1981 stones tour

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When Rolling Stones Launched a Big, Bright U.S. ‘Tattoo You’ Tour

It’s funny thinking about the Rolling Stones sticking to a schedule – especially in the darkest days of the ’70s when Keith Richards was at his most strung out. And yet, the Stones always toured North America every three years. Starting with 1966, then ’69, ’72, ’75, ’78 … it was like clockwork.

But a 1981 tour met with some resistance from Mick Jagger . Although a newly clean (if not sober) Richards was raring to go on the road in 1980 to promote Emotional Rescue , the frontman had thwarted any notion of a tour that year. Keef got his way in ’81, but he had to personally guarantee (and insure) that Ronnie Wood would not upset the band’s plans. Woody was freebasing cocaine at the time, and some of the band members were worried it could derail the tour.

“Anything to get the Stones on the road,” Richards recalled in his memoir, Life . “I figured I could handle him.”

In ’80, the Rolling Stones had an album, but no tour. A year later, it was the other way around. With Richards and Jagger not getting along creatively at the moment, and precious little time, the “new” album Tattoo You was cobbled together from scraps of leftovers, then given some needed structure and a quick polish. When released in August, it ended up delivering one of the Stones’ biggest hits in “Start Me Up.”

Amidst the album’s release, the Rolling Stones started practicing for the fall tour, which Jagger formally announced at a Philadelphia press conference. Following a small, warm-up gig in Worcester, Mass., the band launched its 1981 American Tour with two shows at Philly’s JFK Stadium on Sept. 25 and 26, 1981.

Although most of the songs were familiar and the Stones’ lineup – Jagger, Richards, Wood, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts – remained intact, this tour displayed a new evolution for the band. Gone were the dark and dangerous days of ’70s, replaced by the bright colors and arena spectacle of the ’80s. When Philly fans arrived to the concert, they were greeted by a stage flanked by giant cartoon drawings. Goodbye “Memory Motel,” hello Romper Room .

“We worked with a Japanese designer, Kazuhide Yamazari [on the stage set],” Jagger recalled in 2003. “Those were daytime tours; there were no night-time shows… So we had the bright, bright primary colors, which were designed by Kazuhide and we had these enormous images of a guitar, a car and a record – an Americana idea – which worked very well for the afternoon shows.”

Watch a Report About the Rolling Stones' Philadelphia Concerts

The concerts also featured Jagger in a cherry picker tossing out flowers during “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and a massive balloon launch. As for the music, fans remain divided over the merits of the Rolling Stones’ ’81 sound. Some see this era of the band as a wiry outfit’s last gasp, before big horn sections and a row of background singers joined up. But others disliked the Stones’ “thin” sound and Jagger’s “barking” delivery of the band’s classic tunes.

Either way, the group’s opening shows didn’t earn high marks from critics or even the band members themselves. Writing for Rolling Stone , Kurt Loder described a couple of messy concerts with bad sound (which was marginally improved for the second gig) that annoyed the Rolling Stones. He also noticed that the fans didn’t seem to mind. Once the tour was over, Jagger confessed the difficulties the band had at the tour’s start.

“I was a bit nervous at first because we went straight from doing one club gig to Philadelphia, which is in front of all those people. Yeah, I was a little nervous until I got on the stage and realized that although it was a little sloppy we got away with it,” Mick said in 1982. “It took us a few gigs to get with it – like... five, which were all huge gigs.”

Almost all of the ’81 shows were huge, played in domes, arenas and stadiums, with the exception of a lone stop at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre. As a live entity, the Stones were getting bigger, playing to more people in larger spaces. 180,000 people saw the first two Philadelphia shows, about 3 million attended the 50-date tour, which set multiple records for event attendance.

The Rolling Stones also made more money this time around. Rolling Stone reported the band’s gross income from the ’81 tour to be in the neighborhood of $50 million. Much of that came from tickets and merchandise, but a $1 million-plus sponsorship from Jovan Musk also helped. The perfume manufacturer paid to put the company name on Stones tickets in the first major tour sponsorship in rock ’n’ roll history. Former London School of Economics student Jagger oversaw every financial detail.

The Stones made even more coin on recordings from the tour, including a pay-per-view broadcast on Dec. 18, the 1982 live album Still Life and a Hal Ashby-directed concert film, Let’s Spend the Night Together . After the ’81 trek ended on Dec. 19 in Hampton, Va, the Stones took the show to Europe in ’82.

But mounting friction between the Glimmer Twins would prevent the band from sticking to its “every three years” U.S. touring schedule. Although the Rolling Stones would release more albums in the ’80s , they wouldn’t tour again until 1989 , in support of  Steel Wheels .

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The Rolling Stones American Tour 1981

The Rolling Stones ' American Tour 1981 was a concert tour of stadiums and arenas in the United States to promote the album Tattoo You . It was the largest grossing tour of 1981 with $50 million in ticket sales. Roughly 2,5 million concert goers attended the concerts, setting various ticket sales records. [1] The 5 December show in New Orleans set an indoor concert attendance record which stood for 33 years.

