The Rolling Stones returned to the stage on Sunday (November 25), proving that advancing years and sometimes bad blood between band mates are no barriers to living up to the expectations of their legions of fans.
The sell-out gig at the O2 Arena in London was the first of five shows, which saw the band play hits like "I Wanna Be Your Man" and "Get Off My Cloud" to a 20,000 strong audience.
An even with ticket prices that has drawn some criticism for being too high, the opportunity to check out the world's greatest living rock and roll band, was for many fans, priceless.
SOUNDBITE Rolling Stones fan from Australia, saying (English):
"Amazing I came all the way from Australia and 'Midnight Ramble' the best ever. Mick Taylor, what a genius."
SOUNDBITE Rolling Stones fan, saying (English):
"It was pretty special. You know it's not very often that you get to see something like that."
SOUNDBITE Rolling Stones, saying (English):
"Really fantastic. I was in the front row right in front of the stage."
In a burst of activity to celebrate 50 years in show business, the veteran rockers with an average age of 68 have already come out with a new photo book, written two songs, collaborated on a documentary and released a greatest hits album.
Following Sunday's performance The Stones will play one more gig at the O2 Arena on November 29, before crossing the Atlantic for a handful of performances in the United States.
