Posted by Rank Outsider on March 30, 1999 at 11:17:27:
When I saw the Stones in concert this year in D.C., I noticed something that struck me as peculiar: an interpreter for the hearing-impaired communicating in sign-language to audience members. (However, I must admit that since I don't attend concerts on a regular basis, I'm not sure whether having an interpreter is a standard procedure for rock concerts nowadays --- but I know I haven't seen any in video-footage from Altamont!)
I thought about the reasons why people who were deaf would want to spend their time and (a considerable amount of) money attending a Stones concert, since music is, after all, what a rock concert is primarily supposed to be about. After some reflection, though, I figured that many people (myself included) might actually become hearing-impaired by listening to the Stones music (in defiance of Chart R-357 of the GUY STEVENS Producer's Manual [p. 304]!), both at their concerts, and at home! Thus, I found it very reassuring to know that the Stones keep such sonically-challenged people in mind! Besides, it is probably worth $100 or so to feel the Watts/Jones rhythm-machine reverberating throughout one's body.
One thing I was wondering though: What is the American Sign Language symbol for "Shadoobee"?