The Rolling Stones

Additional musicians, irregular songs.

Initially, singer Mick Jagger was not interested in another tour, but guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood were, as were elements of the press and public. Jagger eventually relented. [2] As with previous tours, the American Tour 1981 was promoted by Bill Graham .

The band rehearsed at Long View Farm , North Brookfield, Massachusetts , from 14 August to 25 September 1981. [3] and played a warm-up show at the Sir Morgan's Cove club in Worcester, Massachusetts on 14 September. [4] Although they were billed as Little Boy Blue & The Cockroaches, word got out and some 11,000 fans pushed and shoved outside the 300-capacity venue. [4] The Mayor of Boston Kevin H. White stopped the notion of further public rehearsals, saying, "The appearance here of Mr. Jagger is not necessarily in the public interest." [4]

The tour's elaborate and colorful stage was the work of Japanese designer Kazuhide Yamazaki. [5] "Most concerts that took place outdoors at the time were played during the day," recalled Jagger, "probably because it was cheaper, I don't know. So we had the bright, bright primary colors... and we had these enormous images of a guitar, a car and a record—an Americana idea—which worked very well for afternoon shows." [5]

Most shows later in the tour featured a cherry picker and the release of hundreds of balloons at the show's end. [6] During the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum [7] stops on the tour, the band played a Friday and Sunday show and USC had a football game in between on Saturday. As a televised football game, viewers could see the full stage set-up and often field goals would land on stage at the East end zone. While all opening bands were received well, the still unknown to the large audience Prince barely got through three songs before being booed off. [8]

The tour was the largest-grossing tour of 1981, and for several years to come. It grossed $50 million in ticket sales when the average ticket price was $16. Roughly 2.5 million attended the concerts. The Stones set many records that remain unbroken. The JFK Stadium shows in Philadelphia prompted nearly 4 million postcard requests for tickets (a method used at the time to prevent scalping); requests for the five arena shows in the New York metropolitan area were in the millions. [1] The New York Times stated, "The tour is expected to be the most profitable in the history of rock & roll; its sheer size has been staggering...ticket requests for these shows ran into the millions..." [1] The tour indeed did turn out to be profitable: the Stones were estimated to have reaped about $22 million after expenses. [9]

The tour also was an early milestone for the rock industry by selling advertising rights to Jōvan Musk . [10] Jōvan paid $1 million to put their name on Stones tickets. [11] This attracted considerable attention in the business media, as Jōvan's image of a pleasant fragrance was at odds with the Stones' bad boys image. [12] But the Stones behaved well on tour, and rock tour corporate sponsorships soon became the norm. [12]

In another marketing first, the 18 December performance at Virginia 's Hampton Coliseum on Keith Richards' 38th birthday, was broadcast as "The World's Greatest Rock'n'Roll Party", on pay-per-view and in closed circuit cinemas. [13] It was the first such use of pay-per-view for a music event. When a fan ran onstage during the show, Keith Richards hit him with his guitar.

Also of note was the 14 December performance at Kansas City 's Kemper Arena . Former Stones guitarist Mick Taylor joined the band for a large part of the performance. [13] Ronnie Wood was not happy with Taylor, however: "[He was] bulldozing through parts of songs that should have been subtle, ignoring breaks and taking uninvited solos." [9] Other guests during the tour were Tina Turner (who would sing " Honky Tonk Women "), Chuck Leavell , Tower of Power , and Sugar Blue . [13] Turner, People reported, had toured with the Stones in 1966 and 1969, and Jagger admitted he had "learned a lot of things" from her. [14]

The 1 October performance at the Rockford MetroCentre in Rockford, Illinois was added to the tour as a result of a petition drive by local radio station WZOK , which attracted more than 35,000 signatures. [15]

In general, there was less backstage madness on the tour than on many previous outings. [1] This was largely due to Richards having largely overcome his well-known drugs and alcohol problems; [1] The New York Times wrote of Richards, "He looks healthy, he is playing brilliantly and his backup vocals are often so lusty that they drown out Mr. Jagger, who is working harder to hold up his end of things as result." [1] However, this and the 1982 tour were the last tours on which Richards contributed the majority of backup vocals; for future tours, additional singers were enlisted.

Several of the concerts were recorded and selected songs were released on 1982's live Still Life . [16] The Hal Ashby -directed concert film Let's Spend the Night Together was released in 1983. Possibly due to the film, most of the shows on this tour were professionally recorded.

It was the Stones' last tour of the United States until 1989 .

