I enjooyed Steel wheels in Foxboro I think it was, in the morning the lot looked like WW3 with jack Daniels bottles grave markers.

Worst I seen was ABB in Cologne Germany, I think it was ABB, lame crowd and you could tell the band was just searching to feed off them with no response. Hated it.

2nd worse was Bridges to Babylon in in Orlando Fla with Santana, gawdawful.

Voodoo lounge in Tampa was on fire.

It's funny how everbody's taste varies. The '81& '82 live era is my go to era if i'm cruising youtube to hear some live stones. The guitar mix and volume level was usually great, loved charlies drum sound, and mick's cosumes were generally unintentionally hilarious. Footage from that era is why i bought my black telecaster custom identical to keith's. Because the twang factor was awesome.

Maybe this is "just my imagination", but it just seems like everytime keith straps a big semi hollowbody guitar on he plays slower, sloppier, and overall worse than when he's got a telecaster.

Well, I think it has to be the 89/90 Steel Wheels tour.
They played so incredebly loud.
It happened to be the moment Norwegian female singer
Sissel Kyrkjebø attended a Stones concert
for the first time. Interestingly,
and according to the papers,
"right in front of the stage,
straight clerks where shaking to the music
so their suit jackets were flapping".
In addition to that, -76 was bull,
and on the tour covered by the "Still Life" album,
they played way too fast.

Maybe I am wrong, but do any of y'all ever think that despite Keith's tired and overstated comments of "By the end of the tour, we are just getting where we want to be." the longer that some of these latter tours VL, Bridges, LICKS, & ABB have gone, the more "dialed-in" the average show sounds? Might be because we have already heard the bag of trix, but particularly on ABB's 2007 leg and most of the 2003 Euro tour, the band sounds like they can't get done quick enough. Perhaps one can hear the jaded feeling in the notes...............

Anyone think or feel that?

stonesstein

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

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melillo
the 86 tour because it never happened

that's a myth...you must've mythed it

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StonesTod

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melillo
the 86 tour because it never happened

that's a myth...you must've mythed it

sounds miffed.

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treaclefingers

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StonesTod

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melillo
the 86 tour because it never happened

that's a myth...you must've mythed it

sounds miffed.

i went...with the mythus...

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StonesTod

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treaclefingers

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StonesTod

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melillo
the 86 tour because it never happened

that's a myth...you must've mythed it

sounds miffed.

i went...with the mythus...

wow, can't believe I mythed that.

The worst was A Bigger Bang. The certain weas fully lifted. Keith AND Charlie left the stage during Sypmathy for the Devil. Good thing the fake drum sample covered things. Mick singing in the wrong key, Keith punching his chest more than playing, and $350 to witness it.

[thepowergoats.com]

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treaclefingers

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StonesTod

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treaclefingers

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StonesTod

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melillo
the 86 tour because it never happened

that's a myth...you must've mythed it

sounds miffed.

i went...with the mythus...

wow, can't believe I mythed that.

You were mythtaken

San Diego 1972...Because I was too young to attend

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

I'm not familiar with every tour, mainly just what we have official releases for. I'm tempted to say one of the earlier tours, just because of all the screaming, length of shows, and being early on not much of a song selection. But the performances were exciting from what I've seen, and they're historically significant.

I'll have to go with riverrat and say Steel Wheels. I just never cared for the sound on that tour. Flashpoint was the first Stones live album I bought, and I was so excited, but I was quickly let down by the sound and to this day it's my least played live album, as Tokyo is my least played Archive. I just don't like Mick's vocals, the guitar sound, or the arrangements.

I don't really care how band members look, but when I see video/photos of Mick from that tour, it just seems awkward.

Having said all of that, I'd gladly take a DeLorean trip through time and attend one of those shows. If I had no choice on what other tour to see that is.

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stonesstein
Maybe I am wrong, but do any of y'all ever think that despite Keith's tired and overstated comments of "By the end of the tour, we are just getting where we want to be." the longer that some of these latter tours VL, Bridges, LICKS, & ABB have gone, the more "dialed-in" the average show sounds? Might be because we have already heard the bag of trix, but particularly on ABB's 2007 leg and most of the 2003 Euro tour, the band sounds like they can't get done quick enough. Perhaps one can hear the jaded feeling in the notes...............

Anyone think or feel that?

Couldn't agree more. the first two months of each tour are when they still took chances on setlist and had some recent memory of playing together in the same room. This was especially evident on the ABB tour. Keith always said words to the effect they were going to make an album when they came off the road because they were so tight, which is a larf, because it seems they couldn't go their own ways fast enough.

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andrewt

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stonesstein
Maybe I am wrong, but do any of y'all ever think that despite Keith's tired and overstated comments of "By the end of the tour, we are just getting where we want to be." the longer that some of these latter tours VL, Bridges, LICKS, & ABB have gone, the more "dialed-in" the average show sounds? Might be because we have already heard the bag of trix, but particularly on ABB's 2007 leg and most of the 2003 Euro tour, the band sounds like they can't get done quick enough. Perhaps one can hear the jaded feeling in the notes...............

Anyone think or feel that?

