Sep. 11, 2001 When I turned on the TV at the night, I was informed that two airplanes had crashed into the both tower of the World Trade Center in New York. I thought it was a fictitious picture. I couldn't believe instantaneously it was a real incident. Turning it to other channels, for the first time I knew that a miserable happening was real.

Next morning, I sent e-mails to my friends in New York and the persons concerned with the Stones, to know them in safety. When I got replies from them, I was relieved.

Sep. 25, 2001 When I was taking a little late lunch, the yellow lamp of my mobile phone informed me that I got e-mail to PC. The yellow is the color flashes only when the most important mail regarding the Stones was sent, so I hurried finishing my lunch and turned on my PC to check the mail up. It was said that Mick has come to appear in MSG concert of Paul MaCartney on October 20. I should have thought it was about the solo concert of Mick, not about appearance in the concert of Paul MaCartney. I checked news on YAHOO! in the meantime. Though it was written that Paul would do a charity concert for cancer, "The Concert for NYC" was not touched at all at this time.

Sep. 27, 2001 YAHOO! conveyed the outline of "The Concert for NYC" on its news.

Oct. 20, 2001 It became the day of a benefit concert finally. We were staying at the hotel where we could see MSG from the room. When I looked down on MSG from the window of the room in the morning, the policemen had already guarded the MSG surroundings in the interval of about 3 meters. We went out the room and toward the gate of MSG. A few people who wanted tickets of the concert were lining up on the stairs and there were some Japanese seemed to have rushed even without tickets.

We took naps after lunch, because the concert would be held for long hours in the evening. Around 17:30, we went the gate once only to buy the concert poster, since memorabilia usually were sold in front of the gate of MSG. At this time, MSG surroundings was already filled up by the firefighters and policemen dressed up.

I thought that it would be long time to enter into MSG, so we hurried to bring back the poster to our room and again went to MSG right away. Though we had the inspection by metal detector when we accessed to the gate of MSG, we didn't have the check at all to enter into the MSG.

I was surprised the stage was such small. It could be said it was the two-thirds of the stage for the Stones concert at MSG in '98. The floor seats were already filled up with firefighters, policemen and the family of victims by the terrorism.

The opening song of the historic concert which was said "the concert at the most famous arena, MSG, hadn't been existent and won't be existent ever" was "America" by David Bowie. He sang it with the thin rhythm box like a keyboard with squatted on the stage.

While a musician was playing, an amplifier and drum set were arranged on a turntable at the backstage. When the performance ended, a turntable was rotated around the half, then the set of the next musician would be appeared. But arrangement was not good enough in fact, so movie stars, professional sports players, comedians, former president Clinton and Mayor Giuliani etc. took the stage and tied the concert. Other actors, such as Richard Gere, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro etc. were appeared, except for the movie stars were informed on the homepage of VH-1.

Mick appeared on the stage with Keith who was rumored, next the Who. Other than Mick and Keith, two guitarists, a bassist, a drummer, a keyboard player, horn section of three people and three back vocalists were. Though a conga and a vocal microphone next to a conga were set, they weren't used after all. It might have been three songs in the plan.

Since I heard in New York that Mick rehearsed "Salt Of The Earth" and "Miss You", I wasn't surprised when Keith told "Salt Of The Earth". But when I thought I could listen "Salt Of The Earth" begins with the vocal of Keith himself finally in live, something came from the bottom of heart.

In '89, "Salt Of The Earth" was played by twin vocal of Mick and Axl Rose at the Stones' special concert in Atlantic City. I say that was "gorgeous and be attracting the audience" by the youth and speed of Axl Rose as compared with "Salt Of The Earth" by Mick and Keith. On the other hand, the performance by Mick and Keith was like "a club gig version", especially in the part of the first half Keith played in the low tone, even there was a slide guitar player. And the song proceeded by the tempo and tone by Keith's acoustic guitar. We might be able to expect their play again on next tour or a club gig, because Mick and Keith were all smiles after they finished playing "Salt Of The Earth".

Mick wore a policeman hat which was thrown from the floor seat. Most of musicians wore it or a firefighter hat and threw it back at the end.

After "Miss You", Mick said "Good night" and got off the stage, so I thought he wouldn't be back to the stage in the last of the concert. As I thought, both Mick and Keith didn't join Paul MaCartney's "Let It Be" and "Freedom".

Even many bereaved family invited to the concert were there, the concert didn't seem to be held in grief-stricken mood and there wasn't even tacit prayers. Rather the venue was full by smiling faces and laughter that weren't conceivable in the concert usually. A boy who was raised to the stage shed tears, but he was encouraged by a word "Your father is a hero and you are a lucky boy to have a great father like that". A concert in Japan probably will mourn for the fatalities and show the sense of mourning to the bereaved family. But here it's important how early people who are alive now, take a brace and live in hope for tomorrow. This concert might become the changing point for that. Therefore people laugh really well.

The venue became a large burst of laughter, especially when the presenter incited the policemen on the floor seats to arrest immediately Jay-Z, hip-hop singer, because he was bringing smoke in his dressing room, and when a short film by Woody Allen was shown. And also Operaman (Adam Sandler) character of the Saturday Night Live ridiculed Osama bin Laden with obscene rhymes. Even I don't understand English much, the image and English were projected by cinematograph on the screen and the whole venue was gassed, so whatever Operaman said, I could laugh. The man next to me felt into a fit of convulsions, while shedding tears and breathing was not possible properly. Operaman was great!

Bill Clinton wasn't a president for nothing. He was skillful at speech and people were fascinated with his speech. He spoke to Osama bin Laden who supposed to watch this program on television. Also Richard Gere complained that we should turn the energy of the retaliation of terrorism to something else. Boos were a little more than applause. He could imagine sufficiently to become this, because many firefighters, policemen and bereaved families were at venue. However, I thought he was a cool guy as a man, that he remarked his opinion without thinking captation and keying to atmosphere.

Though I went to this concert because Mick has come, even if Mick and Keith hadn't appear, this concert would be the wonderful one to hand down to posterity. "Let It Be" by Paul's piano and Clapton's guitar was an ultra wonderful, except for the performance of Mick and Keith.