• Mick Jagger – lead vocals, guitar
• Keith Richards – guitar, vocals
• Ronnie Wood – guitar, backing vocals
• Bill Wyman – bass
• Charlie Watts – drums
• Lee Allen – saxophone (1 October, Rockford, Illinois, and on 3 and 4 October at Folsom Field, in Boulder, Colorado)
• Ian Stewart – piano
• Ian McLagan – keyboards, backing vocals
• Ernie Watts – saxophone (7 October, San Diego, CA through last show of US tour, 19 December 1981, Hampton Roads Coliseum, Hampton, VA)
• Bobby Keys – saxophone (on 'Let it Bleed', 'Brown Sugar', 'Tumbling Dice', 'Honky Tonk Women', 'Street Fighting Man', 'Jumping Jack Flash' (some shows), from 9 October, Los Angeles, CA through last show of US tour, 19 December 1981, Hampton Roads Coliseum, Hampton, VA)

The usual set list was: [13]

• " Under My Thumb "
• " When the Whip Comes Down "
• " Let's Spend the Night Together "
• " Shattered "
• " Neighbours "
• " Black Limousine "
• " Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me) "
• " Down The Road Apiece " (played 26–27 September; 3, 5, & 9 November)
• " Mona " (played only 26 September)
• " Twenty-Flight Rock "
• " Going to a Go-Go " (first played in Louisville, Kentucky, 3 November)
• "Let Me Go"
• " Time Is on My Side "
• " Beast of Burden "
• " Waiting on a Friend "
• " Let It Bleed "
• "Tops" (Played 25 & 27 September, 3 October)
• " You Can't Always Get What You Want "
• " Little T&A "
• " Tumbling Dice "
• " She's So Cold "
• " All Down The Line " (Played 18 Times)
• " Hang Fire "
• " Star Star " (Played 10 Times)
• " Miss You "
• " Honky Tonk Women "
• " Brown Sugar "
• " Start Me Up "
• " Jumpin' Jack Flash "
• " Street Fighting Man " (played from 25 September-9 October and 26 October) [encore]
• " (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction " (played 25 September, 3 & 11 October until end of tour) [encore]
• "Outro The Star-Spangled Banner (version Jimi Hendrix in Woodstock 1969)" [encore]

For the first dozen or so shows most of the set list was moved around to find the most comfortable feel for the concerts.

Beyond the first five shows "Tops" and " Mona " were not played (though neither were ever played on the same night, they did not occupy the same location in the set list). Up until the shows in New Jersey " Down the Road Apiece " and " Street Fighting Man " both made a few appearances. " Star Star " was added into the set for every gig in between and including Boulder and both Orlando shows (with the sole exception of the second show in Boulder). " All Down the Line " was played 18 times in the first 24 regular gigs. The six exclusions were the first 4 regular shows and the 2 first shows in November. [6]

The 21 November concert in St. Paul, MN was memorable because Jesse Ventura , who worked as a body guard on the Tour of the Americas '75 , did the introduction, as he had on their 1978 North American tour. [ citation needed ]

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Related Research Articles

" Honky Tonk Women " is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. It was released as a non-album single on 4 July 1969 in the United Kingdom, and a week later in the United States. It topped the charts in both nations. The song was on Rolling Stone ' s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

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" Waiting on a Friend " is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones from their 1981 album Tattoo You . Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and released as the album's second single, it reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the US.

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América Latina Olé was a concert tour by The Rolling Stones, which began on 3 February 2016 in Santiago and made stops in La Plata, Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Porto Alegre, Lima, Bogotá, Mexico City and ended in Havana with a free show on 25 March 2016. The tour was chronicled on two video releases: The Rolling Stones: Havana Moon , which documented the final show, and Olé Olé Olé!: A Trip Across Latin America , a documentary following the band across the continent.

The No Filter Tour was a European/North American concert tour by the Rolling Stones which began on 9 September 2017 in Hamburg, Germany. The tour was scheduled to conclude in 2020 but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour resumed in September 2021. A few weeks after that announcement, the Stones announced that drummer Charlie Watts underwent an unspecified medical procedure and that he would likely be unable to join the tour due to a lengthy recovery. Watts ultimately died on 24 August 2021. The band announced on 5 August that longtime Stones associate Steve Jordan would fill in as drummer for the 2021 dates.

