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24FPS

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footlooseman
nobody blows the STONES offstage!!!

Well, that's just not true. I was there. I heard/saw/experienced Guns & Roses totally out muscle, outplay, out-rock the Rolling Stones on Wednesday, October 18th, 1989. I then witnessed the Stones turn the tables on closing night, Sunday October 22nd, 1989. I was there both nights. It happened. The Stones were blown off the stage. Period.

Yeah sure, Guns & Rozes with Saul Hudson....Mick Taylor should never have left in the first place

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LuxuryStones

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Doxa
ZZ Top, Helsinki 2003. I have to admit this, even though I don't care about ZZ Top at all.

- Doxa

What was wrong with the Rolling Stones then?

Everything. They had difficulties in selling out the show, so they added ZZ Top to the bill in the last minute (which worked, since ZZ Top is rather popular, almost stadium size band by themselves in Finland). It was a damn hot day then, plus 30 degrees, sun shining all the time. Top had a nice thing going on, people not yet half-dead by sun by then, etc. Nothing special, but a great connection with the crowd.

But then the Stones... From the start it was clear that this is 'off-night', a mother of all 'autopilot' shows. Keith started the intro with something non-sensible, then played the beginning number in a wrong key (if not a wrong number) half-through... It was not until Jagger got into chorus, I realized they were doing "Brown Sugar"... Ronnie was a total disaster, just clowning and not touching the guitar nearly at all in the first four-five numbers (I was just in front of him, so I couldn't help noticing - it was so embarrassing that I probably never have been able to forgive him...). There wre some okay numbers and Jagger worked the crowd as he can, but over-all the band sounded so lame, thin and fake - not a real guitar band at all - that the Stones fan boy deep in myself was deeply shocked and hurt... "the greatest rock'n'roll band in the world"... oh yeah - it didn't ask much anything from any act to steal that crown from them that night, so an easy task for ZZ Top... Gladly I have never seen any other show so bad, not even close, from the Stones...

- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-12-30 03:11 by Doxa.

Sorry but I saw Geils opening for them in 81 and yeah they blew them off the stage. For a huge Stones fan at the time this was especially disconcerting for me. I had to admit J.Geils were the better more entertaining band that day though.

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24FPS
I was there opening night '89 at the L.A. Coliseum. It was the infamous night Axl harangued the rest of Guns & Roses about their drug use. They absolutely blew the Stones off the stage. The Stones came on like old creaky men playing oldies. In fact I thought I was at an episode of Happy Days when they played It's Only Rock & Roll with this video of 50s sock hops.

However, I was also there for the closing, five nights later. On that occasion the Stones were a well oiled machine that blew G&R away. We always say the Stones are more than the sum of their individual parts, and I witnessed it that night. During Midnight Rambler Bill, Ronnie, Keith & Charlie locked in together into what I can only describe as a golden circle of music to create that unique Stones sound. That is why Bill's departure was so devastating. There's still a band up there playing passable Stones music, but it's not THE ROLLING STONES.

I saw the second night, and Guns were definitely not focused. However, the crowd DID like them. After all, it was their hometown. The Stones were definitely better than they were the second night.
I was at the last show as well, and the results were as you said.

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24FPS

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footlooseman
nobody blows the STONES offstage!!!

Well, that's just not true. I was there. I heard/saw/experienced Guns & Roses totally out muscle, outplay, out-rock the Rolling Stones on Wednesday, October 18th, 1989. I then witnessed the Stones turn the tables on closing night, Sunday October 22nd, 1989. I was there both nights. It happened. The Stones were blown off the stage. Period.

I was there that Wednesday night, 2nd row center and although G & R put on a good show, I personally enjoyed the Stones set much more. Axl Rose was just to contrived, whining and untalented to compete with Mick. Slash on the other hand did indeed outplay the other guitarists that night. I guess it's just a matter of perspective. I'm sure Axl thought he out rocked them the entire tour......

peace

I caught The J. Geils Band twice afer 72 when I caught The Stones in Montreal ( where Stevie Wonder did not come close to blowing The Stones off the Stage ) and before '81. Now imo if there was any band that could stand a chance of doing that it would be the J Geils Band. They're timing was incredible. Their energy was non stop go go go for well over 2 hours. Peter Wolfe was one hell of an entertaining front man. Blatt was an incredible drummer and Magic Dick one hell of a harp player and they blues / rock man and maybe more rock blues but those guys were tight and could wail. Check out they're life album Full House.I saw the Geils Band in Vermont one year. They opened for Yes. Now talk about getting blown off the stage.... Yes didn't stand a chance !!

