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Home > What's New > Start Me Up
Start Me Up
Posted: Tuesday, June 10, 2003
By James Suckling 
It was just about when Keith Richards started his solo of "Thru and Thru" that we began to smoke our La Gloria Cubana Medaille D'Or No. 4s. The long slender cigars delivered strong Cuban smoke, and Richards forceful guitar work seemed to go hand-in-hand with the strength of the cigar. I was having flashbacks to other hot and humid nights over the last three decades that I had been listening to live music and smoking with friends. But this was San Siro Stadium in Milano on Tuesday night, June 10, where the Rolling Stones were continuing their 2002-2003 "Licks World Tour."
I had an eerie feeling of déjà vu as the boys from England worked through their selection of songs from the opening jam of "Brown Sugar" to the vibrant encore of "Jumping Jack Flash." Most of the 50,000 people or so in the outdoor stadium were post-40s. Many could have been there about 30 years ago when the Stones last played at San Siro -- wearing the same jeans, the same t-shirts, but smoking something a little stronger than Cuban tobacco.
And that's what is so cool about the Stones and rock 'n' roll. It doesn't really change. It's classic now. It's what we grew up with and it's ours. Besides, how cool is it to think that a bunch of grandfathers are up on stage in front of tens of thousands of people and playing some of the hottest music of all time! When's the last time your old man showed the same amount of energy?
I had been backstage before the show, as the Cranberries were warming up the crowd. A few glasses of 1999 Coche Meursault had set our minds on the right level. The reds, mostly 2000 Chateauneuf, for friends and band members were too hot. So it was white or beer. Besides, many of the band members no longer drink.
I spoke to Charlie Watts, who was relaxed and engaging. Mick Jagger was behind me but busy chatting with Donatella Versace. Watts wanted to know about life in Italy, and found my job of tasting wines and smoking cigars hard to believe. "I don't drink anymore," he said. "But it sounds interesting what you do."
Regardless, he still plays a mean set of drums as Richards and Ron Wood play great guitar and Mick provides the amazing vocals. As the group blasted out "Gimme Shelter," I couldn't help feeling excited for the future. Right in front of me were four men in their late 50s and early 60s who have lived their lives big -- too big in some areas, such as drugs and women -- but they still put on an amazing show, better than many guys half their age. Richards and Wood were smoking on stage in between numbers. Thank God we were in Italy. America's health police would have arrested them immediately.
With those thoughts, I turned to one of my friends next to me in the stadium and yelled: "Shit. Look at those guys. We are only in our 40s. There's hope for us. There's a lot to look forward to."
The sweet and spicy smoke of the Gloria Cubanas engulfed my small group as the Stones started singing "Start Me Up." Jagger roared "you make a grown man cry…y, you make a grown man cry…y."
Good friends, a good smoke and marvelous rock 'n' roll -- Jagger's lyrics just about summed up the whole evening. Also in Cigar News:
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