If you could bottle whatever Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones are on and give it away, then retirement would become a thing of the past.
While most OAPS are happy collecting their pension and getting the bus, Jagger, Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards, proved on Saturday night that they are, once again, a long way off joining that queue.
The band - with a collective age of 231 - put on an incredible performance that left many of the crowd dumbstruck by just how they can keep on doing it.
Every time you see a Stones show you think ‘surely, this will be their last time’, but no, they go again and thank goodness they do.
Celebrating 60 years of music, the Stones returned to Hyde Park for the American Express BST shows after 9 years away as a part of their ‘Sixty’ tour - and their first since the passing of renowned drummer Charlie Watts in August 2021.
Charlie’s big smile beamed at the 65,000 crowd as a montage of clips of him were projected on to the huge screen in a touching tribute to the drummer.
Keith Richards then appeared and kickstarted Street Fighting Man to huge applause.
Afterwards, Jagger told the crowd: “It’s lovely to be here. In 1962 we met a drummer from Wembley called Charlie. “Sadly, this is our first show in London without him, so we’d like to dedicate this show to him.”
And what a show it was.
An energetic Jagger swivelled his hips, punched the air and strutted his stuff like it was 1962 all over again.
More than two hours of their best-loved songs with Jagger making sure the fans knew what was expected of them right from the start!
“You sounded great,” he told them after leading a mass sing-along to Out of Time.
“You’ve got more singing to do - I’ve got to warn you.”
But the defiant fans, who hadn’t let a train strike derail their chances of seeing their idols were up to the challenge and were in fine voice all night long.
They sang in unison with Jagger on You Can’t Always Get What You Want and then Miss You.
During Honky Tonk Women Jagger bounded down the stage runway and into the middle of the crowd before sprinting back to join Ronnie and Keith on the main stage.
Giving a nod to their age defying antics Jagger joked about the “young hopefuls” who were playing around the UK over the weekend, which, along with the Stones, included Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney at Glastonbury.
“Britain is such a wonderful place. A great place for music. So many up and coming acts,” he told the crowd with a wry smile.
As the sun began to set Keith Richards took over lead vocal duty for the beautiful Slipping Away before Jagger returned for the awesome Midnight Rambler - a 12 minute chaotic explosion of blues complete with a Jagger harp solo and screaming lead guitar from Ronnie.
Paint It Black and Start Me Up followed before the haunting vocals to the start of ‘end-of-the-world’ song Gimme Shelter echoed around Hyde Park before the outstanding Sasha Allen duelled with Jagger on the chorus with a backdrop of a bombed city and then the Ukraine flag which brought a huge cheer and applause.
“Are you getting down London and are you ready for a bit more?”, Jagger asked before the instantly recognisable riff for Jumpin' Jack Flash rung out.
Then it was time for the encore and as bright sparks danced across the stage which was now bathed in red light Jagger led the crowd for one last time on Sympathy For The Devil and (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.
Just 24 hours later and The Eagles completed a remarkable 72 hours of music with a faultless performance.
Apologising to fans for “all the cancellations” because ‘Mother Nature was p****d off”, the band told the crowd it was their “mission” to give us all a “two hour vacation from the horrible headlines”.
The cleanness of their sound and mesmerising harmonies was a joy to listen to as they performed classics from across their 50-year career, including Lyin’ Eyes, Take It Easy, Tequila Sunrise and Best Of My Love.
Drummer and vocalist Don Henley pointed out that the band recorded their first album in 1972 just outside of the capital during the coal strike explaining: “In the middle of the take the power would go out…”
Then in a sign that the line-up including Timothy Schmit and Vince Gill, may well have played their last ever UK tour date, Henley added: “In case we don’t pass this way again, I want to thank you all for embracing these songs, taking them into your hearts and your homes – we appreciate it. It has been a hell of a ride!”
He then asked the crowd to sing with him as he strummed the opening chords to Best Of My Love.
Every song was a sing-along with Heartache Tonight and Take It Easy belted out with maximum enthusiasm by fans - the latter being sung by Deacon Frey - the son of the late founding member Glenn Frey.
With four years on Jagger, Joe Walsh, 74, had the crowd chuckling when he told them: “I had a lot more fun being in my 20s in the 70s than being in my 70s in the 20s!
Henley then dedicated Boys Of Summer to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins before Life In The Fast Lane, Hotel California, Desperado and Already Gone with a surprise appearance from tennis legend John McEnroe on guitar brought the evening to a close.
