A Bigger Bang Tour

Fifty and Counting by a mile. Basically it's the Licks Tour without settling in for a few songs in a row off one album. 50 & Counting is the least inspired, fewest surprises, shallowest setlist, and least magical tour of their career. Keith spent every previous date to Hyde Park getting up to speed, and even there he just wasn't cutting it. I don't think he played all that much between 2007 and 2012.

This was a tour for young people who've never seen them and have no comparison, or for old fans who just can't let go. I'll remember the magnificence of Keith and Charlie on No Security. Or Mick knocking them dead at Dodger Stadium in 2006. The slinky Lisa Fischer of 1989. The shambolic funkiness of Cleveland Stadium 1978. Getting blown off the stage by Guns and Roses opening night in L.A. for Steel Wheels. And the Stones blowing them off the stage on closing night.

Boots and videos told me that the "50 & Counting" performances were really good, overall. But, i know, some "nostalgic" fans are always in the mood for describe every last tour as the "weakest" one...

1978: If only because the show I saw on that tour was the Philadelphia debacle. That Some Girls-centered setlist was made for theatres. Although it sounds much better years later, devoting half the show in front of 90,000 people to an album that had only been out for a week didn't go over so well at the time. However, all the Bigger Bang shows that I saw were before Keith's accident.

I really dislike the Voodoo Lounge tour, and think that ever since that tour they stopped being the Rolling Stones and started acting to be the Rolling Stones. There where some exceptions though, 1999 NS in the US was quite good, and the club gigs in 2003 where great as well.

Mathijs

<Basically it's the Licks Tour without settling in for a few songs in a row off one album.>

A random Licks Tour setlist:

Street Fighting Man
If You Can't Rock Me
It's Only Rock'n Roll
Don't Stop
Stray Cat Blues
Wild Horses
Loving Cup
Rocks Off
Rip This Joint
Tumbling Dice
--- Introductions
Slipping Away (Keith)
Happy (Keith)
Love Train
Undercover of the Night
Can't You Hear Me Knocking
Honky Tonk Women
Satisfaction
Mannish Boy (B-stage)
Neighbours (B-stage)
Brown Sugar (B-stage)
Sympathy For The Devil (encore no.l 1)
Jumping Jack Flash (encore no. 2)

A random 50 & Counting setlist:

I Wanna Be Your Man
Get Off Of My Cloud
It's All Over Now
Paint It Black
Gimme Shelter (with Mary J. Blige)
Wild Horses
All Down The Line
Going Down (with Jeff Beck)
Out Of Control
One More Shot
Doom And Gloom
It's Only Rock'n Roll (with Bill Wyman)
Honky Tonk Women (with Bill Wyman)
--- Band presentations
Before They Make Me Run (Keith)
Happy (Keith)
Midnight Rambler (with Mick Taylor)
Miss You
Start Me Up
Tumbling Dice
Brown Sugar
Sympathy For The Devil
--- Band off stage
You Can't Always Get What You Want
Jumping Jack Flash



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-01-03 12:29 by DandelionPowderman.

Quote
Mathijs
I really dislike the Voodoo Lounge tour, and think that ever since that tour they stopped being the Rolling Stones and started acting to be the Rolling Stones. There where some exceptions though, 1999 NS in the US was quite good, and the club gigs in 2003 where great as well.

Mathijs

This is interesting, and in a way I agree about the VL tour. Not that I didn't like it, but something happened there. SW/UJ were imo great tours - surprisingly great after their hiatus.

I'll say Voodoo Lounge as that's what the disappointing concert I saw at Wembley was part of.

Were you at the show where Connection was played, Phil?

Quote
DandelionPowderman
Were you at the show where Connection was played, Phil?

Other than an ages long ending to Brown Sugar I can't actually remember what was played.

