The sold-out concert at Hersheypark Stadium Saturday night proved that Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ronnie have still got it, still love it and still know how to use it.

They may all be old men now, but for two generous hours at least, time was on their side.

From the moment the lights went down, fireworks blasted from the top of the massive stage and the opening chords of "Start Me Up" electrified the air, the crowd of 31,000 was on their feet.

They'd never sit down.

Mick Jagger, dressed in tight black pants and a series of colorful silk shirts over a black T-shirt, was downright incredible from start to finish.

Running across the huge stage all night long, his energy never failing for one second, he sang all but two songs (Keith Richards took over the vocals for those), played slide guitar and harmonica on occasion, and served as an amiable host.

Referring to that appearance at the Farm Show Building in 1964, Jagger told the crowd, "We only did 11 numbers back then. We'll go up on the numbers count tonight."

The crowd roared.

He thanked everyone several times throughout the night and at one point noted, "There are people here from some place called Mechanicsburg.

"And there are people here from out of town, from Harrisburg and York and Lancaster."

By then, Jagger had the crowd eating out of his hands.

A Stones concert transcends nostalgia. Hearing the band, which was incredibly tight and powerful Saturday night, watching them give their all, and listening to songs that sound as fresh and vital as they did 30 and 40 years ago, is an amazing experience.

And watching Keith Richards, a man who should have been dead 20 years ago, enjoying himself and dropping to his knees as the music overwhelms him, is about as life-affirming as it gets.

As he told the crowd, "It's good to be back. It's good to be anywhere really."

The Stones played both new songs from their latest album, "Bigger Bang," as well as a generous helping of their classic hits.

The new songs, including a bluesy "Back of My Hand" and a rocking "Rough Justice," sounded good.

But "It's Only Rock and Roll," "She's So Cold," "Tumbling Dice," "Midnight Rambler" and "Miss You" all sounded better.

Clair Brothers, of Lititz, did the sound, and it was about the best I've ever heard at a stadium show.

While frontman Jagger was running all over the stage like a kid on a sugar high, guitarists Richards and Wood and bassist Daryl Jones huddled together near drummer Charlie Watts most of the night.

Jagger's voice may be what sparks a Rolling Stones song, but it's the musicianship, the deep, tight interplay of drums, guitars and bass that lifts them into a different realm.

Several horn players and three excellent backup singers, including Lucy Fisher, who sang a sizzling duet of the old Ray Charles song "Night Time Is the Right Time" with Jagger, added to the sound.

But the Stones don't just depend on musicianship. The concert was a spectacle from start to finish.

The massive set (built by Tait Towers of Lititz), was four stories high and looked like a high-tech parking garage, with three decks on each side of the huge stage.

Hundreds of people had seats inside those decks and a constant light show played off of them.

The stage was so big, everyone on it looked like ants. A three-story video screen brought them all into high definition.

About midway through the show, the band, on a hydraulic lift based around the drum set, moved out along a huge runway that cut into the first 50 rows or so.

The gimmick wasn't all that effective (it looked strangely like a toll booth), but later Jagger pranced down the runway to much cheering from the crowd.

While the first two-thirds of the show was incredible, the final six songs were absolutely intoxicating.

After the band sailed back to the mainstage, following a terrific rendition of "Get Off of My Cloud," the lights turned deep red and the drums of "Sympathy for the Devil" kicked into gear.

Jagger, wearing black tails and a top hat, played it for all it was worth. Flames even shot out of the top of the stage.

From there, without interruption, they teared through "Paint It Black," "Brown Sugar," "Jumping Jack Flash," and two encores, "You Can't Always Get What You Want," and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction."

That last song is more relevant today than it ever was.

After the show, the whole band came out for a bow and then Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ronnie, all arm in arm, took a separate bow.

Their smiles reflected what those 31,000 fans knew. Sometimes you get what you want and what you need.