Field of screams

(Correction: Because of a reporting error, a quotation in a story about Rolling Stones fans in yesterday's Living/Arts section misidentified ''Happy" as a son of Keith Richards. It is a song.)

Some flew in from far-off states and nations, while others drove for hours from New York and beyond. There were tourists from Holland and military personnel from Florida. And, as Mick Jagger told the crowd, there was Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Last night's Rolling Stones show at Fenway Park -- the band's first stop on its 37-city A Bigger Bang Tour -- was a global event. Fans crowding Fenway made for a sea of tongues in the humid baseball stadium. Stones followers from just about everywhere sported T-shirts, tube tops, and buttons with the infamous open-mouth logo.

Most said it didn't matter what the band played. They had made it to Fenway, and that was enough.

For Sachiko Okayama, 25, and Yoshi Okayama, 27, traveling to the show meant a flight from Tokyo for what felt like a very short long weekend.

''I like the covers," said Sachiko, who wore a black Stones shirt. ''I like when they do the covers of Otis Redding."

Yoshi said he's an easier fan to please, and expected no B-sides.

''I like 'Jumpin' Jack Flash,' " he said, after explaining that the two traveled to the United States just for the Stones, arriving from Japan on Friday with plans to leave today.

Best friends and Stones groupies Julie Makar and Lynn Ford stood on Lansdowne Street outside Fenway yesterday afternoon, waiting to be let in. Makar, who said she spent three mortgage payments on the trip from Buffalo, N.Y., for the concert, wore tight black jeans and a mesh, beaded top. Ford wore a revealing halter.

''She told me I couldn't dress like an old lady," Ford said, laughing.

Makar, 46, said she has seen every Stones tour since she was 13, when her ''hippie sister" took her to Toronto for a show that featured an opening performance from Stevie Wonder.

''When you're 13, woah, yeah, it's an experience."

Makar admitted to some Boston stalking. She and Ford spent part of Saturday night at the Four Seasons Hotel, hoping for a glimpse of Mick Jagger. ''I paid $12 for a Bailey's," she said.

Brian Brostoff traveled from Chicago to Boston for his 19th Stones show. He wore a T-shirt featuring a photo of Keith Richards that said ''Happy."

''Happy is one of his sons," he explained.

While many of the fans at last night's two-hour gig said they were in their late 40s, 50s, or, like most of the Stones, in their 60s, there were young fans in the crowd, some who were schooled by parents about the band and fan customs.

Maureen D'Addio, 46, drove three hours from North Haven, Conn., with her 17-year old son, David, to make it to Fenway by 11 a.m. The two sat outside for most of the day, eating sausages and waiting for the show to start.

''The Stones are so talented," D'Addio said, her son listening and nodding. ''Mick is 61 years old now, and I think he still moves like he's in his 20s."

D'Addio had bought field seats that cost hundreds each. David wore a European tour T-shirt, a piece of Stones paraphernalia featuring the lips logo on fire. D'Addio bought it for him online.

Chuck Kuenzier, 16, of Dracut said he was also taught the ways of Mick and the boys by his mother, Janet. He wore a Stones shirt, a string of red beads that matched his mother's, and Stones flip-flops that he bought at Kohls.

''I'm excited for everything. 'Sympathy for the Devil,' 'Honky Tonk Woman' -- everything except for the Black Eyed Peas," Kuenzier said of the hip-hop opening band that grabbed the attention of many other young fans in the crowd.

Mark Sumoski, 45, of Connecticut was among a select group of fans who managed to purchase or win tickets online for onstage seating. A small crowd of Stones fans got the chance to sit onstage, in what looked like a giant, silver building that changed colors with pulsing lights. Sumoski said this would be his first Stones show, and he was pleased to spend it onstage, overlooking the band.

Sumoski brought a companion, Steve Lynch, who was one of the Fenway fanatics giddier about the Sox than the Stones. Sitting onstage brought him closer to the music, but he said he was more interested in his proximity to the outfield of his favorite team's home.

''I accepted because it was at Fenway," Lynch said. ''My thought was, maybe I could be standing where Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon play."

Meredith Goldstein can be reached at mgoldstein@globe.com.