At least, you got Not Fade Away and It's All Over Now

Quote
ab
1978: If only because the show I saw on that tour was the Philadelphia debacle. That Some Girls-centered setlist was made for theatres. Although it sounds much better years later, devoting half the show in front of 90,000 people to an album that had only been out for a week didn't go over so well at the time.

This is an indication - and I have read similar accounts elsewhere - what happens when a band gets too big and too old and tries to gather as big crowds as possible. The audience, with lots of casual fans and people there for just out of curiosity, naturally are then rather conservative, familiar only with the big hits, and for whom the new music is too odd (unexpected) or not comparable to their past achievements. However, one can just check the recent Bob Dylan setlists, and see the receipt The Stones were using in 1978, works still mighty fine today. And his crowds in those much smaller venues are not unhappy at all.

Anyway, Mick Jagger of 1978 seemingly was no such sensitive how the audience responds to news songs as he has lately been...

- Doxa



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2014-01-03 15:11 by Doxa.

Quote
24FPS
This was a tour for young people who've never seen them and have no comparison

I had never seen them before this tour and wasn't sure if I even wanted to go; my only experience of the Stones live would be when they're all close to 70.

But honestly, I really don't think any other band will come close to the experience I had when watching the Stones play literally a few meters from me. I remember listening to songs like Bitch and All Down the Line when I first discovered the Stones, thinking "I'll never hear these live". How wrong I was, and how delightful those songs were.

They had a really strong album in 1978, from which they could have played all songs.

They were obviously more confident than ever in their new material.

Philly? Ah, the punk version of Satisfaction! Not my cup of tea, but here it is

None for me. VL was my very first tour (1 show only though), so it is a true highlight in my "Stones fan career"! Loved all tours after that. But I can understand why those who saw them in "their prime" think otherwise. I have nothing to compare 1995-onwards to!

---

-------------------------------------------------------------

Literally 965 kilometers from being "Born in an Arctic zone".

Quote
LQ1977
None for me. VL was my very first tour (1 show only though), so it is a true highlight in my "Stones fan career"! Loved all tours after that. But I can understand why those who saw them in "their prime" think otherwise. I have nothing to compare 1995-onwards to!

---

Which VL show?

Oslo. 9th of June 1995!

-------------------------------------------------------------

Literally 965 kilometers from being "Born in an Arctic zone".

Quote
LQ1977
Oslo. 9th of June 1995!

Good show!

The 2026 tour.
Jeroen

I was standing on top of a railing or something way back at Valle Hovin. I had turned 18 two months before and had never attended a concert with so many people (40000). Needless to say, there was so much to take in. The music was of course the biggest part of it. I do not remember much, really. But from that moment on, JJF was my favourite (live) song. It still is. To this day,I think it is funny that I had only heard it on the radio a few days before the concerts, although I had been a fan for about 1,5 years by then. So many songs I had not heard, so many albums to buy, so much to look forward to.

Good times!

I remember a fantastic version of Wild Horses, as well as great renditions of Heartbreaker, Let It Bleed and LARS. Monkey Man and The Worst were good as well.

For some reason, they usually play All Down The Line in Norway, even though it's not a staple in the setlist. That was the case in 1995 as well

Seen every tour since 76 and without any shadow of a doubt A Bigger Bang was the worst - I enjoyed it simply becaise I enjoy any Stones show, but it was the only show I came away from thinking, that didn't really hit the spot. Maybe it was becaise I saw them post Keith accident, I don;t know, but that's my vote folks!

None. seen every tour since 69 and NEVER disappointed

You can split the ABB tour in 3 parts:
2005 - Nearly like the 40Licks Tour but with slightly weaker Keith
2006 - Not very bad but to the end of the year subside performances
2007 - Sympathy hast sometimes near horrible solos and songs are often played with mistakes

So the worst part was the 2007 summer tour.

All the ones before 1989, because I never saw them live.

Since I haven't seen the Stones live since 1981, I have to base this on bootlegs.

That being the case, I'll go with the U.S. portion of the Steel Wheels tour or the Bigger Bang tour.