I was also at the 1989 Coliseum show where Axl was ranting about his bandmates, and while they were a decent opener (WAY better than Living Colour), I thought they were already over the hill and too full of themselves. On the other hand, I saw them open for Aerosmith a year or two earlier and they indeed blew Aerosmith off the stage (which isn't really saying much I suppose).

I was also at two of the 1981 Coliseum shows (we all know about the infamous 'Prince getting booed off the stage' scenario). George Thoroughgood was OK, and the J. Geils Band were great, but by no means did they blow the Stones off the stage.

Reminds me of the San Francisco show in 2005 where Metallica was opening. After the show I overheard several young knuckleheads claiming "Metallica blew the Stones off the stage"!!! lol
I don't give a shit about Metallica either way, so I wouldn't really know as I was still in the parking lot for pre-show festivities and missed their entire set.
With that said, just goes to show that one man's junk is another man's treasure.

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

I had forgot just how obnoxious Axl Rose was during his rants on that 1st night at the Coliseum with the Stones in 1989. What an idiot. I do remember going away from the show strongly disliking the guy.

Here is a video from that show, the 1st rant starts before they even begin playing at about 0:39, telling the crown to calm the @#$%& down so he can preach to them....

The very public dis on his band members for their heroin use starts at 06:00.

Yeah Slash was on fire that night but Axl ruined it for me. His ranting and his singing just sucked, imo. I'd guess the Stones were probably even embarrassed by this jerk.





peace

I was backstage that Wednesday night and saw two roadies carry Axl on to the stage, one on each alarm, which made his rants seem confusing. I didn't think they blew anyone off the stage, but there was a lot of excitement for Guns in L.A. for those shows, especially opening night, and I think they were responsible for a load of ticket sales. The Stones did seem a little old school showbiz after the emo drama of the Guns set. I suspect there were fewer Guns partisans in the crowd after that first night.

Right on banditpanda our boys didn't have much compared to J.Geils during that time and myself a huge biased Stones fan. I remember actually feeling embarrassed at the show. My friend not the biggest Stones backer thought it quite funny how seeing them live proved they weren't even very good in 81 and I've never really forgotten it.

Love J. Geils and saw them several times with the Stones but they never had the songs to compete.

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TeddyB1018
Love J. Geils and saw them several times with the Stones but they never had the songs to compete.

That´s it. Like so many others!

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TeddyB1018
I was backstage that Wednesday night and saw two roadies carry Axl on to the stage, one on each alarm, which made his rants seem confusing. I didn't think they blew anyone off the stage, but there was a lot of excitement for Guns in L.A. for those shows, especially opening night, and I think they were responsible for a load of ticket sales. The Stones did seem a little old school showbiz after the emo drama of the Guns set. I suspect there were fewer Guns partisans in the crowd after that first night.

The 1st night drama, I think, propelled G&R. I was amazed they could keep it together while AXL was being an a-hole. That first night was just electric. The Stones were older men than G&R and it took them a night or two to get used to the stage and to own it again. Songs like It's Only Rock & Roll just seemed silly compared to G&R's grittier material. But only on that night.

Earth WIND and Fire.

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buffalo7478

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with sssoul
And someone up there said that at the time of the 2003 SARS benefit the Stones hadn't played in a while.
Au contraire: They paused in the middle of their European tour to fly over to Toronto for that.
They were probably exhausted. They did the show anyway. Good for them.

They did the show....but not for charity...for cash.

Yes, I was wrong in calling the SARS show a "benefit" - it wasn't for charity,
but to help revive the Toronto economy. The performers got paid. Which doesn't change the fact
that the Stones flew in from Europe to do the show between their Prague and Hannover gigs.
You're not required to appreciate that, of course ... or anything else I reckon :E



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-01-02 10:23 by with sssoul.

