Rolling Stones to rock Kentucky Derby

Mick Jagger, left, and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones perform Wednesday night, Sept. 27, 2006, at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Thousands of rock music fans flocked to Churchill Downs for a historic pairing Friday night of two entertainment icons - the Rolling Stones and the home of the Kentucky Derby.

Fans came from hundreds of miles away to see the aging rockers, who were returning to Louisville for the first time since 1989.

"This is a pivotal band in rock history," said Dan Raymer, who drove from Nashville, Tenn., for the evening concert. "You've got two iconic things together here."

As fans partied outside the track, the scene looked like a typical raceday, except for dozens of cars playing familiar hits from the Stones.

Longtime fans Roy and Pam Harvey, of Cincinnati, brought their 18-year-old son William for his first-ever show.

"I've got all of their albums," William Harvey said. His mother said she felt it was important that her son see the band before they pack it in.

"We would've paid $500 for a ticket," she said.

Many felt that it might be their last chance to see the band, which has been touring since the early 1960s.

Mick Jagger, the lead singer, is 63, and Keith Richards is 62.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime show," said Brad Willis, 21, a University of Louisville student. Willis said he thinks it might be the last time they tour, and he said it would "definitely" be the last time they play in Louisville.

But Roy Harvey, who was sipping a beer and listening to "Brown Sugar," said the band will likely play until they can't do it anymore.

"I think we'll see Jagger out there until he croaks," he said.

About 50,000 tickets went on sale for the show with prices topping $300.

The band is playing at several historic venues on its "A Bigger Bang" tour, including Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.; Soldier Field in Chicago and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The tour opened over a year ago at Fenway Park in Boston.

Churchill Downs officials stunned fans with the announcement last month that the Stones were coming to Louisville for the first time since 1989. It's the first major rock concert for the track, which has played host to 132 derbies.

A recent $121 million renovation of the stands at Churchill Downs made it possible to host the concert, said John Asher, a spokesman at the track.

The Stones' deep catalog of songs even includes a reference to Churchill Downs. In "Dead Flowers," Jagger sings about "makin' bets on Kentucky Derby day."

Willis said he thinks they would likely play "Wild Horses," his favorite Stones' song.