Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Nov 18/05) - It's not just George Jones who can summon the masses from far and wide.

Dave Walsh and Lindsay Waugh, musicians themselves, braved terribly slick roads to drive to Calgary to see the Rolling Stones and blues legend B.B. King in late October.

"Two legends in two nights," Walsh said. "We had a fantastic time... it was a blast."

Waugh had actually seen both acts before. He caught the Stones in Edmonton on their Bridges of Babylon tour several years ago. It was also in Edmonton, close to a decade ago, that he and friend Richard Wright got tickets to a King concert. Experiencing the entertainers' musical mastery the second time around was no less of a thrill, he said.

Even though they've been rocking for more than 40 years, the Stones haven't lost any of their attitude or their loves of music, said Waugh. Front man Mick Jagger, now 62, was as spry and agile as ever, he noted. Guitarist Keith Richards, not known for his energy, had his trademark cigarette dangling from his lips. Fans at the standing-room-only Saddledome responded immediately when the band opened with Start Me Up.

"People just got off their seats right away, clapping, they were in a real party mood," Waugh said of the vibrant atmosphere. "It gives you real zing."

Sitting in the upper-middle bowl to the right of the stage, Walsh said it was a great vantage point to take in the action below, the goings on backstage and the antics in the crowd. The next night, Waugh and Walsh headed to the Jubilee Auditorium, a more intimate venue, to hear 80-year-old B.B. King sing the blues. He still has incredible command of his guitar and elicits such emotion from his strings, according to Waugh.

"He put on a fine show," he said. "He was gracious, just a statesman."

In order to make it all a reality, the Fort Simpson pals had to drive more than 3,000 km in four days, but were very glad that they did it.

"The whole trip was just perfect," Waugh said.