• ↑ Sandford, Christopher (2003). Mick Jagger: Rebel Knight . Omnibus Press . ISBN   0-7119-9833-7 . p. 276.
• ↑ Zentgraf, Nico. "Rolling Stones database 1981" . www.nzentgraf.de . Retrieved 13 April 2018 .
• 1 2 3 Sandford, Mick Jagger: Rebel Knight , p. 278.
• 1 2 Loewenstein, Dora; Philip Dodd (2003). According to the Rolling Stones . San Francisco: Chronicle Books. p.   222 . ISBN   0-8118-4060-3 .
• 1 2 Robert Palmer (14 November 1981). "Rock: Rolling Stones" . The New York Times .
• ↑ Times, Los Angeles (23 February 2016). "1981 Rolling Stones concert at the Coliseum" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 13 April 2018 .
• ↑ "Rolling Stones Open 2-Day Stand In LA" , Oxnard (CA) Press-Courier , 10 October 1981, p3
• 1 2 Sandford, Mick Jagger: Rebel Knight , p. 282.
• ↑ Peter Newcomb (2 October 1989). "Satisfaction Guaranteed" . Forbes . Archived from the original on 2 August 2003.
• ↑ Brenner, Reuven (1987). Rivalry: In Business, Science, Among Nations . Cambridge University Press . ISBN   0-521-38584-9 . p. 84.
• 1 2 Jacobson, Michael F.; Laurie Ann Mazur (1995). Marketing Madness: A Survival Guide for a Consumer Society . Westview Press . ISBN   0-8133-1981-1 . p. 107.
• 1 2 3 4 "American Tour 1981" . Rocks Off Setlists . Retrieved 18 July 2006 .
• ↑ Arrington, Carl (7 December 1981). "Tina Turner, the Woman Who Taught Mick Jagger to Dance, Is on the Prowl Again". People . Vol.   16, no.   23.
• ↑ "Rolling Stones accept fans' invitation" , United Press International , 19 September 1981
• ↑ "The Rolling Stones: Biography" . Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 8 February 2006 . Retrieved 21 June 2008 .
• ↑ Billboard Magazine . Google Books: Billboard Magazine. 10 October 1981.
• 1 2 Billboard Magazine . Google Books: Billboard Magazine. 17 October 1981.
• ↑ Billboard Magazine . 24 October 1981 – via Google Books.
• ↑ The Kingdome's Biggest Events . Seattle Pi. 1 June 2011. {{ cite book }} : CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link )
• 1 2 Billboard Magazine . Google Books: Billboard Magazine. 7 November 1981.
• 1 2 Billboard Magazine . Google Books: Billboard Magazine. 14 November 1981.
• 1 2 Billboard Magazine . 21 November 1981 – via Google Books.
• 1 2 Billboard Magazine (PDF) . 21 November 1981 – via World Radio History.
• 1 2 3 4 Billboard Magazine . 12 December 1981 – via Google Books.
• ↑ Billboard Magazine . Google Books: Billboard Magazine. 19 December 1981. [ page   needed ]
• 1 2 Billboard Magazine (PDF) . 9 January 1982 – via World Radio History.
• ↑ Billboard Magazine . 26 December 1981 – via Google Books. [ page   needed ]

The Rolling Stones with Prince

On October 9 & 11, 1981, The Rolling Stones performed at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with opening support from Prince. At the time, Prince wasn’t well-known but Mick Jagger was a fan of his early work and invited him to open the show. Less than four songs into their set, the crowd of 94,000 promptly booed Prince and his band off stage, likely because his music and fashion was much different than taste of The Rolling Stones’ audience.

Following the poor treatment, Prince flew back to Minneapolis, set on not returning to the stage. However Jagger and his manager convinced him to come back for night two. Prince and his band received similar treatment on October 11, but finished their five-song set, closing with “Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?”

The Rolling Stones 1981 American Tour took over massive stadiums and venues across the country. The band was promoting ‘Tattoo You’ and was the highest grossing tour of the year. The band received over 51 million dollars in ticket sales and had roughly two million attendees over the span of their concerts.

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Live in Concert: The Rolling Stones 1981 American Tour

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A perennial live favorite, we've got Mick, Keith and company from the Stones' 1981 tour headlining this week's Live in Concert on RKR.

It was a historic show, and not just because it was the World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band. The Rolling Stones concert on December 18, 1981 was the first live music event to be broadcast on television via pay-per-view. Billed as "The World's Greatest Rock'n'Roll Party," it was also shown in movie theaters and broadcast on the radio around the world. We've got an encore performance Saturday night at 8 on Live in Concert.

The Rolling Stones were old pros and road warriors by 1981, perfecting their craft since the 1960s. More than 14,000 fans turned up on a cold December night in 1981 at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton Virginia to see Mick strut his stuff and Keith riff amidst a haze of cigarette smoke while Ronnie, Bill and Charlie added to the magic that is the Rolling Stones live. This tour, in support of the Tattoo You album, was  largest grossing tour of 1981 with $50 million in ticket sales. Your ticket is free when you listen in on 107.7.

George Thorogood was the opening act for the Rolling Stones at this concert, so we'll feature a couple of his signature songs. (Hint: Be sure you are prepared with one bourbon, one scotch and one beer.) We'll feature The Cars from their early days with a show from 1978 and latter-day REO Speedwagon with "Take It On the Run" and "Roll with the Changes" from 2010.

We're inching closer to love concerts but they may be further off than we had hoped. We're brining you legendary live shows from the vaults every week on Live in Concert, every Saturday night at 8 on Kalamazoo's Rock Station.

