Ok, let's throw another one out here in electronic reality land:

What is your least favorite tour the Stones ever did and why?

Some characteristics you might consider - average quality of performance, song selection, overall character of show, or poor performances of individual band members to name only a few. There's clearly no right answer, and it will be interesting to see which tours are slammed more than others and why.

Also, it is clearly not necessary to have been live and in attendance at a show on a tour, because, as we have all learned, each Stones' show carries with it an excitement that might cover up mistakes that only come to light the next day when one hears the recording of the show.

OK, enough. I have to opine that 1981 US, day in and day out, was the worst of all tours, because the quality fo the musicianship on the average night suffers from what sounds like an overindulgence in Bolivian Marching Powder. The Hampton shows were among the best and some of the New Jersey shows are quite nice. Beyond those, and the Fox Theater, I can't think of many that do not make me cringe more than once. No, 1981 US does not have a show as bad a Olympia 2003 ("Band of Shit"), but on any given night, the bums notes and the coke residue overshadow the music.

What do YOU think?

stonesstein

Kick me like you did before
I can't even feel the pain no more
Rocks Off, 1972

This one.

While the 81 tour was my first, and I have glorious memories, it is one of my least favorites. Mostly because of Mick. His terrible stage outfit, terrible croaking voice for all of the US leg, and the stage. The '82 tour was much better, he regained his voice, and ditched the football pants.

the 86 tour because it never happened

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-11-21 04:18 by Erik_Snow.

Def. '81 for me. I didn't care for much of the play list. Also, think they had way too many horn solos that should've been guitar solos.

1978 . Anaheim. Not a fan of the so so sound quality and Micks red plastic pants.

1978. Cleveland was ramshackle at best.

Steel Wheels. There was a chill in the air between Mick and Keith. Didn't like Mick's look, either--short hair, etc.

I was originally looking for opinions on whole tours, not just individual shows, but this is getting really good, y'all!

stonesstein

Kick me like you did before
I can't even feel the pain no more
Rocks Off, 1972

1981 was everything a rnr tour is about. If you we're there it rocked fantastically. 1997 sucked.

1989

......The 1792 Tour ......too young to attend ...............[www.iorr.org]



ROCKMAN

The 1975 tour for me is terrible. Mick's singing is terrible talk about Bolivian marching powder!! Though all of the tours have their highs and lows. For instance the clip in Crossfire Hurricane which I believe is from Paris of Keith putting his all into You Gotta Move is really awesome! I've seen it on Youtube and it was good but to have it on the big screen and in 5:1 surround is incredible and that is from 1976. but yeah the 75 tour of America is a low for me.

1989. It didn't swing. They've swung since.

When Bill Wyman said it sounds "like they're playing to click tracks", that was 89-90, the tour he was in. They got progressively better again after.

81 is one of my favourites. Swung and rocked.

I saw them twice in the late 90's and left feeling totally ripped off. I figured the first time was a fluke but was mistaken. Bad audio, mailed in performances. Then youtube was invented and it's far superior to going to a live show hearing people in the crowd loudly singing instead of listening. Which i find to be utterly disrespectful. I didn't pay $100 or whatever it was to hear dorks and their fat wives sing so loudly i can't hear the god damn stones. Youtube is far superior.

Tough call. The Bridges tour felt a little tired to me, probably because they had been on stadium tours so recently; by the time the Licks Tour rolled around, the ship was righted, of course.

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drbryant
Tough call. The Bridges tour felt a little tired to me, probably because they had been on stadium tours so recently; by the time the Licks Tour rolled around, the ship was righted, of course.

I did not like the Bridges Tour either. And the No Security Part was by al means the highest ticket prices for a Rockband at theat time.
I think with Bridges they overdid the staging to much. Though other stadium stages followed they had a kind of more intimate thing to me.

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whitem8
While the 81 tour was my first, and I have glorious memories, it is one of my least favorites. Mostly because of Mick. His terrible stage outfit, terrible croaking voice for all of the US leg, and the stage. The '82 tour was much better, he regained his voice, and ditched the football pants.

eh? '82 was even faster than the '81 tour, and the stage clothing was twice as terrible: he did not ditch the football pants, started wearing yellow and pink, and hairbands. Hairbands.

