...a few months back I treated myself to an iPod shuffle for use when I go to the gym, Exclusively on it is every official Stones live album plus several high quality boots including the 1995 Tokyo dome show (my version is by Sister Morphine). I've been listening to the Tokyo show for the last couple days and I am stunned at how spirited the entire band was. Keith isn't nearly as ham-handed as now and he and Ronnie simply tear the p*ss out of every song they play. Even Bobby Keys and the background singers convey a more inspired sound. They all rock and swing and generally seem to be having a ball.

Voodoo served as the template for future tours but I don't think they've ever risen to the same level since. Often times, in recent years, they seem to be relying too much on technology and gimmicks while phoning in a rote performance.

a case can be made for NS - loved the stripped down stage approach - keith still had "it" and the setlist introduced some great ne'er-played stuff to the act....

Last time they were kings....after this tour still great...less power.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-01-18 19:36 by rooster.

Shattered was the best ever done on the Voodoo tour.

Quote
skipstone
Shattered was the best ever done on the Voodoo tour.

its the next best after 78 and 81.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-01-18 19:39 by ryanpow.

no the best shattered other than 78-82 is the philly 89 short version and the philly 89 rehearsal version,IMO anyway

Quote
ryanpow

Quote
skipstone
Shattered was the best ever done on the Voodoo tour.

its the next best after 78 and 81.

shattered lost its mojo that fateful opening night in '89 and it's never returned...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-01-18 19:43 by T&A.

yes and then was exiled to vegas land, bummer

I will never forget the punk live 78 version...so real so much frustration...so much better than the studio and the voodoo version combined

I think the Voodoo tour version of Shattered is the best they've ever done it. I like the other versions I've heard but the 1994 version has swagger and performance wise is huge. Charlie is exceptional.

The 1981 version? That's just...a garage band covering the Stones.

For me, the best is Licks, especially Arena and Club shows. Because the Stones showed that they still can play a lot of songs and the same old overplayed songs.

---

Sorry for my english ; I'm a french little boy (but I like it)

The Voodoo tour definitely had its merits - the energy was consistently higher and Keith and Ronnie were in top form. But there are some drawbacks from that tour as well that they later reconciled. For one, the guitar sound was wwaaayyy too clean I thought. Subsequent tours gave us more grit in that department. I don't think they played with as much muscle on this tour either. Compare "Monkey Man" from Tokyo 95 to the version from MSG in 2003. Charlie and Keith play with more power and the latter version, and Mick's actually SINGING the song instead of merely talking in key.

I have fond memories of every tour, and this one was a beauty. Still, I probably wouldn't personally call it my favorite modern era tour.

Quote
skipstone
.

The 1981 version? That's just...a garage band covering the Stones.

ummm...newsflash - the stones (at their best) ARE a garage band....

BtB is far better, regarding the post 81/82 tours.

I don´t see the VL that good - not just because of those stupid
blow up stuff behind Charlie

Quote
R
...a few months back I treated myself to an iPod shuffle for use when I go to the gym, Exclusively on it is every official Stones live album plus several high quality boots including the 1995 Tokyo dome show (my version is by Sister Morphine). I've been listening to the Tokyo show for the last couple days and I am stunned at how spirited the entire band was. Keith isn't nearly as ham-handed as now and he and Ronnie simply tear the p*ss out of every song they play. Even Bobby Keys and the background singers convey a more inspired sound. They all rock and swing and generally seem to be having a ball..

Interesting analysis,. I've always thought that Tokyo '95 show was a really flat performance (unusual for that time). A million miles away from the brilliant 1990 show in the same venue.

Its certainly the weakest of the numerous VL televised concerts IMO.

Imho the 1994 US tour SUCKED real bad (apart from the "on" night here and there). The SB shows were a pain to listen to (Oakland Oct.31 for instance yawn)and the PPV show (Miami) was a trainwreck.

The 1995 legs of the VL Tour were much stronger, diverse, experimental and exciting.
First the band was pumped-up by their 1st foray in South America, then the March'95 Tokyo acoustic sessions, and finally the glorious Euro tour with the 4 club dates.
Yum!

Setlists, show, performances, musicianship, VL was the last great tour. They brought it all together on that one, Keef and Ronnie both playing well, not just loud. Everyone else at their peak, although I think Mick's voice was still strong on B2B and NS and Charlie has been consistently Charlie to this very day.

Before that, I like 78 the best.

Mick kind of phoned-it in on this tour. Ever notice on vids how rare it is that he talks or smiles? For Mick Awesomeness, I'll take the next one, B2B.