Couldn't agree more. the first two months of each tour are when they still took chances on setlist and had some recent memory of playing together in the same room. This was especially evident on the ABB tour. Keith always said words to the effect they were going to make an album when they came off the road because they were so tight, which is a larf, because it seems they couldn't go their own ways fast enough.

To be fair, a lot of bands are that way. Or sometimes a lot of them will start out strong, get lazy/bored in the middle, then finish strong. Since a lot of bands have started making their entire tours available through download, I have started noticing it more.

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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.

Im with you on this. I had just become a fan in 80 and this was huge...remember so clearly - the hype, the buzz etc...I was 'too young' to go see them, but it was a fun fall for me. It was my first experience witnessing the bigness of a Stones tour.
But musically, it's my least favorite of the classic period. The sound was horrible, Jagger was shouting and the band was too fast and sloppy.
And Voodoo Lounge - something was just missing from that one completely. I was into other things, we were sitting near the ceiling and the show had no heart or urgency. It was the first time the Stones were just 'ehh' to me.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-11-21 22:13 by stupidguy2.

He may have ditched the football pants, but those pants on the '82 tour were equally bad. They look like old 80's WWF wrestlers pants.

there seems to be a bizarre preoccupation with outfits rather than music. can you please just close your eyes whilst considering these tours?

One other note on the concept of the shows declining as the tour progresses is my observations from the last tour I attended - LICKS, which opened in Boston on 3 September 2002. On that tour, I saw:

16 September - Aragon Ballroom, Chicago
26 October - Turner Field, Atlanta
25 November - Gaylord Arena, Nashville

and thus, I got the whole LICKS experience of 3 different shows in different size venues. I was also lucky, and after talking with many folks on this Board and throughout Stones-land, they, too, agree that the 2002 LICKS tour of the US was the last tour where there was no great "depreciation" in show quality as the tour progressed. I am not certain why this was the case, but having been at an early, middle, and late show and having listened to each on CD for years afterward, the level of playing kept its consistency throughout the fall of 2002. I am sad, however, to report that based on the shows I have on CD from 2003, the Euro-LICKS 2003 shows were (on average!) not nearly as exciting or well-played. Woody may have been drinking or basing again, and Keith may have been tired, I dunno.

I do know, though, that LICKS 2002 was the last of the tours which I believe that on any given night, you'd see the Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the world. After that, one MIGHT see a great run of songs within a single show, but too many of the shows of 2003, 2005-2007 simply miss the mark or devolve into such a blatant "Vegas" mode ("The Night Time is the Right Time"? C'MON!!!!!) until ELP from 1977 AND their hovercrafts are both jealous!

This topic and all y'all are writing is fascinating!

stonesstein

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

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andrewt

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treaclefingers

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StonesTod

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treaclefingers

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StonesTod

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melillo
the 86 tour because it never happened

that's a myth...you must've mythed it

sounds miffed.

i went...with the mythus...

wow, can't believe I mythed that.

You were mythtaken

That sir, is a myth

2012 - too expensive

bingo!

stonesstein

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

from all I am reading, sounds like 2012 is NOT among the worst!

Good! Enjoy everyone!

stonesstein

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

Babylon, songs were slow, Ronnie was drunk, Keith was on autopilot.

But still it was a great tour but my least favorite one.

Anything after the 1973 Euorpean Tour was not that great (I saw the 1978, 1981, 1989 tours, after that I wouldn't waste any more money)

Personally I think 1975-1976 tours were the worst. Keith was out of it, Ronnie was doing what he could as the new kid on the block, Preston isn't my thing, Jagger was a "super star" and he knew it.......auto pilot mode, AUTO GLIMMER mode. Thank God Charlie and Bill made it somewhat listenable at times.


After Taylor left, well there isn't much to say is there?

cn854 -

I have to disagree - there were some GREAT shows and tours after 73 Europe. 78 US with its mixture of small halls and stadiums comes to mind, as does 2002 USA's mixture of venues and song titles. Would I equate 2002 with 72 US? Of course not, but I can't agree with a generalization about everything after 73 being not that great.

stonesstein

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

Steel Wheels - was the crappiest tour.

too nice, too clean, too sterile, too boring, too friendly and lets play it safe Las Vegas cabaret act - with no balls, no mistakes, no dirt, no guts - just play it safe family entertainment, yuck.

That Flashpoint live album is my frisbee.

ABB - by far the worst tour I've seen them on. I've been to every European tour since 76 and seen some amazing shows and some very average, but ABB was dire. I think it was a combination of Keith not being on form and those dreadful ABB songs and a general feeling of them just going through the motions and being carried by the vegas show band.

After 3 shows, does anyone think this is the crappiest tour? If so, why?

stonesstein

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

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

I agree about 78 tour the shows seemed rushed, most were only 90 Minutes with the short setlist.

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seitan
Steel Wheels - was the crappiest tour.

too nice, too clean, too sterile, too boring, too friendly and lets play it safe Las Vegas cabaret act - with no balls, no mistakes, no dirt, no guts - just play it safe family entertainment, yuck.

That Flashpoint live album is my frisbee.

could not agree more...Mick was stiff and his moves too calculated....but have to say ABB tour is not far behind for me as Keef really struggled that tour