Jagger swaggers as Stones turn back the years

RUBY Tuesday it certainly was.

Amid the rain and the grim reminder of the dark nights ahead came the gig of the year.

Bearing in mind the competition that Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Radiohead, and David Bowie that's no small boast.

Like the bulk of their rivals, the Stones have more decades in them than you could shake a walking stick at.

But that didn't stop Jagger, Richards, Wood, and Watts, from giving the kids a taste of the 60s. Not that there were many kids in The Point last night. The ones that were there were with their parents.

There was a high dad, grandad, and mother quota last night.

Mixed among them were the genuine grey bearded rockers and hippies.

They all made up part of a heaving 8,000 strong crowd at the first of two Irish gigs as parts of their Licks tour.

Starting over 30 minutes late, Richards and Jagger strutted onto the stage then launched into Street Fighting Man to rapturous applause.

Richards was in great form, strolling around the stage, looking cool, while Jagger swaggered and convulsed.

In a moment that made males pound with delight, the delectable Andrea Corr sang Wild Horses with Jagger.

Whatever chance Wild Horses had the last time, they had no hope of dragging Jagger away this time.

Tickets for the two shows at the Point sold out within two minutes last May.

The demand was so great that the band agreed to play an extra date on tomorrow. The average punter forked out €80 for the pleasure, for many their first and possibly last time to see one of the greats.

Tickets were swapping for over €180 outside the gate. Maybe to see Richard singing a genuinely endearing version of It's a Long Way to Tipperary, it was worth it.