Rolling Stones

1975-06-23 The Rolling Stones

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Madison Square Garden

I got home from Jr High School one afternoon and started listening to my favorite local radio station, WLIR.  The Stones announced the 1975 Tour of the Americas - with tickets going on sale that same day. 

I listened live on the radio when  the Stones came out on a flatbed truck on Fifth Avenue at lunchtime to play a version of Brown Sugar to startled businesspeople on their lunch hour, and kick off the tour. 

I waited impatiently for my Mom to get home so that I could ask her to drive me to get tickets - the closest ticketmaster outlet being at a record store in Lynbrook, NY called Frog's.  She took me over there around 2.30pm and already the line wrapped around several blocks.  I stayed on line into the evening (she left and came back later) and I finally purchased two tickets at around 10.30pm. There was nothing left except the highest sections of the Garden but I was still totally excited. I was 14 years old and knew I would be going to see the greatest rock band in the world, at Madison Square Garden. 

On this tour Ronnie Wood joined for the first time (I had seen him already with Faces);  the flower pedal stage was used - it opened at the beginning (to the opening bars of Honky Tonk Woman) to reveal Mick and the Stones inside, before Jagger rolled down the front pedal as it slowly opened further; the inflatable fallic balloon made an appearance during Star Star. The incomparable Billy Preston played keyboards. Later in the show when the band was revving on all cylinders, during Brown Sugar and Jumpin Jack Flash they simply turned on all of the house lights as everyone went bonkers.

Below: Creem magazine article on the 1975 Tour, click arrows to browse pages.

1981-09-27 The Rolling Stones

in ,

Rich Stadium

This is one of my favorite stubs; note the tattooed faces of Mick and Keith on the sides of the ticket from the album jacket artwork.

This is one of my favorite stubs; note the tattooed faces of Mick and Keith on the sides of the ticket from the album jacket artwork.

Above: Some pages from the 1981 Tour Program

I purchased tickets for the previous show - the Philadelphia tour opener - but an old car broke down and did not get me there. I had the car fixed and drove straight to Buffalo, withstanding a strong thunderstorm that hit the thruway in upstate NY in the afternoon. I met up with my Ithaca buddies at the show, including one JH who had already seen the Dead over fifty times, but not the Stones yet. The colorful stage setup loomed large at one end of the stadium, and “Take the A Train” was played before the Band hit the stage. A lively and impressive site to behold.

The setlist included the songs "Tops" and "Down the Road Apiece," which I believe were dropped from the setlist and infrequently played after this show.

1981-11-07 The Rolling Stones

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Brendan Byrne Arena, The Meadowlands

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This was an incredible Saturday night show. There are some familiar clips of video online from this big show. We were a little puzzled, at the time, by "20 flight rock" and another song we had not heard before. The following month the Stones played the famous show in Virginia that was broadcast and documented in a video. A cassette of that show recorded off the radio was soon obtained by a buddy in Ithaca and was circulated - that one is a classic and provided many great listens.

1981-11-27 The Rolling Stones

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Carrier Dome

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My roomate and I purchased our tickets from someone living in the Giles St apartments in Ithaca who could not attend this show on Thanksgiving weekend. The tickets said obscured view but were in a lower section. I don’t remember the seats being obscured at all; we had a great time and were desperate to return on Saturday night. 

I dont recall why they did a 4pm show times that weekend, but it was Thanksgiving weekend and who knows what football games or other things affected the scheduling.

Below: Pages from the program for the Syracuse shows. Click arrows to browse pages of the program.

1981-11-28 The Rolling Stones

in ,

Carrier Dome

Front section of the floor, Saturday night, Thanksgiving weekend, 1981.

Front section of the floor, Saturday night, Thanksgiving weekend, 1981.

After seeing the Friday show but without tickets this time, we drove up from Ithaca in the early afternoon again, with great hopes about the Saturday night show. Another 4pm show time, and as the afternoon passed, it started snowing in Syracuse. As we walked around the dome it became clear that there were not many tickets around. I found one guy with a single ticket who wanted $35 for it but the seat was in the front section of the floor. Luckily, I had $40 in my pocket and went for it. My roommate was not as lucky. But he had limited his chances by bringing a grand total of $20 to the show - irresponsible behavior for a rare and important opportunity to see the Stones on Saturday night in Syracuse - I told myself, as I made up to meet him after the show and he made his way down to one of the bars for a few hours.

Sitting down in my seat about 20 rows back from the stage, I was able to relax and considered the $35 well worth it to be that close to the stage. When the show started the view was good enough to see the lead singer's blue eyes - and everything else - very clearly.

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