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| Gazza |
The Rolling Stones: what were their best ten gigs?
Ahead of Martin Scorsese's film of the Rolling Stones on stage, Andrew Perry picks the band's top 10 live performances
An outstanding performance: the Rolling Stones at Copacabana
1 Crawdaddy Club, Station Hotel, Richmond April 21, 1963
After coming together via the West London blues scene, the Stones held down a Sunday-night residency in a tiny room at the Station Hotel. They quickly became the talk of the town, when, on a tip-off from the club's manager, the Beatles dropped in after filming Thank Your Lucky Stars in nearby Twickenham. Afterwards, the two bands partied through the night together at the Stones' HQ flat in Edith Grove. The following Sunday, the Crawdaddy was packed.
2 Empress Ballroom, Blackpool July 24, 1964
It was chaotic gigs like this that suggested the Stones were rather less desirable than the Beatles. All had been proceeding as usual, with 7,000 fans screaming over the band's R&B din, when a man at the front spat at Keith Richards. Richards duly booted him in the mouth, sparking a full-blown riot. Fifty people ended up in hospital, and the Stones were banned from ever playing in Blackpool again - until just a week ago, when the Conservative council leader lifted the embargo.
3 Hyde Park, London July 5, 1969
advertisementThe Stones retreated from the live stage for several years, but planned a grand comeback at a free concert in central London - Britain's biggest public gathering in 200 years. It became instead a wake for the band's former guitarist Brian Jones, who had drowned two days earlier. The 300,000 crowd fell silent as Mick Jagger, sporting a flouncy white mini-dress, read from Shelley's "Adonais": "Peace, peace! He is not dead…" The ensuing performance, with replacement guitarist Mick Taylor, ushered in the band's second golden age.
4 Madison Square Garden, New York July 26, 1972
To promote their brilliant double-album Exile on Main Street, the Stones spent summer '72 packing out America's stadiiums. The tour became as legendary for its bacchanalian excesses and violent incidents (a bomb blew up their equipment), as for cementing them as the world's greatest rock band. The jaunt culminated in triumph on Jagger's 29th birthday. On stage, he was presented with a cake, a cuddly panda, and a custard pie in the face.
5 El Mocambo Club, Toronto March 5, 1977
Following numerous drug busts at home, Richards was arrested on arrival in Toronto, charged with trafficking heroin. The band played unrehearsed at the local 300-capacity dive, their insanely funky performance immortalized on side three of Love You Live. Margaret Trudeau, glamorous wife of the Canadian Prime Minister, attended, sparking rumours of an affair with Jagger. Richards was eventually let off, on condition that the band play a benefit show for the blind.
6 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton Roads, Virginia Dec 18, 1981
Tattoo You was a terrific album, but the accompanying tour lacked oomph, thanks to ongoing drug problems and internal friction. However, the penultimate show has a special place in Stones mythology. Following John Lennon's assassination, no rock star felt safe, and indeed Richards was on Mark Chapman's hit list. So, when a fan rushed the stage in Virginia and made a beeline for him, Keith unstrapped his guitar, and, in his words, "chopped the f----- down".
7 Convention Centre, Atlantic City Dec 19 1989
While Mick and Keith conducted their own private Cold War, the Stones were off the road for seven years. Thus, the Steel Wheels US tour of 1989 met with feverish anticipation. By Atlantic City, they'd played to 3.2 million people, grossing $97 million; a pay-TV cablecast was watched by a further three million. Guests on stage included Eric Clapton and, John Lee Hooker.
8 Brixton Academy, London July 19, 1995
As Stones tours became increasingly mammoth operations, the prospect of seeing the band in a cosy, indoor environment was a distant dream, until they began to slip in legendary shows like this. Tickets were dispensed that morning - at a distinctly un-rock-and-roll 8am - from the Virgin Megastore. Those in attendance who presumably weren't among the thousands queuing on Oxford Street included Salman Rushdie, Joe Strummer and Chrissie Hynde.
9 Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro Feb 18 2006
Some said they were too old when they turned 30, but incredibly, as Jagger and Richards reached double that age, their potency as a concert draw only escalated. It's believed that up to two million people crammed into this free concert in the early stages of the Bigger Bang tour. The DVD of the tour shows it was an outstanding performance, featuring a colossal version of Midnight Rambler.
10 San Siro Stadium, Milan July 13, 2006
Stones tours are never without drama. The Bigger Bang tour was famously halted after Richards's near-fatal tree disembarkation in Fiji. He returned to service in Milan, the night after Italy happened to win the World Cup. But, as the Telegraph's reviewer observed: "For their mastery of the art of performance, the true champions here were the Rolling Stones."
Scorsese's 'Shine a Light' is released next week.
Article here :
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/04/03/bmstones103.xml
[Edited by Gazza] |
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| sirmoonie |
How many of those did Hillary attend? |
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| Some Guy |
I hear the Omni in 78 was hot. |
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| Sioux |
Hyde Park is number 3? I thought they sounded pretty lousy for that free show....
