It wasn't Sandy Stern's first rodeo. Taking a seat in the 12th row back from the stage, she dropped her clear bag on the loose gravel, checked her watch, surrounded by several concert wristbands, and layered up a hotdog with her favorite toppings. This was, in all ways possible, her element.
A New Jersey native, Stern was one of thousands who drove through the Ozarks hills to watch as one of the most iconic rock 'n roll bands in history took to a North American stage for (maybe) the last time. The Rolling Stones closed out the band's Hackney Diamonds Tour at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale — Johnny Morris' latest outdoor venture — on Sunday night. The band performed 20 songs in two hours under the full moon.
While it was her first time in the Ozarks, Sunday wasn't Stern's first time seeing the Stones. In fact, the tour-concluding performance at Thunder Ridge was her 269th time seeing the band.
Stern's trip to Ridgedale also signaled the conclusion of a two-week trip. She caught the tail end of the Stones' tour, seeing them at two SoFi Stadium concerts in Los Angeles on July 10 and 13 and at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, near San Francisco, on July 17. Following the Ridgedale concert, she planned to rest up before hopping on a plane back to New Jersey on Tuesday.
Though she enjoys being in the pit, Stern said with age, she's more likely to purchase a seated ticket as close to the stage as she can for the chance to sit during the set. For the Ridgedale concert, Stern said she paid about $800 for her aisle seat near the stage's peninsula, jutting out into the crowd.
Wielding two digital point-and-shoot cameras — one for still photos and the other for video, Stern recounted her first time seeing the Stones. It was a daytime show on Sept. 26, 1981 at the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Stern attended the concert with her two brothers, sharing seats in the nosebleed section.
"We took turns going to the front ... when it was my turn to go up to the front, it was a sunny day, they played 'Beast of Burden,' I felt like a lightning bolt hit me," Stern recounted. "I was in my element, outside, listening to great music on a sunny day, and I've never been the same."
Over the past 43 years, Stern has admired the Stones from countless venues, even traveling internationally to cheer them on. The furthest she's traveled was to Istanbul, Turkey on Sept. 19, 1998. The band played the Ali Sami Yen Stadium.
Asked if she's met any members of the band, Stern gave a side-eyed smirk. Of course she has. She met Jagger in the '80s and the late drummer Charlie Watts around the same time, she said. In fact, she met Watts for a second time at that concert in Istanbul. Stern said each of the band members are "down to earth, just like you'd think."
What made the Hackney Diamonds Tour so special, Stern said, was its correlation with the Stones' new album of the same name. Released in October 2023, "Hackney Diamonds" was the band's first original album since 2016, when it released "Blue & Lonesome."
On why she decided to travel to the Ozarks for the Sunday concert, Stern said it was not only because it was the last show of the tour but because of Thunder Ridge's size. Thunder Ridge seats about 18,000 people, a considerably smaller venue than others the Stones have performed in this year. Most of the other venues have seated upwards of 60,000.
Speaking with the News-Leader ahead of the concert, Stern was hopeful that the band would break out a song she hadn't heard live before for the final, more intimate show. The band, however, stuck with the same setlist they've performed all year.
Stern wasn't the only fan in attendance who traveled from the East Coast and has attended more than 200 Stones shows. While speaking with the News-Leader, Stern got a tap on the shoulder from fellow fan and friend Marilou Regan, a Philadelphia native and author of "Love You Live, Rolling Stones: Fanfare from the Common Fan." The tribute book, published in 2002, features more than 80 stories from Stones fans, including Stern.
Cousins reconnect over love for The Rolling Stones
While some fans, like Stern, enjoyed the show solo, others made the concert a bonding experience.
Leaning against a wooden fence outside of the venue's entrance, cousins Jason Hernandez and Mitch Hunter sipped on their beers before making the way to their seats. Hailing from Lexington, Kentucky, the two flew into the Ozarks on Saturday.
"The cool thing is, Mitch and I, I wouldn't say we were estranged, but we all had our lives together going different ... upon the unfortunate occasion of his father's death about 15 years ago, we connected again and realized we both love The Rolling Stones," Hernandez said. "Essentially, we're closer than brothers at this point."