Haven't heard a convincing boot from either. Sad, Sad, Sad.

the entire premise of this thread is ridiculous-

just as are the threads about which "tour had the best sound"

the website is supposed to be for knowledgeable fans who can dig deep into the rolling stones music and history and we get "which tour was the most disappointing"

what the fck is that?? - you're inferring that they were all disappointing but you want the MOST DISAPPOINTING?

the answer is that every gig from night to night is different-the sound is different because the acoustics of the venue are different.
the crowd is different because obviously they are not the same people as the night before-the band are not nailing it some nights and others they are like a well oiled machine.
to lump 100's of nights together as one just because they fall under a tour name is nonsense.seriously,you guys were disappointed in an entire tour??

.unless you're worried about micks haircut,then for you it makes sense.

Quote
lem motlow
the entire premise of this thread is ridiculous-

just as are the threads about which "tour had the best sound"

the website is supposed to be for knowledgeable fans who can dig deep into the rolling stones music and history and we get "which tour was the most disappointing"

what the fck is that?? - you're inferring that they were all disappointing but you want the MOST DISAPPOINTING?

the answer is that every gig from night to night is different-the sound is different because the acoustics of the venue are different.
the crowd is different because obviously they are not the same people as the night before-the band are not nailing it some nights and others they are like a well oiled machine.
to lump 100's of nights together as one just because they fall under a tour name is nonsense.seriously,you guys were disappointed in an entire tour??

.unless you're worried about micks haircut,then for you it makes sense.

Thankfully we've got you to set us straight on all these ridiculous threads on here today.....this is important business!!!!

Quote
Bastion

Quote
24FPS
This was a tour for young people who've never seen them and have no comparison

I had never seen them before this tour and wasn't sure if I even wanted to go; my only experience of the Stones live would be when they're all close to 70.

But honestly, I really don't think any other band will come close to the experience I had when watching the Stones play literally a few meters from me. I remember listening to songs like Bitch and All Down the Line when I first discovered the Stones, thinking "I'll never hear these live". How wrong I was, and how delightful those songs were.

There you go. I had never seen the Beach Boys until this summer. Actually it was the Brian Wilson w/Alan Jardine/David Marks/Blondie Chaplin version. I thought it was fantastic. I really can't see how they could have been much better, but maybe there are Beach Boy fans that go way back and have heard things in a different way.

Quote
DandelionPowderman
<Basically it's the Licks Tour without settling in for a few songs in a row off one album.>

A random Licks Tour setlist:

Street Fighting Man
If You Can't Rock Me
It's Only Rock'n Roll
Don't Stop
Stray Cat Blues
Wild Horses
Loving Cup
Rocks Off
Rip This Joint
Tumbling Dice
--- Introductions
Slipping Away (Keith)
Happy (Keith)
Love Train
Undercover of the Night
Can't You Hear Me Knocking
Honky Tonk Women
Satisfaction
Mannish Boy (B-stage)
Neighbours (B-stage)
Brown Sugar (B-stage)
Sympathy For The Devil (encore no.l 1)
Jumping Jack Flash (encore no. 2)

A random 50 & Counting setlist:

I Wanna Be Your Man
Get Off Of My Cloud
It's All Over Now
Paint It Black
Gimme Shelter (with Mary J. Blige)
Wild Horses
All Down The Line
Going Down (with Jeff Beck)
Out Of Control
One More Shot
Doom And Gloom
It's Only Rock'n Roll (with Bill Wyman)
Honky Tonk Women (with Bill Wyman)
--- Band presentations
Before They Make Me Run (Keith)
Happy (Keith)
Midnight Rambler (with Mick Taylor)
Miss You
Start Me Up
Tumbling Dice
Brown Sugar
Sympathy For The Devil
--- Band off stage
You Can't Always Get What You Want
Jumping Jack Flash

Thank you for proving my point.