I have to agree with DandelionPowderman (they don't exist) and yes Paulywaul, I was at Knebworth - LS were very good that night, but although it wasn't IMO one of the Stones greatest gigs by far, they certainly were not "blown off the stage" and it is ridiculous for anyone to say that bullshit. The Stones have never been "afraid" to have great support acts because frankly my dear, no-one tops them.

"till the next time..."

Star

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Starr
I have to agree with DandelionPowderman (they don't exist) and yes Paulywaul, I was at Knebworth - LS were very good that night, but although it wasn't IMO one of the Stones greatest gigs by far, they certainly were not "blown off the stage" and it is ridiculous for anyone to say that bullshit. The Stones have never been "afraid" to have great support acts because frankly my dear, no-one tops them.

"till the next time..."

Totally agree

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Starr
I have to agree with DandelionPowderman (they don't exist) and yes Paulywaul, I was at Knebworth - LS were very good that night, but although it wasn't IMO one of the Stones greatest gigs by far, they certainly were not "blown off the stage" and it is ridiculous for anyone to say that bullshit. The Stones have never been "afraid" to have great support acts because frankly my dear, no-one tops them.

"till the next time..."

The great support acts is also about selling tickets and money in the bank

Toronto, Maple Leaf Gardens, 1966, when Toronto's own Ugly Ducklings as the opening act, upstaged the Rolling Stones by playing "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love " as their first song.

Needless to say, the Rolling Stones were not amused. The bass guitarist of the Ugly Ducklings even looked like Brian Jones with a similar haircut.

Mick Jagger, at the time, was quoted as saying how much he liked the Ugly Ducklings for their garage-type rock 'n roll sound that in a way, kind of imitated the Rolling Stones.

SFTD

G&R were erratic but at their peak...On any given night they had the potential to surpass The Stones.

Let's make sure what we're saying is that maybe some group might get in a lucky punch and come up winners THAT NIGHT over the Stones. It's ludicrous to say NO ONE EVER blew the Stones off the stage, on a given night. (As I said, I witnessed such a night). But NO ONE consistently, over time, beat the Stones on stage. The Police had their day. Led Zeppelin had theirs. But they all came and went. And even though what is now presented as The Rolling Stones is mostly over the hill, I don't think there's anyone out there right now that could blow them away.

If you enjoy BS, SFTD, GS and JJF more than anything, Sweet Home Alabama, Fly By Night or You Shook Me All Night Long won't be flooring you and make you see the light all of a sudden.

Other bands have a handicap - the songs, as Teddy mentioned earlier (even when it comes to the brilliant J. Geils Band)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-01-02 10:26 by DandelionPowderman.

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DandelionPowderman
If you enjoy BS, SFTD, GS and JJF more than anything, Sweet Home Alabama, Fly By Night or You Shook Me All Night Long won't be flooring you and make you see the light all of a sudden.

Other bands have a handicap - the songs, as Teddy mentioned earlier (even when it comes to the brilliant J. Geils Band)

must just be me then because i have seen bands tear it up even though i'm not a fan of then music

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keefriffhard4life

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DandelionPowderman
If you enjoy BS, SFTD, GS and JJF more than anything, Sweet Home Alabama, Fly By Night or You Shook Me All Night Long won't be flooring you and make you see the light all of a sudden.

Other bands have a handicap - the songs, as Teddy mentioned earlier (even when it comes to the brilliant J. Geils Band)

must just be me then because i have seen bands tear it up even though i'm not a fan of then music

Me too, but we're talking about blowing the Stones off the stage here. For that, you need more than just tearing it up, imo

Are you guys saying that AC/DC blew this off the stage - is this SMU-version from that night?

To me, this shows the Stones on top form







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-01-07 15:42 by DandelionPowderman.

AC/DC can't even blow a chipmunk from the stage, and, in particular, hardly the world's greatest rock and roll band, The Rolling Stones.

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rocker1
By this I mean, there are several bands who have been said (or claimed themselves) to have "blown the Stones off the stage" when they opened or shared a bill with them. I don't mean this thread to be about bands who have actually done that, but those who have been mentioned, or clamied to do that.