Hernandez said he'd seen the Stones in concert about 20 times and Hunter remembered seeing the Stones for the first time at Rupp Arena in Lexington on June 29, 1978. The two purchased tickets in the pit but did not want to share how much they paid for them.
The Stones concert was the third big event held at Thunder Ridge this year, following Morgan Wallen on May 25 and Chris Stapleton on June 13. The venue has been closed and under renovation for the past two years. The venue held its first series of concerts in fall 2022, when country musician Garth Brooks performed three back-to-back sold out shows that strained the capacity of the fledgling venue.
The concerts gained nationwide attention, with social media posts showed hours-long lines of traffic, issues with parking and inadequate features for concertgoers with disabilities. Some ticketholders were unable to experience the concert altogether.
More: Can renovated Thunder Ridge arena handle Rolling Stones traffic? Some still concerned
Renovations over the past two years have worked to solve these issues, including the expansion of U.S. Highway 86 from two to four lanes, expansion of the guest parking lot by about 36% and addition of more ADA pathways, seating and dedicated parking.
When asked to describe their experience with traffic getting into the venue on Sunday, Hernandez and Hunter said "it was fine."
"We can't complain," Hernandez added. "We're coming to see The Rolling Stones."
How was traffic getting into, leaving Thunder Ridge?
A News-Leader reporter and photographer left Springfield at around 6 p.m. Sunday, anticipating heavy traffic closer to Ridgedale. About four miles from the venue, on U.S. Highway 65, traffic was near a standstill in the right lane. A map app indicated the remainder of the short drive would take about one hour.
In an attempt to avoid traffic, News-Leader staff drove further south on Highway 65, turning around at the Rapid Roberts at 295 Laurel Road. Northbound traffic moved quickly and the News-Leader was able to turn onto Highway 86 in less than 10 minutes. At least four Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers helped guide traffic at the intersection of Highway 65 and Highway 86 around 7 p.m.
News-Leader staff received parking passes to VIP premium Lot 7, which is accessible through a private VIP road off Highway 86, ahead of the concert. The private, two-lane roadway was secluded and provided a back entrance to the venue.
Several premium parking lots, including Lot 7, were full by the time the News-Leader's staff arrived at 7:30 p.m. Reporting staff parked in Lots 6 and 9 instead, which are both within a five-minute walk to the venue's main entrance.
More: Miss The Rolling Stones at Thunder Ridge? Here are 5 things to know from the concert
When it came time to leave the venue, the News-Leader's reporter began to moving from floor seating to the premium parking lots around 11:50 p.m., once the Stones completed the encore set. The few staircases that lead from the venue floor to the upper deck were congested as fans jostled to leave but staff were back to their vehicles by 12:10 a.m., on Highway 86 by 12:15 a.m. and back in Springfield by 1 a.m. The experience of concertgoers without access to premium VIP parking was likely different.
Avoiding concert traffic on a bicycle
Sixty-four-year-old Chris Smola took a different approach arriving to the venue. He rode his bicycle from Springfield, where he lives, to the venue in Ridgedale. Smola said he left Springfield around 11:30 a.m. and arrived at the venue at 7 p.m. The ride is about 64 miles on bicycle.
Despite the long journey, Smola didn't even have a ticket to the concert when he started out on his bicycle Sunday morning. He decided to test faith, which proved to work in his favor. He purchased a ticket on the upper hill.
Smola told the News-Leader that he had seen the Stones perform six or seven times, with his first concert in 1978.
"My older brothers had their early albums on the walls, so I grew up with the Beatles, Stones, so on," Smola said. "They're like modern miracles."
Who else is performing at Thunder Ridge this year?
- Luke Bryan: Mind of a Country Boy Tour: 7 p.m. Saturday, July 27
- Slightly Stoopid & Dirty Heads with HIRIE, KBong and Johnny Cosmic: 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31
- Imagine Dragons: LOOM WORLD TOUR: 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8
- Pitbull: Party After Dark Tour: 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21
Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. She has more than five years of journalism experience covering everything from Ozarks history to Springfield’s LGBTQIA+ community. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@news-leader.com .
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: New Jersey woman celebrates 269th time seeing Rolling Stones at Thunder Ridge concert
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