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Take A Backstage Tour With The Rolling Stones In 1981

via RocknRollShaman/YouTube

It Was Not Their Usual Tour

In 1981, The Rolling Stones embarked on an American Tour in support of their studio album “Tattoo You.” It kicked off on September 25 at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia and wrapped up with a two-night show on December 18 and 19 at Hampton Coliseum. The trek became that year’s largest grossing tour with around $50 million ticket sales.

Interestingly, Mick Jagger was not sold on the idea at first but at Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood’s insistence, he eventually relented.

It was noticeably different from their previous tours mostly because of the bright and elaborate stage set-ups. But it wasn’t without a few bumps in the road for the band. Jagger recalled in a 1982 interview: “I was a bit nervous at first because we went straight from doing one club gig to Philadelphia, which is in front of all those people. Yeah, I was a little nervous until I got on the stage and realized that although it was a little sloppy we got away with it. It took us a few gigs to get with it – like… five, which were all huge gigs.”

The Rolling Stones performed in front of a total of 3 million people for the 50-date run. Check out a clip of the group backstage below.

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• October 29, 1981 Setlist

The Rolling Stones Setlist at Houston Astrodome, Houston, TX, USA

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Tour: Tattoo You Tour statistics Add setlist

• Under My Thumb Play Video
• When the Whip Comes Down Play Video
• Let's Spend the Night Together Play Video
• Shattered Play Video
• Neighbours Play Video
• Black Limousine Play Video
• Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) ( The Temptations  cover) Play Video
• Twenty Flight Rock ( Eddie Cochran  cover) Play Video
• Let Me Go Play Video
• Time Is on My Side ( Kai Winding & His Orchestra  cover) Play Video
• Beast of Burden Play Video
• Waiting on a Friend Play Video
• Let It Bleed Play Video
• You Can't Always Get What You Want Play Video
• Little T&A ( Keith Richards on lead vocals ) Play Video
• Tumbling Dice Play Video
• She's So Cold Play Video
• All Down the Line Play Video
• Hang Fire Play Video
• Miss You Play Video
• Start Me Up Play Video
• Honky Tonk Women Play Video
• Brown Sugar Play Video
• Jumpin' Jack Flash Play Video
• (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction Play Video

Edits and Comments

19 activities (last edit by bendobrin , 30 Sep 2019, 20:27 Etc/UTC )

Songs on Albums

• Black Limousine
• Little T&A
• Start Me Up
• Waiting on a Friend
• Beast of Burden
• When the Whip Comes Down
• Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) by The Temptations
• Time Is on My Side by Kai Winding & His Orchestra
• Twenty Flight Rock by Eddie Cochran
• She's So Cold
• All Down the Line
• Tumbling Dice
• Let It Bleed
• You Can't Always Get What You Want
• Honky Tonk Women
• Jumpin' Jack Flash
• Under My Thumb
• Let's Spend the Night Together
• (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
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90,000 IN PHILADELPHIA CHEER ROLLING STONES' TOUR

By William Robbins, Special To the New York Times

• Sept. 26, 1981

From New York City, from Trenton and from Baltimore they came; from North, South, Northeast and West Philadelphia, and from all the area's colleges and suburbs.

They rolled down the streets, jammed the highways, packed the Broad Street Subway. They poured into the vast bowl of the old John F. Kennedy Stadium, they carpeted its sloping tiers and its broad infield with color and they filled it with sound -first the din of multithroated cheers of expectation and then the roar of welcome for the Rolling Stones, the British rock-and-roll group, which began its 25-city American tour today with the first of two concerts here.

To the rim of the stadium all was a sea of yellow, red, green and blue shirts and bright dresses, all dotted here and there with the flesh tones of chests bared to a benign autumn sun, while bright banners and balloons floated overhead.

Thunderous Welcome

They were young, they were carefree and they roared a thunderous standing ovation when, after some had spent at least a day waiting in the packed stadium, the rock group, men approaching 40, finally arrived on stage, singing and playing songs from albums on which many in the throng of 90,000 had cut their milk teeth.

''It's great to be back,'' said Mick Jagger, the lead singer, in response to the crowd's welcome. It had been three years since the Rolling Stones had made a similar tour. Among those waiting for them in the throng were Patty Powers, 23 years old; her younger sister, Lisa, and her friend, Vinnie Walker, 24, all from Ridgewood, Queens; Donny Harris, 26, from Baltimore, and Edward Ulrich, 24, and Eileen Rosenberg, 21, from Trenton. Pra ise for Outdoor Concerts

They all seemed to agree with Karen Osterling, a Drexel University senior from Moorestown, N.J., who said: ''Outdoor concerts are the best there is. You can be as rowdy as you want. You can squeal and swoon. The fans make it, and the outdoor fans are best.''

''And they are best of all in Philadelphia,'' said Mr. Ulrich of Trenton. ''Why else do you think the Stones would start their current tour here?''

