Dear people,

When I think of the Rolling Stones, three things come to mind. Their music, their stage sets, and sex.

As their music is discussed all the time, and sex comes to mind on every occasion regardless of the subject, I'll tribute this thread to their enormous and less enormous stages.

There is the early seventies stages, the lotus and the phallus, the 81 comic book stadium (lifts!), the 81 arena with the turning trailer, the 89 SW skyline (tower!), the 90 Urban Jungle atmosphere, the 94 python, the 97 eye and bridge with the tiny second stage, the 99 black and yellow (+cage!), the 02 moving screens stadium and stripped down arena versions, and of course the 05 appartment block and all-screen arena.

What stage was the best? And why?

My vote goes to the 97-99 BtB stage. The economic wealth the world was in at the time showed from the golden colors, the curtains and fire work (and cloths) at the start (a bigger bang!). The animations were much more sophisticated than in 94 and the structure was ungraspably complicated yet balanced.

BTW, questions: 1. I've read that the '89 stage was hardest to set up (due to the new principle) and that there were no less than three equal stages about. Is this true? How many stages have they got now? There is a three month break due for the stadium stage so I suppose they don't need more than one.
2. Were any elements of the SW stage used in the UJ stage?
3. Has anyone any information on the '81 stages? I read somewhere that they had two, apart from the arena stage, but one got destroyed in a storm.

There was also the stripped down arena stage in 98.

To your list, add the theatre show stages from Licks . . . they were the best. Just the Stones, a stage, some fans, and the music.

Less is more with the Stones.

72 stage was cool 2 with the dragon decals & the giagantic mirror hangin above the floor,,,my fav was the 75 tour stage ,,that thing was awesome ,,the 78 tour was my least fav stage although the stones nearly melted it in buffalo

Quiztime: from which tour is this element?

arena stage 2005

Live in Vienna, 1982, by Denis O'Regan.



Too obviously different stages.

Now, my favorite... has to be Bridges To Babylon. The fireworks and whole ambience were awesome! My least favorite is probably the A Bigger Bang stage. I mean- it's big. But it still doesn't look good.

hey if you want know all about stones stages 89-05 visit mark fisher page..lot of pic,and information

Hmm, this gets more and more confusing, about the 81/81 stages, here is the one the used in Gothenburg, it´s a difference from the 2 Reptile posted:



Any more variations? And how many???

Vilhelm
Nordic Stones Vikings

Right, mickijaggeroo. I'm starting to get confused! Who can give us the lowdown here?

This is turning out to be undiscovered country, most interesting!
I doubt no one has ever explored this before?

Vilhelm
Nordic Stones Vikings

And here comes variation number 4!! Candlestick Park:



Found the pic here, with more pics from this gig: [hem.bredband.net]

Vilhelm
Nordic Stones Vikings



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2005-11-13 20:25 by mickijaggeroo.

i read somewhere that they used 3 different sages during 81-82 tour

The stage they used in New York, Chicago, and maybe another city or two in April of 1998 was beautiful...it really was...

sater Wrote:
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> i read somewhere that they used 3 different sages
> during 81-82 tour

Well, I already count 4!

He might mean 3 steelrigs?

Vilhelm
Nordic Stones Vikings

Here is a pic from the company who painted the different stages, seems they did Urban Jungle too:



Pic taken from: [www.barry-sinclair.com]

Vilhelm
Nordic Stones Vikings

mickijaggeroo Wrote:
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> He might mean 3 steelrigs?
>
> Vilhelm
> aka MICKIJAGGEROO!!!!!!!!!
>
>
> mickijag

> 3;ero@ston&
> #101;sviking

> 15;.com
>
>
>
> Looking for pics from Gothenburg 1970 and
> Copenhagen 1990, contact me.


that's right

The stages used in 82 during Europe have been all the same except for Frankfurt Festhalle and the small places in Scotland.
The stage in the US 81 had the flag on the left or right. Although there was a very different indoor stage for the arena type US shows. This was the first time they used two different stages. he arena type turned around some how and Charlie whats was moved two the audience in a circle. Look to the great Hampton Video 18th December 1981.

Well, the ones pictured above are NOT the same!

Vilhelm
Nordic Stones Vikings

I guess they didn't use the american flag for the european tour.

Hmm, the plot thickens...
I´m not counting the indoor stages, and I don´t mean the actual steel rigs.
What I mean is the stagedesign, that´s what´s interesting. We so far have discovered 4 variations. Did they use any other variations?

Vilhelm
Nordic Stones Vikings



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2005-11-13 21:20 by mickijaggeroo.

Well the flag is on there isn't it?

Yep, saw that when the pic was posted, before it was too small to see. So I changed my post

Vilhelm
Nordic Stones Vikings

Regarding the '81/'82 confusion...

Couldn't it have been like this: it's modular!

When coming over to Europe, the US flag was scrapped and replaces by a new module of a sax.

If they want, they can trade out the elements from left to right etc.

Depending on the venue, they can decide whether the outer panels should be placed in an angle or not built up to the full corners (in one pic you see a left corner is taken out); e.g. if a straightforward build-up would result in an unacceptable amount of blocked views. If there's any room left, they fill it up with those reddish wings.

I love those daylight pics of that tour. I have the dvd of the Seattle superdome (?), but in that indoor stadium the stage (especially without the balloons) doens't get it's full credit. It's a daylight set.

See, it seems that in the Candlestick park pic Micki jaggeroo posted there was no room to build it like in e.g. Gothenburg, because of the roof, so they had the possibility to take of the module above the red 'car'.

But the Gothenburg right wing is more square again than on the other pics, where unlike in Gothenburg the sax-panel was placed in an angle and seemed to have the same outline as the American flag of the US tour.

So I think the construction was adaptable depending on the situation. (Something the SW stage appearantly was not, otherwise they wouldn't have had to make the UJ stage.)

This does not neglect the fact of course that there were more stages, because of the red and blue guitar variation. But I think one stage is logistically impossible anyway.

Hmm..but notice that the actual saxophone stays in the same angle, when the field around does not?

Vilhelm
Nordic Stones Vikings

The stage design is dynamic. Remember Wembley 1990. The inflatable dolls had a large fotball and some other soccer decorations due to the world cup. But when England lost (sorry to mention it) then the football stuff had all gone on the stage in UK after that. And I am sure there were many other countries in Europe that summer who also did not want any fooball stuff mentioned after a while...

During the LICKS tour Keith hated the design he saw in Foxboro Boston so badly he ordered a new one so they brough on the new g-string look ready for Giants I think? It cost a lot of money but who cares. Sometimes you get what you need.

Bjornulf

Yep BV, that must be the reason for those stages you mention, but for the 81/82 stages, it just seems so randomly done? I mean if you study the before posted pics, I don´t see why an extra corner, or an altered angle should make a difference, if there people sitting ib´n some bad seats on the side.
Maybe they just did it for fun? Anyway, I just mailed the company who manufactured the designs, so I hope to have a final answer on this earthshattering matter soon.

Vilhelm
Nordic Stones Vikings

the best stage was 1978 outdoor lips stage clarlie design that love it.