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Gazza
It was only on the ABB tour when it became an excuse to prolong the warhorses segment.

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HelterSkelter
The group played BEST in 1969 - all the big stages and shit from 1981 (Still Life) on are just circus distractions...... THE MUSIC was king in 1969....

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glencar
Mick sings better today.

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tomk

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Gazza
yep..best Stones stage concept ever.

No, sorry. You really had to see the unfolding lotus stage from 1975.
Sorry if some of you were too young or it never came to your town,
but you had to see it to believe it. It was just incredible theater.
THe photos and video from LA don't do it justice.

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Gazza
You're actually sort of emphasising the point I was making, Kent. When the Stones are playing ten feet in front of them, an audience should be able to get excited even if they were playing "Ba Ba Black Sheep" on accordions with Charlie riding around the stage on a unicycle.

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Turd On The Run

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tomk

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Gazza
yep..best Stones stage concept ever.

No, sorry. You really had to see the unfolding lotus stage from 1975.
Sorry if some of you were too young or it never came to your town,
but you had to see it to believe it. It was just incredible theater.
THe photos and video from LA don't do it justice.

Completely agree, tomk. I've seen every tour since the early 70's...the Lotus stage from the TOTA 1975 is the greatest stage I have ever seen in ANY rock and roll show in my life. Utter perfection and breathtaking spectacle.

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tomk
No, sorry. You really had to see the unfolding lotus stage from 1975.
Sorry if some of you were too young or it never came to your town,
but you had to see it to believe it. It was just incredible theater.
THe photos and video from LA don't do it justice.

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HelterSkelter

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tomk
No, sorry. You really had to see the unfolding lotus stage from 1975.
Sorry if some of you were too young or it never came to your town,
but you had to see it to believe it. It was just incredible theater.
THe photos and video from LA don't do it justice.

For Sure !! 1975 was great !! Saw the first and last show at the Forum (Last Forum show WAS suppose to be "the Live album" for the 75 tour at one time, instead we got LOVE YOU LIVE much later on). Jagger was so loose, confident, yet still a clown (in a good way) on that tour. What a set list we had in 75 !!! SO balanced, so fresh... Jagger swingin' out over the audience on the rope during Billy Preston...a bit circus-y but what a stunt, that one was major effing impressive....

The big stages (1989 on) with all the smoke and fireworks are to try to make you forget you're in a 200,000 seat shit stadium, they don't make me forget.... NO SECURITY 1999 was great - back to arenas, back to the music....MOONLIGHT MILE, SOME GIRLS, ROUTE 66, YOU GOT THE SILVER, NO MISS YOU.... WONDERFUL !!!!

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6853
me and my son were pressed to the iron bar in front of the B stage at wembley 1999 the second night. 2 meters from keith !
that was some experience for us, eskimos from iceland!

I wonder, does anyone have pictures from that ?

best regards 6853

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oldkr

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Gazza
You're actually sort of emphasising the point I was making, Kent. When the Stones are playing ten feet in front of them, an audience should be able to get excited even if they were playing "Ba Ba Black Sheep" on accordions with Charlie riding around the stage on a unicycle.

best. post. ever.

OLDKR

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tomk

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Gazza
yep..best Stones stage concept ever.

No, sorry. You really had to see the unfolding lotus stage from 1975.
Sorry if some of you were too young or it never came to your town,
but you had to see it to believe it. It was just incredible theater.
THe photos and video from LA don't do it justice.

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Gazza

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camper88
Gazza,

I think this has less to do with the use of the b stage, per se, and more to do with when in the concert they use the b stage and where they're at in the playlist. What I mean to say is that the b stage gets used just as the band is about to take a run down war horse alley--the home stretch of the setlist.

These two things happen to coincide, but it's not so much a b stage thing as it's related to when the b stage is used in the show. I've heard Starf**ker, Lil Red Rooster, Respectable, Rough Justice and Mannish Boy from the b stage, as well as an assortment of war horses and war ponies (eg. 19th Nervous Breakdown, Like a Rolling Stone). I think you have an argument about the tendency to rely on war horses, particularly in the last third of a show but I don't see it as a b-stage issue, exactly.

