Sex, drugs and a rocking granny to the heart

Mick Jagger gets the crowd rocking last night at Western Springs. Picture / Greg Bowker

"If I could do what they do at their age, I would be getting as much sex, drugs and rock'n'roll as I possibly could," said 59-year-old grandmother Faye Ngatauau.

She and husband John and their granddaughter Rosanna, 21, were among tens of thousands of rock fans who flocked to Western Springs last night to see the Rolling Stones.

"We saw them in Brisbane and if you paid $1000 to go it would be worth every penny," Mrs Ngatauau said.

The couple drove up from Whangamata for the gig and met Rosanna outside as they drank gin - rather than have it confiscated by security staff.

"We were going to try to sneak it in. We're old rockers through and through," said Mrs Ngatauau.

However, she admitted that, as well as the blankets and rugs they were taking inside the arena, the couple had thermal underwear with them.

Promoter Lynn Smart said shortly before the show that capacity for the concert was 60,000 and was "nearly all gone".

Tickets on Trade Me were still selling yesterday, with two being sold for $225 after 5pm, less than half an hour before the gates opened.

The whole area around the stadium was teeming with people and traffic outside was bumper to bumper. "It's all about nostalgia," said Kerry Rasmuss, who arrived from Whangaparaoa in his campervan.

About an hour into the concert, noise control officers were sent to Western Springs after complaints from neighbours who said it was the loudest event they had ever heard there.

Several callers complained to talkback radio with one claiming his house was shaking.

Graeme Poole, who lives in Carrington Rd, said the music was louder than any gig he remembered and much louder than the speedway held there.

"I don't want to spoil the fun but I've got to go to work in the morning. It's never been this loud before."

The band flew into Auckland on Saturday night and play in Wellington tomorrow night.

This weekend was a bumper one for tours with Snoop Dogg at Mt Smart's Supertop on Saturday night and David Gray and Jamie Cullum playing smaller venues last night.

Chart-topper Jamie Blunt was also in town last week.