In 1976, I believe the Rolling Stones actually announced six North American stadium dates for the summer but then cancelled them - probably as fall out from Keith's son's crib-death. One of them was for Toronto on either June 17th or, perhaps, July 17th. Perhaps they were not announced but strongly rumoured - so much so that the Toronto date was reported in the media. Obviously the shows never happened and I believe there was a media report that stated that the shows, or plans for the shows, were cancelled because the band was tired after their European tour. Instead they took the Knebworth gig. Has anybody ever heard about this before? I suppose I am asking people on this board who are older and remember the time. I was living in Ontario so I heard about the possible Toronto date. It was conceived as a Bicentennial tour of the U.S. though obviously Toronto does not fit that description. Am I crazy? Never read about this in any book.

Wasn't that the SouthAmerica part of the Tour of the Americas?

you mean 1975

Yes 1975 TOTA the SA part got cancelled.

I am talking about 1976 after the tour of Europe. I lived in Ontario and the Toronto date was out there in the media. It was either June or July 17th. It was to be part of a short stadium tour of six dates. I am not aware of any of the other proposed dates. I am not talking about the cancelled dates for TOTA. If you went through Rolling Stone magazine from 1976, you might find a reference to it.

I think you're talking about this article: [www.rollingstone.com]

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Cristiano Radtke
I think you're talking about this article: [www.rollingstone.com]

Wow man, that is a helluva article, Thanks!
----------------------------------------------------

Unofficial six-date stint nixed,
likely in line with recent drug discovery
By Rolling Stone July 15, 1976

SAN FRANCISCO — The Rolling Stones have canceled a planned "mini-tour" of six U.S. cities. It was to have begun immediately following their European tour.

It's not exactly a cancellation, publicists for the band and its record label say, since the group had never agreed to the engagements and no contracts had been signed. But Stones tour manager Peter Rudge, until recently also tour manager for the Who, had held reservations for stadiums and auditoriums in Oakland, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Chicago. Detroit was also in the itinerary.

Speculation as to why the Stones called off their U.S. stops included problems associated with Keith Richards's auto accident and detainment May 19th northwest of London. Police found what was first called a "drug substance" in the car and released Keith on $75 bail. Since then, the London Daily Mirror has reported the Stones as the unknowing couriers of a drug syndicate. Under headlines reading "Drug Smuggling Shock for the Stones" and "Cocaine Hidden in Pop Star's Bentley," news stories told of police suspicion that cocaine and cannabis had been hidden in clothing, jewelry and equipment carried by the "unsuspecting" Stones and their entourage during their 9-country, 36-day tour.


Police scientists were reported to have found, besides the "substance" in the Bentley, cocaine hidden in a silver horn on a bracelet and inside a shell on a string of worry beads. The drugs, Richards reportedly told inspectors, "are a mystery to him."

Police were said to be looking for the owners. "Police and customs men," said the Mirror," "know drug gangs sometimes use pop groups' amplifiers and instruments to smuggle cannabis." Richard was expected to answer more police questions after the Stones' tour ended June 23rd.

Richards, meanwhile, was hit with a personal tragedy, the death of the child born (prematurely) to him and Anita Pallenberg two months ago. The infant, a Stones aide said, had been ill since birth.

Aside from Richards's personal crises, there was talk that the Stones decided against the U.S. dates because of dissatisfaction with the staging and sound of their London concert (which was panned by the pop press there), and a feeling among some members of the band that the tour's extension into the States for nine concerts was financially not worth the time and effort.


None of the Stones could be reached for comment, and the Stones' publicists themselves were unable to reach either the group or Peter Rudge in Paris. "It's so odd, this tour," said one publicist. "We never hear anything about what's going on over there." Various people close to the band gave "exhaustion" from the European tour as the reason for their backing out of the summer concerts. The Stones are planning a U.S. tour this fall.

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Cristiano Radtke
I think you're talking about this article: [www.rollingstone.com]

Thanks for the link. Mystery solved.

The London Daily Mirror has reported the Stones as the unknowing couriers of a drug syndicate.

police suspicion that cocaine and cannabis had been hidden in clothing, jewelry and equipment carried by the "unsuspecting" Stones and their entourage during their 9-country, 36-day tour.

drug gangs sometimes use pop groups' amplifiers and instruments to smuggle cannabis

Ha ha. Either the police were more niave and ignorant than I can imagine or Keith's lawyers and PR people were really good. Keith and his pals were their own drug syndicate in 1976. I imagine the true reason for the cancellation was they couldn't get Keith and Anita out of the basement room.

peace

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Cristiano Radtke
I think you're talking about this article: [www.rollingstone.com]

Now were talkin.

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Naturalust
The London Daily Mirror has reported the Stones as the unknowing couriers of a drug syndicate.

police suspicion that cocaine and cannabis had been hidden in clothing, jewelry and equipment carried by the "unsuspecting" Stones and their entourage during their 9-country, 36-day tour.

drug gangs sometimes use pop groups' amplifiers and instruments to smuggle cannabis

Ha ha. Either the police were more niave and ignorant than I can imagine or Keith's lawyers and PR people were really good. Keith and his pals were their own drug syndicate in 1976. I imagine the true reason for the cancellation was they couldn't get Keith and Anita out of the basement room.

peace

Well coke in the bottle round Keiths neck and inside that car and heroin in every place he could put it. Including Marlons toys. Don't know how Mick carried his stuff but I guess he relied on others.

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Redhotcarpet

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Naturalust
The London Daily Mirror has reported the Stones as the unknowing couriers of a drug syndicate.

police suspicion that cocaine and cannabis had been hidden in clothing, jewelry and equipment carried by the "unsuspecting" Stones and their entourage during their 9-country, 36-day tour.

drug gangs sometimes use pop groups' amplifiers and instruments to smuggle cannabis

Ha ha. Either the police were more niave and ignorant than I can imagine or Keith's lawyers and PR people were really good. Keith and his pals were their own drug syndicate in 1976. I imagine the true reason for the cancellation was they couldn't get Keith and Anita out of the basement room.

peace

Well coke in the bottle round Keiths neck and inside that car and heroin in every place he could put it. Including Marlons toys. Don't know how Mick carried his stuff but I guess he relied on others.

What's hilarious is the notion that some smuggler is going to use a pop or rock group to hide their contraband. Can't think of a more suspicious group. Maybe it was different in the 70's but in the 80's and 90's I and others have been held up for hours by different customs people as the searched every piece of electronics and performed multiple searches and scans on every instrument. Even been asked to demonstrate that every piece of rack mounted gear was working and had to set up inputs and outputs to things like compressors and reverb units and explain their function to people who didn't have a clue.

peace

I remember seeing the show listed at Ticketron(!) for Comiskey Park and trying to buy tickets, only to be told the show was cancelled.