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hbwriter
Hands down, 1969.
The first true arena tour by a major band, one that featured actual PAs, lights and a portable stage. This tour essentially created what we think of as an arena show today - the arc of the show was unbelievable - weaving in hits, classic blues, covers, theater, not one but TWO epics (Midnight and SFTD), an acoustic break (Prodigal Son), best opening ever (JJF) and the ultimate closer (SFM). There was actual costuming and props, too. There is not an arena touring band today that does not owe something to this tour - like an epic voyage that blazed the trails for everything that followed - the '69 tour changed the face, gravity and scope of live music, forever.
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tatters
The Doors actually played Madison Square Garden almost a full year before the Stones did, but that was probably just an isolated gig during a tour of mostly large theaters and ballrooms. It's generally accepted as fact that the Stones "comeback" tour of 1969 set the template for arena tours that has been followed ever since.
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hbwriter
1:45 - charlie mouthing the words- magic
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YoungieQuote
tatters
The Doors actually played Madison Square Garden almost a full year before the Stones did, but that was probably just an isolated gig during a tour of mostly large theaters and ballrooms. It's generally accepted as fact that the Stones "comeback" tour of 1969 set the template for arena tours that has been followed ever since.
Didn't Mick Jagger ask Jim (Morrison) what it was like playing large arenas or something?
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shadooby
Led Zeppelin North American Tour 1968–1969
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tattersQuote
shadooby
Led Zeppelin North American Tour 1968–1969
No. Their first arena tour was in 1970.
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StonesTodQuote
tattersQuote
shadooby
Led Zeppelin North American Tour 1968–1969
No. Their first arena tour was in 1970.
yeah. that first tour went over like a led...well...
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hbwriter
Hands down, 1969.
the arc of the show was unbelievable - weaving in hits, classic blues, covers, theater, not one but TWO epics (Midnight and SFTD), an acoustic break (Prodigal Son), best opening ever (JJF) and the ultimate closer (SFM).
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tattersQuote
StonesTodQuote
tattersQuote
shadooby
Led Zeppelin North American Tour 1968–1969
No. Their first arena tour was in 1970.
yeah. that first tour went over like a led...well...
Weren't they opening for the likes of Vanilla Fudge and Iron Butterfly?
The Doors played the Felt Forum sometime in Jan 1970,l attended one of those shows with some friends l met at The Stones Garden shows..Quote
hbwriter
Technically- I think the doors played the felt forum-located within the garden- but not "the garden"
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hbwriter
Technically- I think the doors played the felt forum-located within the garden- but not "the garden"
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GazzaQuote
hbwriter
Technically- I think the doors played the felt forum-located within the garden- but not "the garden"
As said above, they played the Felt Forum in January 1970 (all the shows have been since released as official bootlegs) but they did play the main arena before the Stones (24th January 1969, to be exact). They also played the Singer Bowl (with The Who opening) in August 1968.
Led Zeppelin were playing a mixture of theatres, arenas and festivals in 1969 too.
[en.wikipedia.org]
[en.wikipedia.org]
Cream's final US tour - Oct/Nov'68 - took place in arenas. [www.setlist.fm]
I'd imagine it was a bonafide arena tour in the way you're describing (lights, staging, PA) as opposed to the sort of tours in those sort of venues that the likes of The Beatles had done before, where the amplification was totally inadequate.
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hbwriter
Technically- I think the doors played the felt forum-located within the garden- but not "the garden"
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tatters
As Gazza correctly said, the Doors played the main arena at Madison Square Garden on January 24, 1969, nearly a year before the Stones played there. There was an actual riot at the Garden in the summer of 1969 when Blind Faith played a sold out show there. Surprisingly, the Who didn't do their first full-blown arena tour until 1971. They didn't play the Garden until 1974.