| April 22nd, 2005 10:23 AM |
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| Mr Jimmy |
Hi Everyone!
26 Years Ago Today.
Can't tell you how excited I am that another tour will be coming our way.
Every time a new tour is about to get rolling, it gets me thinking back
to the first time I ever saw the Stones. I'm hoping that most of you
share my excitement about 2005 and I'd love to hear about your first ever live experience... definitely a defining moment in the life of any Stones fan and it's a fun way to get to know a little bit about others on the board.
As a young Stones' fan growing up in Toronto, I lived through the drama of Keith's arrest culminating with his sentence which was the C.N.I.B. Benefit Concert. The 2 shows at Oshawa Civic Auditorium would add
up to only a few thousand people, tickets were first handed out to the visually impaired, and the remaining tickets would be sold to the general public with a limit of 2 tickets per
person. No one had any idea just how many tickets would go on sale... this was not a huge football stadium, just a very small hockey arena outside of the city. It was a very cold, early spring weekend in Toronto and I lined up in an outdoor parking lot for two days with no guarantee of getting one of the relatively few tickets. The Stones were technically in between tours, so people showed up from far and wide to try and get a ticket for the show. We found a dumpster full of discarded drywall and built little shelters making the outside of the shopping mall resemble a refugee camp. I was 14 at the time and still remember the anxiety of
waiting for two days with very few tickets available, and very little food, and hoping, hoping, that my effort would be rewarded. Yes... I managed to get two tickets. Holy shit was I excited.
And on the evening of April 22nd 1979:
Finally. Finally. Finally... I got to see The Rolling Stones. John Belushi was the M.C. and he delivered a very wasted introduction "The New Barbarians go nuts!" Keith & Ron smiling from ear to ear, and breaking into Sweet Little Rock 'n' Roller... the house went crazy. The auditorium was small but full of die hard Stones fans... It was the first concert where I really felt connected to everyone around me. The Barbarians' set ended with Before They Make Me Run which seemed particularly appropriate considering all that Keith had gone through with the Toronto situation.
Ron Wood then said, "Don't go away, there's a lot more yet to come."
The lights went out and came back on just as fast. There was Keith with an acoustic and Mick sitting on a stool. Prodigal Son... yes, the boy had returned. And then the rest of the Stones joined them on stage. The show ended with the house lights turned up during Jumping Jack Flash and I was already wondering how long I'd have to wait to see them again. What an evening! Seems like just yesterday.
I'd love to hear about YOUR first Stonesian experience... all of the memories add up to more excitement for all of us. |
| April 22nd, 2005 10:33 AM |
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| egon |
thanks.
those were the days! |
| April 22nd, 2005 10:39 AM |
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| Gazza |
Nice story. I love that show, raw as it is. I wish they'd do more surprise gigs like that. These days the Stones never do anything live as a band unless its part of a tour and theyve rehearsed for weeks in advance.
was the Stones' appearance totally unannounced? (I guess as there was a matinee, though, that by the evening show, word had got around?
Of all the Stones shows I've been to, the most jaw dropping moment actually came the other week when Mick strolled onstage at Woody's concert. I can only imagine what it must have been like to have the WHOLE BAND as a special guest.
And that version of "Prodigal son" on the CNIB show still gives me the goosebumps.
[Edited by Gazza] |
| April 22nd, 2005 10:48 AM |
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| egon |
it sure beats driving to the venue in your voodoo lounge vw golf, with your 60 euro ticket, buying a warm cup of beer for 5 euros & a t-shirt for 50.
still, i'd do that anytime! |
| April 22nd, 2005 11:01 AM |
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| Mr Jimmy |
Hey Gazza
The rest of the Stones were rumoured to show up in Oshawa. I was at the evening show, so I had already heard on the radio that they had indeed performed with Keith in the afternoon. Fantastic! I felt so lucky that I was so close to them for my first ever show.