Many of the 12,000 who had slept in the parking lot overnight began pouring beer early, spreading their six-packs on the backs of cars. Many poured into the stadium, where alcoholic beverages were barred, when the doors opened shortly after 7 A.M., even though the Rolling Stones' appearance was not scheduled until 3 or 4 P.M. No one, not even the promoters, seemed sure of the exact schedule. The group finally began singing at 3:15 P.M. Preliminary Groups Cheered

Meanwhile, beginning shortly after 11 A.M., the throngs cheered preliminary rock performers, and even the recorded songs that filled several of the hours.

Although most of the crowd were in their late teens and early 20's, most also were veterans of outdoor concerts. ''I haven't missed many of their concert to urs,'' said Donny Harris of Baltimore. ''I've been as far as Cl eveland to hear them.'' As at most such concerts, the fans walked i n with smiles they neverlost, though some eyes glazed and some grins seemed to congeal as the afternoon wore on. One Overdose and 32 Arrests

In the morning, the first aid crews had one of their earliest drugoverdose cases, a girl in convulsions on the main entrance ramp. And plainclothes narcotics agents based in a van nearby had made a dozen arrests by noon, said Raymond Stackhouse, one of the agents. By the time the Rolling Stones appeared, the number had risen to 32.

''We don't bother anyone for just smoking,'' said another agent, who asked not to be quoted by name. ''It's the dealers we're picking up.''

Charges would involve marijuana, cocaine and LSD, he said. For the ticket scalpers, today brought some windfalls. Andy Little, 17, from Westfield, N.J., had made $400 selling tickets for up to $40 each that he had bought for $17 apiece.

The promoters, Electric Factory Concerts, reported a sellout of 90,000 tickets, but as show time approached, the scalpers' prices fell. Andy Little, who described himself as ''just an amateur,'' finally turned over his last investment for $5 before giving up and joining the stream of rock lovers pouring into the stadium and joining the cheers for the Rolling Stones.

Start me up: The Stones kick off North America tour in Houston

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Reporting by Arathy Somasekhar in Houston; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Lisa Shumaker

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Rolling Stones Kick-Start ‘Hackney Diamonds’ Tour With Thrilling Houston Concert

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

Over the past couple of decades, the Rolling Stones have looked for any reason to hit the road besides the release of a new album of original songs. They’ve launched tours celebrating their 50th anniversary, reissues of select archival records, the 2016 covers LP Blue & Lonesome , and their 60th anniversary. Some years they headed out on the stadium circuit for no particular reason whatsoever, knowing a Stones tour is a major event in and of itself.

The first step was Houston’s NRG Stadium on Sunday night. After a strong opening set by Gary Clark Jr. that centered around his new LP, JPEG Raw , the band took the stage to the familiar opening notes of “Start Me Up.” This is the first time Mick Jagger has faced a stadium crowd since his 80th birthday last year, but his voice and body seem like they stopped aging sometime around Steel Wheels . It’s almost impossible to fully believe until you see it in person. (“People say Joe Biden is too old to be president,” an elderly woman behind me said early in the night. “They need to look at Mick!”)

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He wasn’t kidding. The 1965 Aftermath track wasn’t played live once until their 2022 European tour, and this was the first time it crossed the Atlantic. But it’s not something you hear much on classic rock radio, and the audience reaction was pretty muted at first. “I don’t think you really knew it,” Jagger said at the end. “But you got to know it as it went along.”

The Hackney Diamonds portion of the evening began at this point with leadoff single “Angry,” which popped onstage much like it did during their surprise album release show at the New York club Racket last year. “Beast of Burden” won the fan vote for the night, and it provided veteran backup Stones singer Bernard Fowler with a much-deserved spotlight moment. “You’ve got one more vote in November,” Jagger said. “Don’t forget to vote then too. What to play now? Something old … something new.”

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At the midway point of every Rolling Stones concert in recent memory, Jagger introduces the band one by one before heading offstage so Keith Richards can sing a couple of songs. For some reason, perhaps to squeeze more new songs into the set without cutting any of the standards, Richards was limited to just a single tune. He made it count by singing 1981’s “Little T & A” for the first time since 2016, though it was disappointing he didn’t get a chance to break out “Tell Me Straight” from Hackney Diamonds . It feels inevitable that’ll happen before this tour ends.

Jagger returned for “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Gimme Shelter,” which gave new background singer Chanel Haynes a chance to emerge from the wings and show off her stunning pipes. She first entered Stones World in 2022 when Sasha Allen, their previous background singer, couldn’t make a Milan show. Haynes was playing the lead role in the West End musical Tina at the time, and she parachuted in at the last second to save the show. This frustrated the producers of Tina , who fired her for handing the show off to her understudy that night when she wasn’t ill, but it impressed the Stones enough to hire her for this tour.