The Stones are THE primo target for this kind of remark/comparison, as who wouldn't love to claim that they blew the "greatest rock and roll band in the world" off the stage? It sets them up to meet awfully high standards, and it's a bit of millstone when you have to deliver such kick-ass goods/performances every night, while at the same time having every opening or supporting band sort of gunning for you. My POV is that very few bands have really done this, though some certainly have, given the particular show. But...to list what I think may be the obvious:


* Lynyrd Skynyrd at Knebworth '76. Most of this is Artimus Pyle talking out of this ass, but to be fair, LS was cooking that day.

* Santana in '81 at Pontiac Silverdome. [Reminded of this because of a comment made in the recent thread about about the demise of the dome.]

* J. Geils and Geo. Thorogood throughout '81? They were great, to be sure, but I doubt they blew the Stones off the stage.

* Ike and Tina in '69 and Stevie Wonder in '72: Actually, I've never heard anybody say either of these two acts came close to blowing the Stones off the stage, but I'm anticipating that some may have heard/read where they did.


[ One act that I'm reasonably sure you cannot say came close to blowing the Stones off the stage was Living Color in '89. Yeah, good band..but they were such a warmup act for that tour. ]

I'm probably missing other obvious ones.

It has never happened

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tomk

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24FPS
I was there opening night '89 at the L.A. Coliseum. It was the infamous night Axl harangued the rest of Guns & Roses about their drug use. They absolutely blew the Stones off the stage. The Stones came on like old creaky men playing oldies. In fact I thought I was at an episode of Happy Days when they played It's Only Rock & Roll with this video of 50s sock hops.

However, I was also there for the closing, five nights later. On that occasion the Stones were a well oiled machine that blew G&R away. We always say the Stones are more than the sum of their individual parts, and I witnessed it that night. During Midnight Rambler Bill, Ronnie, Keith & Charlie locked in together into what I can only describe as a golden circle of music to create that unique Stones sound. That is why Bill's departure was so devastating. There's still a band up there playing passable Stones music, but it's not THE ROLLING STONES.

I saw the second night, and Guns were definitely not focused. However, the crowd DID like them. After all, it was their hometown. The Stones were definitely better than they were the second night.
I was at the last show as well, and the results were as you said.

What. None of this happened. Stones blew them away. I was there PLUS have many reviews to that effect

Bowie?

I was at the SARS gig in Toronto. I was within 200 feet of the stage. In fact Mick Jagger walked through the crowd right in front of me during The Guess Who's set. AC/DC appealed to a wider demographic at that show. They were the band more people were there to see. It was a very hot day. By the end of AC/DC's set, they had the crowd totally on their side. There is only so much energy a crowd has to give and AC/DC had already drained most of it. The Stones seemed more of an after=thought. They played decently enough but they were never able to rekindle the kind of energy from the crowd that AC/DC had gotten. For myself, I was happy to hear Keith sing "The Nearness Of You" which was the only time in the day when anyone actually acknowledged the people who had died of SARS in Canada. It was great to see Angus and Malcolm guest on "Rock Me Baby" but most people who went to that show thought AC/DC was the best act of the day. The truth is due to the particular circumstances of that day and the make-up of that crowd that the Stones were blown off the stage. It would be an absolute rarity for the Stones to be blown off the stage at a gig where they were the headliner but the SARS show was not a typical Stones show. In Moncton on the Bigger Bang tour they had Canada's most popular rock 'n' roll band, The Tragically Hip, open for them.(Incidentally, their debut album Up To Here is one of the best Stones-derivative albums I know. "Trickle Down" is a spot-on Stones rip and "Boots Or Hearts" is pure Let It Bleed era Stones). I wasn't there but I doubt the Hip blew the Stones off the stage though they would have been very well received. I am a huge Bob Dylan fan and I've followed tours of his with co-headliners Santana in 1993 and Phil Lesh in 2000. It was interesting to note the difference in each show and how each act was perceived by the crowd in general. For example in Columbia MD in 2000, Bob was particularly good and stretched out his set and had the audience on his side by the end of his set and The Washington Times referred to Dylan as being a Stradivarius of a second fiddle (because he always played first and was therefore the opening act). But I saw nights on both those tours where Bob was not the most impactful performer of the day (he did totally blow Santana off the stage in Seattle and Englewood CO). But Bob has a reputation for not always reaching casual fans and some nights this was borne out. The Stones are far less susceptible to that perception.