Keith, however, OWNED 1994-1995. It was HIS last great tour.

[thepowergoats.com]

Voodoo lounge tour was fantastic,their last,they needed to prove anything.
Best tokyo shows were
8.3 and the final one 17.3.1995.
Tv show was a little too flat,they played too good,not loose&tight.
People allways forget,that they also did 2 shows at fukuoka!

The Buenos Aires gig does it for me.

Probably, yeah... Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle was just learning the new concept, and considering now, there was too much that 80's aesthetics and bullshit involved. By Voodoo Lounge tour the whole atmopshere of rock world had changed, and the Stones reflected by reducing their act to a more basic rock style, and their age didn't seemed to affect to their playing yet. Since Voodoo they haven't changed their style in musicwise or imagewise one inch, only decreased skillfully and started to look older and older tour by tour. But the same old song, the same old antics, only getting worse (while the ticket prices going up, up, up...)

(This doesn't mean that there aren't some great individual concerts that are better than the ones of Voodoo Lounge, but more like a general observation of their condition over-all.)

- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-01-19 13:19 by Doxa.

Quote
Doxa
Probably, yeah... Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle was just learning the new concept, and considering now, there was too much that 80's aesthetics and bullshit involved. By Voodoo Lounge tour the whole atmopshere of rock world had changed, and the Stones reflected by reducing their act to a more basic rock style, and their age didn't seemed to affect to their playing yet. Since Voodoo they haven't changed their style in musicwise or imagewise one inch, only decreased skillfully and started to look older and older tour by tour. But the same old song, the same old antics, only getting worse (while the ticket prices going up, up, up...)

(This doesn't mean that there aren't some great individual concerts that are better than the ones of Voodoo Lounge, but more like a general observation of their condition over-all.)

- Doxa

For some reason after reading your post with the Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle and Voodoo comparison i see a sort of simularity between those two tours and the '75 and '78 tour. The '75 and '89 tour you can hear a bit the sound of the current time in it. In '75 with the whole "circus" act show and performance and in '89 you still hear the '80s influence or as you stated it the "aesthetics and bullshit". Then in '78 you get the whole punk and back to basic sound and in '94 you have the grunge period and they started to rock bit more then that over-clean sound in '89.

Funny how things can run in cycles.

Cheers,
Wuudy

Yeah Wuudy, never thought the resemblance, but it's there!

In 75 they were driving Ronnie and the weaving thing in within the glamour of the mid-70's bullshit, in 1989 they were driving the Vegas back up musicians army thing in within the glamour of late 80's bullshit...

Both moves would shape the basic of their sound for the tours to come when they cleaned their act from the bullshit...

- Doxa

Quote
Doxa
Yeah Wuudy, never thought the resemblance, but it's there!

In 75 they were driving Ronnie and the weaving thing in within the glamour of the mid-70's bullshit, in 1989 they were driving the Vegas back up musicians army thing in within the glamour of late 80's bullshit...

Both moves would shape the basic of their sound for the tours to come when they cleaned their act from the bullshit...

- Doxa

its a bit of a forced resemblance, Im afraid. the following tours -1978, 1994-95 - dont have much in common

I see no "grunge" influence in VL at all, whereas in 1978 the punk-back to basics influence was well apparent.

Cant see all too much 80s bullshit in 1989 either - the inflatable dolls during HTW or Mick beating the balls of the inflatable dog during Street Fighting Man in 1990 ? just a song or two, but not the whole show.

Quote
Gazza

Quote
R
...a few months back I treated myself to an iPod shuffle for use when I go to the gym, Exclusively on it is every official Stones live album plus several high quality boots including the 1995 Tokyo dome show (my version is by Sister Morphine). I've been listening to the Tokyo show for the last couple days and I am stunned at how spirited the entire band was. Keith isn't nearly as ham-handed as now and he and Ronnie simply tear the p*ss out of every song they play. Even Bobby Keys and the background singers convey a more inspired sound. They all rock and swing and generally seem to be having a ball..

Interesting analysis,. I've always thought that Tokyo '95 show was a really flat performance (unusual for that time). A million miles away from the brilliant 1990 show in the same venue.

I've never seen the video of Tokyo '95. I'm simply going by the audio as compared with recordings prior and subsequent to '94-'95. I have the 1990 Tokyo show as well (albeit NOT on my iPod where this assertion of mine was formed) so I'll have to give it a spin. I'm pretty dismissive of the '89-'90 shows because of the over-the-top trappings and rigid set-lists.