The main set wrapped up with “Honky Tonk Women,” “Miss You,” “Paint It Black,” and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” These are songs they’ve done hundreds and hundreds of times for good reason. The hardcores may yearn for deeper cuts like “Memory Motel” or “Moonlight Mile,” but Jagger knows they’d cause many people to sit down and start scrolling through Instagram. And when you have a song like “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” in your repertoire, you simply have to play it every time you do a gig.

“Sweet Sounds of Heaven,” one of the finest songs on Hackney Diamonds , kicked off the brief encore set. If it wasn’t challenging enough to channel Merry Clayton a few songs back, Haynes had to now deliver Lady Gaga’s soaring vocal parts from the original recording. Unsurprisingly, she crushed it. For a moment, it really felt like witnessing a scene from some alternate-universe version of A Star Is Born.

The night closed out with a joyous “Satisfaction,” meaning they played just three songs from Hackney Diamonds. That’s typical for a tour in support of a latter-day Rolling Stones album, but this one really deserved more. They dropped “Midnight Rambler,” one of the Richards songs, and the acoustic set to make room for the three new ones in the show, but it be worth further restructuring to squeeze in “Whole Wide World,” “Bite My Head Off,” and “Tell Me Straight.” These are stellar songs that deserve a spot in the set, even if it means tossing aside “Paint It Black” or “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” sometimes.

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The band’s 60th anniversary tour in 2022 seemed like it could be the end of the Rolling Stones saga, but we’re somehow now living through an entirely new era of their history. They even have a bunch of outtakes from Hackney Diamonds that they hope to release on a follow-up album. Whatever happens, they’re now in completely uncharted waters for a rock & roll band. It’s thrilling to witness.

The Rolling Stones’ 4/28/24 Set List in Houston

“Start Me Up” “Get Off of My Cloud” “Rock Off” “Out of Time” “Angry” “Beast of Burden” “Mess It Up” “Tumbling Dice” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” “Little T & A” “Sympathy for the Devil” “Gimme Shelter” “Honky Tonk Women” “Miss You” “Paint It Black” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” “Satisfaction”

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The Rolling Stones Rock Houston to Kick Off 2024 ‘Hackney Diamonds’ Tour With Live Debut of “Mess It Up”

by Matt Friedlander April 29, 2024, 10:45 am

The Rolling Stones ’ 2024 tour in support of their latest album, Hackney Diamonds , blasted off Sunday, April 28, at NRG Stadium in Houston.

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Appropriately enough, the British rock legends started things off with their classic 1981 hit “Start Me Up.” The band played for about two hours and the set featured 18 songs.

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The show was made up mostly of versions of The Stones’ classic hits, including “Get Off My Cloud,” “Tumbling Dice,” “Can’t Always Get What You Want,” “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Honky Tonk Women,” “Miss You,” “Paint It Black,” and “Jumping Jack Flash.” “Beat of Burden” was added to the set thanks to a fan vote.

The band also played three songs from Hackney Diamonds —“Angry,” “Mess It Up,” and “Sweet Sound of Heaven.” The Houston concert marked the live debut of “Mess It Up,” while the other two previously had been played live only once, at The Stones’ intimate album-release party at the New York City club Racket in October 2023.

[RELATED: Houston, We Have a Rock Star: Mick Jagger Visits NASA’s Johnson Space Center Ahead of Rolling Stones Tour]

The set also included a few deep cuts from the group’s catalog—“Rocks Off,” “Out of Time,” and the Keith Richards-sung “Little T&A.”

The Rolling Stones brought the concert to a close with their signature song, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”

The Rolling Stones’ Posted Photos on Their Social Media Sites

After the show, The Stones posted a message on their social media sites that read, “Thank you Houston! You were an amazing audience for the opening night!”

The post also featured a series of photos from the concert, including several pics of the audience and one of the evening’s set list. A separate post featured photos of the band members onstage.

Fans React to the Tour Kickoff

Plenty of fans who attended the show posted messages about the event in the comments section of the group’s Instagram page.

One fan wrote, “Amazing show as always!! The biggest and best surprise: Out Of Time!! [“Mess It Up”] the other TOP one!

Another shared, “I caught Ronnie [Wood’s] pick he used for Paint It Black. great show, finally got to see Beast of Burden.”

A third fan commented, “It was an amazing show, couldn’t be more happy! A music lifetime experience.”

More About The Rolling Stones’ 2024 Tour

The Rolling Stones’ 2024 tour in support of Hackney Diamonds continues on Thursday, May 2, with a headlining performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The trek, which features a total of 19 concerts, is scheduled through a July 17 performance in Santa Clara, California.

The tour also features multiple shows at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey; Soldier Field in Chicago; and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Tickets for The Rolling Stones’ concerts are available now via various outlets, including StubHub .

