80-year-old ready to rock with Rolling Stones

ZANESVILLE – Starley Smith is older than any member of the Rolling Stones. She turned 80 a few months ago, but that's not going to stop her from seeing the band Saturday night in Columbus.

Her daughter, Becky Wisecarver, who lives in Zanesville, wanted to go, and when Becky told her mother she didn't know who to go with, Starley volunteered. She was serious about going, but they didn't get tickets for several weeks — not until they heard that Kid Rock was opening.

Kid Rock was the favorite band of Eric Smith, Starley's son and Becky's brother, who died eight years ago.

"Mom said, 'Ah, no way, we gotta go,'" Becky said. "We're super excited."

They got tickets for themselves and Will Wisecarver, Becky's 22-year-old son. None of them have seen the Rolling Stones in concert before. They have good seats, too, Becky said. Right in the front of the stadium.

"(My) kids grew up on music," Starley said. "I used to work at a music store. We always had something on."

Becky has an old Stones T-shirt, but she's not going to wear it, she said.

"I'm going to wear my tie-dye jeans," Starley said, to which Becky asked, "You have tie-dye jeans?"

Starley has been to several concerts. And in recent years, too. She acknowledged that most people her age just wanted to relax, but she could never do that. It's not even an option.

"Not me," she said. "I want to do everything possible."

She's planning to attend the Buckeye Country Superfest with friends in June. And she won a contest for VIP weekend passes to a Tim McGraw concert last year. She took two friends.

She knows a lot of Kid Rock songs, and she listens to the Rolling Stones but doesn't know very many songs by name. But that doesn't bother her — she'll sing along anyway.

"I'll know them when I hear them," she said.

Her son Eric went to a lot of concerts. He loved music, so Starley taking along a photo of him. She wants him to be there for Kid Rock, who was one of Eric's favorites.

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