This is the closest I could get to a "Then and Now" shot to commemorate what was a life-changing day for me, 25 years ago.
You see, on November 30th, 1981, a 14 year old girl (and her cousin) went to her first concert. That girl (and her cousin) instantly become 110% obsessed with the band she saw that night, and more or less dedicated the rest of her life to being their biggest fan. She covered her locker with their pictures, had a different shirt of theirs to wear every day of the week at school, studied more about the band's history than her schoolwork and became known throughout the school for her love of The Rolling Stones. That girl and her cousin spent hours listening to only the Stones, reading every book or magazine article they could find, memorized minute details about every band member's life and became as close as sisters over the next few years.
That 14 year old girl was, obviously, me. I had painstakingly hand-painted the Stones' tongue logo on the back of my jean jacket and had the front of the jacket covered (literally!) with pins/badges. I wore this jacket nearly every single day to school for the remainder of my high school years. If you were to mention my name to most of the people from my class today, they'd probably think a moment and respond "Oh yeah, the girl with the Stones jacket!"
I had taken some black and white pictures in my high school photography class, including the one above showing the interior of my locker, proudly displaying my jacket. There is also a shot of me walking away from the camera (hmmm, a precursor to my 365 Days self portrait project?) wearing the jacket - with my hair tossed to the side so you could see the tongue, of course. Unfortunately, I was unable to locate the picture of me in the jacket, but, the locker shot somehow survived all these years, although you can see it is showing its' age... Amazingly, the jacket has also survived the years, although it doesn't fit quite like it used to...
Today marks 25 years since the night I saw the Stones and my love for them hasn't diminished at all. They are still, and always will be, my favorite band ever. I've seen them in concert every time they have played in Michigan since this day in 1981, without fail. My cousin, Michele, attended that concert with me and became my Glimmer Twin in obsession with the band. We made a pact that night, at age 14 (and sealed it in blood), that we would forever see the Stones together every time they came to Michigan. We've not missed a show since. That's dedication.