It was actually used earlier in the show on the last tour than it was on the Licks tour, when it really was very close to the end of the show (especially on the arena shows if I remember right). Yet they still managed to play some real gems on it. Similarly, on the BTB tour it was used in the middle of the show.

It was only on the ABB tour when it became an excuse to prolong the warhorses segment.

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Thommie
6853:


Son of 6853:


Or was it vice versa?

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Gazza

It was actually used earlier in the show on the last tour than it was on the Licks tour, when it really was very close to the end of the show (especially on the arena shows if I remember right). Yet they still managed to play some real gems on it. Similarly, on the BTB tour it was used in the middle of the show.

It was only on the ABB tour when it became an excuse to prolong the warhorses segment.

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More Hot Rocks
From 1989 till today The Stones went from The greatest Rock and Roll band in the world to The greatest rock and roll band from the beginng to the end of time. The Stones can do no wrong in my book. Well except for 78 and 81 stages.

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camper88

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Gazza

It was actually used earlier in the show on the last tour than it was on the Licks tour, when it really was very close to the end of the show (especially on the arena shows if I remember right). Yet they still managed to play some real gems on it. Similarly, on the BTB tour it was used in the middle of the show.

It was only on the ABB tour when it became an excuse to prolong the warhorses segment.

Both of our memories may be off but my memory is that the structure/ timing of a Stones concert has been pretty much consistent since Steel Wheels (theatres and clubs, excepted).

Generally, its

1. The opener (SMU/ JJF) to get you off your feet
2. two songs that set the mood (LSTNT, IYCRM, etc)
3. 3-4 songs that are not warhorses, often where you'll hear new material
4. 1 cover (this may come earlier)
5. 1-2 warhorses to close out the first half
6. 2 from Keith
7. opener to the 2nd half
8. 3-4 songs as a mini set on b stage (around song 11 or 12)
9. 4-5 songs in War horse alley
10 1 Finale a/k/a another warhorse

My numbers may not be exactly right, but the setlists vary from (about) 22 to 19 songs depending on where they are in the tour. And of course I'm generalizing a bit, but there's great consistency with this kind of pattern to the shows.

My point is that the b-stage is both just around half way through the show and the beginning of the end of the show--typically it can run right into war horse country, especially since or with ABB.

The biggest shift (with AB was that HTW became a standard war horse closer for the b stage, instead of keeping its traditional spot in war horse alley. I understand the logic, although I don't agree with it: like Miss You, it's a crowd pleasing sing-along that works well as in its when it's extended to take the boys back to the main stage while they're moving.

So insofar as HTW has taken it's place as a closer to the b stage section, you're right, and insofar as Miss You was used to open the b stage section, you're right again. However, it's not like they weren't going to use either of these songs, MY is very often the second half "opener" and HTW has got to be in the top five of songs performed live.

Anyway, I think my point has been lost in all of this, so allow me to try and summarize by saying that I think the benefits of the b stage outweigh its drawbacks, and that the ABB stage was the most successful form of it because it didn't stop the show (the music part of the show) and it allowed more folks to see the Stones up close when they're playing than any other version of a Stones stage to-date. Finally, while they're may be more war horses on the b stage than either of us would like to see (or hear), I'd have to say that's probably true for the entire structure of the show, and I don't think that the b stage is the source of the problem or that it net-net, adds any more warhorses that we would otherwise hear.

Cheer,

Camper

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tomk

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Gazza
yep..best Stones stage concept ever.

No, sorry. You really had to see the unfolding lotus stage from 1975.
Sorry if some of you were too young or it never came to your town,
but you had to see it to believe it. It was just incredible theater.
THe photos and video from LA don't do it justice.

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6853

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Thommie
6853:


Son of 6853:


Or was it vice versa?

that is not eskimos Tommie, thats monkies

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skipstone
... Although I still love the idea of them playing on a tongue stage like they did for the Supe. That was GENIUS. Hell, if anything, they could make a giant tongue and lips and have the stage be the tongue...just play IN the mouth of the logo for the stage, the teeth and gleams could be lights, etc.... Perhaps a giant giant giant inflatable or however it could be built but that is the way to go if they are to tour one more (last?) time.