Essentially I think the Stones have been rehashing the Voodoo shows with varying gimmicks, since. I've attended at least four shows on every tour since '89 and VL (three for No Security) still stands head and shoulders above the rest. The recording of the Tokyo show only reiterated that - to my ears anyway.

The absolutely full-tilt, longer version of Street Fighting Man, driven to a roaring crescendo by Keith's maniacal riffing is a prime example. You don't FEEL that from the Stones (as much) anymore.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-01-19 16:02 by R.

The Voodoo shows were good, but for me, the venues were just too large. They are fun to go to, but the best performances are usually in the arenas, imho. I think that it is hard to get it going when everyone is 50 meters apart.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-01-19 16:20 by drbryant.

Setlists were better on VL, but the performances were way better on SW/UJ imo.

Quote
alimente

Quote
Doxa
Yeah Wuudy, never thought the resemblance, but it's there!

In 75 they were driving Ronnie and the weaving thing in within the glamour of the mid-70's bullshit, in 1989 they were driving the Vegas back up musicians army thing in within the glamour of late 80's bullshit...

Both moves would shape the basic of their sound for the tours to come when they cleaned their act from the bullshit...

- Doxa

its a bit of a forced resemblance, Im afraid. the following tours -1978, 1994-95 - dont have much in common

I see no "grunge" influence in VL at all, whereas in 1978 the punk-back to basics influence was well apparent.

Cant see all too much 80s bullshit in 1989 either - the inflatable dolls during HTW or Mick beating the balls of the inflatable dog during Street Fighting Man in 1990 ? just a song or two, but not the whole show.

Well, the point of comparing the differences in their act since 1989 is a question of nuances. Contrary, in their peak days they were taking steps of miles between EVERY tour - every new tour was almost a new musical adventure, and composed a new identity of its own. For example, to illustrate the point: I'll take the change in their sound to be more bigger and substantial between 1971 UK tour and 1972 American tour than between STEEL WHEELS and A BIGGER BANG. The band stop evolving in 1989 like Soviet Union did in the early seventies - ever since 1989 it's been like trying desperately keep the premises had by then - to repackage the same old cake with varying icings. I think what we are now musically facing is the Soviet Union in mid-80's...

So this needs to me in mind when comparing their different eras. I think the 'grunge' kind of atmosphere did affect to the icing of the Stones, and they got rid of the clownings, clothes, haircuts, the artificial visual effects and tricks in pieces like "2000 Light Years From Home", Jagger's awful forced Michael Jackson moves etc. of the 1989/90 tour...


- Doxa



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2009-01-19 18:32 by Doxa.

I see what you mean, Doxa. Its not that they did not try out certain gimmicks later, remember Micks cage for Out Of Control during the otherwise none-theatrical No Security tour...however they dropped this gimmick immediately.

I wholeheartedly agree with your description of making miles steps between every tour in their peak days and the stagnation since 1989/1990.

If anything, it shows that the Stones last days as a true creative force were the 1977-1978 Some Girls era. ER was a letdown after SG, and TY their last great album, but creatively speaking, it was collection of reworked 70s outtakes (a fact that does not deduct one ounze from its greatness for me though - and it fuelled their last true Rock and Roll tour 1981-82).

UC was a nice try, and DW was not even that, Jagger had already given up at that moment - although both albums still have their moments.

Steel Wheels the album and world tour marked their return, and I was happy with the album and the tour as they were, probably fuelled by the joy of having them back. And the tour - it was a new step for the Stones, never before such varied setlists were performed.

My believe at the time of 1989/1990 was that it could only get -even- better from there. But there were disappointments to come. It started with Voodoo Lounge, which for me is a prime example of an album that, although not exactly bad, is marred by the fact that both Mick and Keith kept their best songs at the time for solo albums like Main Offender or Wandering Spirit. The VL tour brought more catalog exposure and great playing, and it surely did mot disappoint at all, but it wasn't a step forward, it was more or less stagnation on a highest level.

In the complete picture since 1989/90 it becomes apparent that the Stones did not develop anymore. And I dont believe Keith interview fodder like "I discovered new aspects of playing Satisfaction and rediscovered certain licks in JJF which I havent heard in decades" a minute!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-01-19 22:38 by alimente.

I don't listen to the boots that much but the whole package - visual and musical as well as setlist made the 2 Rose Bowl shows very enjoyable. Seems like the tour got better as it went along when usually it's the opposite. And every once in a while they would shake things up and inject new life into the tour. Apparently the band really enjoyed it because they agreed right afterward to do it again a lot sooner.