For a true 'surprise' gig, I had the best & closest Stones' experience of my life when they were rehearsing in Tornto for the '94 Voodoo Lounge Tour. I was lucky enough to be listening to the radio when they announced that the Stones would play at a small club (R.P.M.) that very evening, so I turned the car around and raced a few miles away to the parking lot of R.P.M. It was so strange... a small sign said "Tonight. The Rolling Stones. I parked the car and walked up to a security guard who was erecting barricades. He told me that I would have to wait all day behind the barricades and the doors would open at 7pm. Man-oh-man! I ran into the sectioned-off area. People started arriving by the hundreds... ditching their cars, spilling out of taxis etc. And when the Stones took the stage, I was standing directly in front of the exceptionally small & low stage, and leaning on it... I was literally 2 feet away from Mick & Keith... an unbelievable night... and Keith really played his guitar. I hope I get to have a similar experience this summer. |
| April 22nd, 2005 11:48 AM |
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| gimmekeef |
That was a great show...Was there myself..but felt kinda strange after buying 2 tickets from blind fellow who didnt want to attend.Paid him $250 for 2 ticks right up front and he had his mother there for the exchange cause he couldnt see the money I was giving him....Jeez the lengths I'll go to see the boys!!!!! |
| April 22nd, 2005 12:04 PM |
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| egon |
i love these stories.
anyone else? |
| April 22nd, 2005 12:15 PM |
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| Glimmer |
I have a bootleg of the Oshawa show on vinyl titled, Blind Date. It's awesome. I haven't listened to it in years. |
| April 22nd, 2005 01:43 PM |
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| HellsRollingThunder |
Has anyone here ever seen the Rolling Stones during the
1960's when Brian Jones, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts played all together somewhere IN
PERSON!!?? It seems all I have seen is messages where folks
have seen them when Mick Taylor and Ronnie Wood have performed with the Stones, which is fine, but what was just wondering if we had any older Stones fans here who may have
seen the Early Stones IN PERSON!? If so please share, thanks. |
| April 22nd, 2005 01:55 PM |
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| Joey |
quote:
egon wrote:
i love these stories.
anyone else?
Here I Is !!!!!
...me too's . |
| April 22nd, 2005 07:27 PM |
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| Soldatti |
Great memories Jimmy, thanks for the post. |
| April 22nd, 2005 09:06 PM |
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| tomk |
First show was July 10, 1975. LA Forum.
Went with a friend of mine. I was 12 at the time
(can't believe my folks let me go by at alone at that age).
I do remember I had to a paper route at the time,
and I was so excited about that evening.
The Lotus stage was really something else.
When you walked in, all the petals were up,
and a shroud covered the top. The video of the LA show
on the 11Th doesn't really give it justice. YOu really had to see it. The petals were silver as they faced you, kinda looked like something out of futuristic-50's sci-fi movie.
Hanging from the ceiling of the Forum were Chinese decorations like you see in a Chinese restaurant. I do remember the had
Chinese writing on them. There were 3 sets of steel bands
(although I don't remember them sounding like steel drums).
ONe on the left, one on the right, and one in the center.
They each played for about 10 minutes each. I think the
light were off, and a purple/blue light light up the shroud.
The lights came on, and then later, people dressed in a dragon outfit circled the Forum floor. It seemed a bit like
a Chinese Mardi gras. Then the light went down, Fanfare For
the Common Man Started, and the petals opend...there they were. HTW started when the petals were about 3/4 of the way open. I do remember Keith trying to push the front one down
while he was pumping out the first chords. I think Ronnie was wearing a green frock coat (I always thought Keith was wearing it, but someone told me otherwise). Mick was wearing
the pink jacket and pajama pants, and Bill was in black.
Don't remember Charlie or Preston's outfits. I remember
MJ flying over the audience during Outta Space. Was pretty impressive at the time, I thought. You've all heard the boots, so I don't need to go into the song selection.
When the did SFTD, a mostly black ensemble dance around the stage. Wheh the song was almost done, the petals rose
and ended on the last chord. after the cheering died down,
classicla music was played. Best show I've ever seen.
Hands down, the lotus stage was the best stage they've ever had. Bono can only dream of stages like that.
To get a good feeling of the atmosphere: Find a boot of the
LA show, hang some Chinese decorations around your house,
pop some popcorn, make some hot dogs (for the smell of
the concessions), pour a bunch of beer (to get the smell
of the beer), fill the room with cigarette and pot smoke...
turn the lights off...and push play on your CDC player.
Kind of like that movie Somewhere In Time. HA HA!
Cheers!
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| April 23rd, 2005 09:14 PM |
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| SirMuddy |
for HellsRollingThunder:
Ulf from Ulf's list saw them in the Marquee on 1962-07-12!
http://www.bahnhof.se/~hasu/Ulflist/ |
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