage, the boys played nothing but the hits, including a surprising rendition of “Paint It Black.” Both my predictions came true.

The band, still looking fresh, left the stage after a rousing “Jumping Jack Flash,” but an encore was inevitable. They returned triumphant to end the show with an extended version of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and the obligatory “Satisfaction,” which is still as great as it was 40 years ago.

The show was much better then the Licks performance of 2002. Maybe Keith Richards really does get his blood transfused at a Swiss clinic as rumored – whatever it takes to put him in the great form he showed off.

Some people here at Guilford went to see them in Durham in the first week of October. Judging by the set list alone, I think I was at the better of the two shows. They may not have played some of the rarities I always hope to hear – but hey, you can’t always get what you want. I guess if I try sometimes, I just might find that I need to do more research into seating charts before I go to my next concert. I can only take so many nosebleeds.