THE KEITH RICHARDS MAFIA

I became a Rolling Stones/Keith Richards fan in 1982 when I saw a photograph of Keith and got my first Rolling Stones album (High Tide and Green Grass.)  Since this time, I have collected various types of memorabilia and attended numerous concerts, as well as created  Rolling Stones and Keith Richards Fanatics web pages to feed my addiction and share my knowledge/experiences with wonderful fans all over the world.  Those of you who who have met me know that I am a great fan of Keith and enjoy trying to interact with him.  However, I limit this to the concerts themselves; I respect the man and his privacy and do not camp out in front of his house, at hotels, etc., or try to make friends with the crew/support musicians or Stones associates to try to get close to him.  If I ever had the chance, I would love to simply chat with him over a stoli & orange, discussing music, books (he is an avid reader and I am an academic librarian), and life in general, and would thank him for the music he has created and how he has affected my life positively.  There have been a few moments of pure personal joy thanks to Keith, including shaking his hand on the ramp to the B-stage at the Columbus, Ohio 1997 concert, giving him  a blue & white swirl scarf  on his way to the B-stage at the 2003 Pittsburgh, PA concert which he then wore while on the B-stage, and his special "blessing" of me at the 2002 Air Canada Centre concert in Toronto. {NOTE:  To keep from being labeled as obsessive or guilty of  hubris like some others have, I try to find more interesting decorative scarves or other gifts - not noted here - and offer them at especially important performances instead of at every show.  I have no interest in competing with other fans who think they are some sort of original and feel they must do this at every show and promote themselves as such.  That is just fluff.  I know Keith appreciates the specially chosen items I have given him and that's enough for me to simply note here.}

 The following is the Toronto story which was certainly one of the highlights of my Stones/Keef experiences...

The Air Canada Centre concert was my birthday show and I planned to make it memorable.  I upgraded my ticket to get a seat near the B-stage on Keith's side and found myself six seats away.  My goal was to get to the lower corner of the stage for a perfect view of Keith and be able to flash my neon yellow sign which read, "It's My Birthday!"  After all, there is no better way to celebrate one's birthday and I wanted the Stones to know it!  Thanks to the majority of the people in my row, I was able to get to my designated spot with little trouble.  As the Stones came on stage, I held my sign up in front of me.   Mick seemed to see it, but was too busy reacting to the crowd as a whole.  Ronnie then bounded on stage in a very happy mood.  As he turned in my direction, he noticed the sign and started swaying back and forth with his arms in the air, singing the first lines of "Happy Birthday" aloud! This was an unexpected treat.  After the others arrived, the Stones began their first song.

After the second song, I screamed Keith's name (along with assistance from a nice guy standing next to me) and held up my sign.  Keith looked over, saw the sign, and then my true "moment" occurred.  He grabbed a guitar pick from his mike stand, strolled over to me, bent down and handed me his pick (putting it in my hand and holding it there for a moment), looked me straight in the eye (in only a way that Keith can - the LOOK), and said "Happy Birthday!"  I was completely in awe and ecstasy.  To say that I was thrilled would be an understatement.  I thanked him and blew him kisses, jumping up and down while soaking in the moment.  But there was an endnote to this experience as well...

By luck, the stairs exiting the B-stage were close to where I was standing and the security guard was no where near me.  As Ronnie came down the stairs, he saw the sign again (this time hanging from my neck so my hands would be free), and reached out and shook my hand, wishing me a happy birthday.  This was certainly nice, but my eyes were on Keith, as I had a small, grey, animal print scarf for him.  When he exited the stage, I again screamed his name to get his attention.  He noticed and had a moment of recognition, reaching over and taking the scarf while shaking my hand at the same time with a very firm grip.  He then looked at me again and said, "Happy Birthday!" and smiled.  I was so excited and happy!  It was a moment that probably only lasted a few seconds, but felt as though time had stopped.  It was a wonderful way to celebrate my day, and I thank Ron and Keith for making it so special.  While some may have had more experiences with Keith, I doubt that they can say that he personally wished them a happy birthday!