Here’s The Rolling Stones full set list, NRG Stadium, Houston, TX, 4/28/24:

• “Start Me Up”
• “Get Off My Cloud”
• “Rocks Off”
• “Out of Time”
• “Beast of Burden”
• “Mess It Up”
• “Tumbling Dice”
• “Can’t Always Get What You Want”
• “Little T&A”
• “Sympathy for the Devil”
• “Gimme Shelter”
• “Honky Tonk Women”
• “Paint It Black”
• “Jumping Jack Flash”
• “Sweet Sound of Heaven”
• “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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Start me up: The Stones kick off North America tour in Houston

By Arathy Somasekhar

HOUSTON (Reuters) -The Rolling Stones kicked off their North America tour at a sold-out venue in Houston on Sunday, with people traveling from various cities to watch one of the world's most enduring rock bands amid worries that this could be their last tour.

The show was the first of 16 performances, set across the U.S. and Canada through July.

Fans flocked to the NRG Stadium in Houston in Rolling Stones T-shirts showcasing the band's iconic lips and tongue logo.

The band, formed more than six decades ago, opened with "Start Me Up" with Mick Jagger walking onto the stage in a shiny striped jacket, a gray sequined shirt and black jeans. People immediately started to dance along to the 1981 classic.

Jagger, who is 80, danced, skipped and ran across the stage while showcasing his vocal range.

"Hello Houston, it's good to be back in the lone star state," Jagger said, adding that band visited NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston and making quips about Texas-based convenience store chain Buc-ee's.

He performed alongside Keith Richards, 80, and Ronnie Wood, 76, the surviving core of the band.

"Every time I see them, it's such a joy. They're amazing. They take such true joy in playing," said Greta Brasgalla, 56, who traveled from El Paso, Texas, to watch the band for the seventh time. She also plans to watch the Rolling Stones in Atlanta in June.

The band attracted people of all ages to the stadium, with a significant proportion of the audience over 60.

The 18 songs played over two hours included a mix of classics and three from the latest record "Hackney Diamonds", the Stones' first album of original material since 2005 and the first recording since drummer Charlie Watts died in 2021.

Other songs they played included "Jumpin' Jack Flash", "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "Out of Time", all to massive applause.

Richards, whose song-writing partnership with Jagger is one of the most enduring and successful in rock, sang "Little T&A."

The Stones closed the show with "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". They head to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival for a special performance this week.

Fans, however, worried that this could be one of the last tours by the Stones.

"Every time we see them, we wonder if it's going to be the last. That's our fear," said Savannah Welch, who traveled from Austin and brought along her son Charlie.

(Reporting by Arathy Somasekhar in Houston; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Lisa Shumaker)

Rolling Stones kick off 48th tour with ‘Hackney Diamonds’ cuts and classics in Houston

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The Rolling Stones opened their Stones Tour ’24 Hackney Diamonds on Sunday to a sold-out crowd of more than 70,000 fans at NRG Stadium in Houston.

The Stones played just three new tracks from the album, choosing to focus instead on classic hits including “Start Me Up,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Satisfaction,” according to a press release. The decision to focus on older material was not unsurprising for a group with more than six decades of songs to choose from.

It was the rockers’ first performance of material from their 2023 effort “Hackney Diamonds” since the album’s surprise release at the 600-seat club Racket in New York last October. (Fans and celebrities packed that tiny venue expecting merely a Stones show and instead were treated to a breadth of new songs — and a Lady Gaga cameo.)

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As the tour rolls on, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and company plan to make stadium stops in Glendale, Ariz.; Las Vegas; Seattle; East Rutherford, N.J.; Foxboro, Mass.; Orlando; Atlanta; Philadelphia; Cleveland; Denver; Chicago; Vancouver; Inglewood; and Santa Clara.

When the Stones hit SoFi Stadium this summer, they’ll be accompanied by the War and Treaty on July 10 and the Linda Lindas on July 13.

“Hackney Diamonds” is the rockers’ first studio album of original material in nearly two decades, following 2005’s “A Bigger Bang.” It’s also the Stones’ first LP since the death of founding drummer Charlie Watts in 2021. It’s the first time the band has been on the road since its 60th anniversary tour in 2022, and the tour will also feature a stop at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on May 2.

“Charlie was one of the funniest guys I’ve ever known,” Richards told Times music critic Mikael Wood in 2021, “and the most unlikely man to be famous. He hated that side of the job and used to savagely take the piss out of it.”

‘You haven’t heard the last of Charlie’: Rolling Stones on a bittersweet tour and new music

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Oct. 7, 2021

When “Hackney Diamonds” game out, Wood wrote in his album review, “The songs blend the same ingredients the Stones have been using since the beginning — blues, rock, soul, country, gospel — but they’re tighter and punchier than on any of the band’s previous late-era LPs.”

Meanwhile, according to Rolling Stone , back at the Houston concert one fan said, “People say Joe Biden is too old to be president. They need to look at Mick!”

That said, the Rolling Stones’ 48th tour is sponsored by AARP.

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