I would have loved to be at that first one! Or any of the Crawdaddy/Marquee/Richmond gigs. Those early ones. Wow. |
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| Gazza |
Think its more a combination of historical significance as well as actual great shows, and I'm sure he wasnt at too many of them
Some good choices though. he's obviously a fan if hes able to throw in stuff like the El Mocambo etc. |
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| gimmekeef |
Buffalo 75 and Toronto 72 smoked. I was there and who made this list wasnt. We all have our faves and its subjective but you'll never take those off my top list. |
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| M.O.W.A.T. |
My top 10
1. MSG 1972 (any show)
2. Brussels 1973
3. L.A. or NY 1975
4. Paris 1976 (the night Keith's son died)
5. El Mocambo 1977
6. Fort Worth 1978
7. CNIB gig 1979
8. Hampton 1981
9. Atlantic City 1989
10. Miami 1994 (pay per view) |
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| Child of the Moon |
Any list without Brussels '73 is no list at all.
And I agree that the infamous Les Abbatoirs show from '76 (6/6/76), befoore which keith's son Tara died, was smokin' hot... easily the best of the tour!
Also, I respectfully submit Leeds '71, Fort Worth '78, Paris 3/29/66, Oakland '69, Tacoma '02 (because I was there, of course), and just about any show from 1972 or 1973. |
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| Honky Tonk Man |
Thats an impressive list. I'm a little suprised that Blackpool is there. Would it have been if it wasn't for the recent publicity? The show in Holland the same year was tarnished as well and amoungst fans, is equally as well known.
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| Sioux |
And there was an extremely violent one in Scotland that year as well. Those gigs made Beatle concerts look like Broadway shows! Or Vegas reviews.. |
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| Gazza |
quote:
Honky Tonk Man wrote:
Thats an impressive list. I'm a little suprised that Blackpool is there. Would it have been if it wasn't for the recent publicity? The show in Holland the same year was tarnished as well and amoungst fans, is equally as well known.
Blackpool is probably more notorious than the Scheveningen one because in this case the band were on the receiving end and actually TOOK PART in the riot! |
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| Gazza |
quote:
Sioux wrote:
And there was an extremely violent one in Scotland that year as well. Those gigs made Beatle concerts look like Broadway shows! Or Vegas reviews..
The show here in Belfast one week after Blackpool lasted around eight minutes before it had to be abandoned. There were two or three girls carried out of the Ulster Hall in straitjackets.
Oddly enough, I used to work with a woman who was at both of these shows. She just happened to be on holiday in Blackpool when the Stones were in town and got caught up in the middle of the riot. |
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| Sioux |
quote:
Gazza wrote:
The show here in Belfast one week after Blackpool lasted around eight minutes before it had to be abandoned. There were two or three girls carried out of the Ulster Hall in straitjackets.
Oddly enough, I used to work with a woman who was at both of these shows. She just happened to be on holiday in Blackpool when the Stones were in town and got caught up in the middle of the riot.
I remember reading about the one in Belfast too. Those concerts were just unreal! I can see now why our Mums didn't want us anywhere near those "nasty Stones".  I know the European concertgoers were much more, um, vocal and physical than the American kids were. And I also know that the greater part of the Stones audiences back then were male, as opposed to the overwhelming female audiences the Beatles had. I always thought that was interesting... |
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| corgi37 |
What about the show where Jagger did the "Nazi salute" in 66 or so. |
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| Joey |
quote:
M.O.W.A.T. wrote:
My top 10
1. MSG 1972 (any show)
2. Brussels 1973
3. L.A. or NY 1975
4. Paris 1976 (the night Keith's son died)
5. El Mocambo 1977
6. Fort Worth 1978
7. CNIB gig 1979
8. Hampton 1981
9. Atlantic City 1989
10. Miami 1994 (pay per view)
Joey's Top Ten
1. Omaha '06
2. Brussels 1973
3. MSG 1972
4. Rio ' 06
5. St. Louis 1997
6. El Mocambo 1977
7. Hampton 1981
8. Atlantic City 1989
9. Denver ' 03
10 Miami 1994
'kins |
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| steel driving hammer |
My Top Rolling Stones gigs ever !
1. Chicago 72
2. Chicago 75
3. Chicago 78
4. Chicago 81
5. Chicago 89
6. Chicago 94
7. Chicago 97
8. Chicago 99
9. Chicago 02
10 Chicago 05 |
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| fireontheplatter |
my top 10 rolling stones concerts
*...all 5 shows from the voodoo lounge tour at giants stadium
*...sept '06 at giants stadium
*...the abb show in baltimore.
*...the hartford 3rd gig show from the abb tour
*...some buffalo show back in '81...i think it was.
*...1st show from the bridges to babalon tour at giants stadium.
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| Gazza |
quote:
steel driving hammer wrote:
My Top Rolling Stones gigs ever !
1. Chicago 72
2. Chicago 75
3. Chicago 78
4. Chicago 81
5. Chicago 89
6. Chicago 94
7. Chicago 97
8. Chicago 99
9. Chicago 02
10 Chicago 05
For my Baby Steelie :
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