Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger was surrounded by children in tattered clothes and Red Cross workers during a visit to this earthquake-ravaged farm town of Watsonville, Calif.
The rock star and rock promoter Bill Graham flew in by helicopter on Saturday to this northern California town of 30,000 where residents are slowly rebuilding their lives after the Oct. 17 quake."It's a bit hard to take in. It's such a small community," said Jagger. The 46-year-old rock star was given a Red Cross jacket and an "I survived the earthquake" T-shirt.
Jagger made the hourlong tour of Watsonville two hours before a performance at Oakland Coliseum. The town was chosen because so much attention has been focused on San Francisco, Graham said.
Jagger talked about the quake during the Oakland performance.
"Our hearts go out to you who suffered from that. I know that you Northern Californians have an incredible spirit . . . so I don't have to tell you it's a wonderful place to live," he said.
The Stones, who are on a U.S. tour, have pledged $500,000 to be divided between victims of the quake and Hurricane Hugo.