Mathijs

Anyways, I think when Wyman left the magic was gone. It just never really regained the swing with Darryl. But out of all the tours I least like Voodoo Lounge. There's just not much to like about this tour. The songs, the sound, it was all blown up Vegas act.

Mathijs

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Mathijs

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whitem8
While the 81 tour was my first, and I have glorious memories, it is one of my least favorites. Mostly because of Mick. His terrible stage outfit, terrible croaking voice for all of the US leg, and the stage. The '82 tour was much better, he regained his voice, and ditched the football pants.

eh? '82 was even faster than the '81 tour, and the stage clothing was twice as terrible: he did not ditch the football pants, started wearing yellow and pink, and hairbands. Hairbands.

Mathijs

Well he was wearing tights, but they didn't look like American Football pants with the knee pads. And listening to the Leeds boot, they sound a lot better than on the 81 tour.

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Rockman
......The 1792 Tour ......too young to attend ...............[www.iorr.org]

..still have the program....and a flagon of grog was only a farthing!

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tatters
This one.

I agree 100%. Been a huge fan for decades and seen every European tour since '76, but the current ticket price debacle leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. The way I feel about it, I might not even bother if they tour in 2013. Don't care if the 2012 gigs are magical, it seems that this is all about money now rather than Rock 'n' Roll. The spirit has gone out of it completely.

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Mathijs
Anyways, I think when Wyman left the magic was gone. It just never really regained the swing with Darryl. But out of all the tours I least like Voodoo Lounge. There's just not much to like about this tour. The songs, the sound, it was all blown up Vegas act.

Mathijs

Ditto. Though 1976 is a low point for me too. Too much Billy, too much coke.

I've seen them live the 1973, 1982, 1990, 1995, 1998, 2003, 2007-tours in Europe.
And the '82 tour I have most mixed feelings about.
Musically they were great and the big stadium and big crowd was a fantastic experience because it was something totally new.
But the distance between the stage and your own position was enormous.
The absence of the screens of that tour went obvious when you hit the '90-tour.

US TOUR 1969 , the GREAT TOUR ,(GYYYO my first LP) , i never heard a better
band as The Rolling Stones in 1969...

1994 was the nadir for me : the shows were stiff uninspired and the versions of "Monkey Man" were butchered. Covering "Can't Get To You" was big mistake.
The Toronto pre-tour show sucks, the Miami PPV sucks, the Nola FM tape sucks the Halloween SB and the Aug.14 are awful... frankly I still haven't found a 94 tape I still want to listen to after 19 years.

In 1995 the band did regain some strenght though probably thru the acoustic Tokyo sessions and the 4 club-shows.
Now that's a bunch of tapes I still can listen to!

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71Tele

1976 is a low point for me too. Too much Billy, too much coke.

You mean too much heroin? Afaik coke was used onstage to bring the level of musicianship up to an acceptable level.

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whitem8

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Mathijs

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whitem8
While the 81 tour was my first, and I have glorious memories, it is one of my least favorites. Mostly because of Mick. His terrible stage outfit, terrible croaking voice for all of the US leg, and the stage. The '82 tour was much better, he regained his voice, and ditched the football pants.

eh? '82 was even faster than the '81 tour, and the stage clothing was twice as terrible: he did not ditch the football pants, started wearing yellow and pink, and hairbands. Hairbands.

Mathijs

Well he was wearing tights, but they didn't look like American Football pants with the knee pads. And listening to the Leeds boot, they sound a lot better than on the 81 tour.

It where the same pants as in '81, except for the knee pads. Only added in '82 where the stripes.

[therawgallery.com]

Leeds sounds so good as the sound quality is so good. Many of the shows from '81 we have are in quite terrible mono soundboard quality, which makes it all sound quite bad. We all like Hampton so much not because they played so much better than other shows, but because the sound quality is so good.

Mathijs

Yeah, I have never been a huge fan of Hampton, again, mostly because of Mick's singing. I think the Leed's show sounds better.