Wow, just glanced at the calendar and realized June 17 is on a Saturday just as it was in 1978, my very first of several Stones concerts at JFK Stadium in Philly. Hard to believe it was that long ago. I know many will say that Philly 1978 was not a great concert but for a rabid 18 year old fan, I was thrilled to see my first Stones show. My memory is that it was a good concert, not like it was full of mistakes and train wrecks. Sure, they would get much better as seen in the Texas DVD/CD but I had a great time. It also felt like the birth of a new Stones incarnation. Gone was Billy Preston and the extravagance of 1975; the band felt more cohesive and back to basics. Plus there was the great new album Some Girls to debut on stage. One vivid memory from Philly was the thrill of hearing the opening strains of Love In Vain, with Wood's slide cutting through the humid air like a knife. It would be the first of many live Stones shows for me! I should add that my first experience of seeing the Stones make their entrance was quite a rush! The crowd was cheering so loudly that I had no clue the first number was Let It Rock until I read it in the paper the next day!

"Gonna find my way to heaven ..."

That's a great story/ well written/ exciting! Thanks :-)

This was their absolute sleazy tabloid peak. Keith's skin had a ghoulish green tint. He looked like a junkie on that tour, and his future was still up in the air, facing possible life imprisonment in Canada. 'Before They Make Me Run' indeed. The music from Some Girls was like the immediate journalism of their lives. It would never be like that again. After the ramshackle '78 Tour, it got real professional. I was at the Cleveland gig. I felt I was seeing the last wisps of the excitement of the British Invasion. The Stones were still gods, from far away England. Mick's energy as he danced up and down the tongue stage over the audience was incredible.

HTF I got to give you credit, you always start good threads.....

I still remember the excitement it was the end of my junior year in high school and Some Girls was released on June 9TH I think by now June 1 we probably heard Miss You and once the album came out it was all my friends played that summer.

I remember my friends older brothers going down to JFK, I didn't have the money and I also did horrible in school that year so I couldn't negotiate with my parents to let me go. I remember the bootlegs from back then with titles like "In again, out again" or "Out on Bail" which were actually "Garden State 78" in two parts.

Back then before MTV there was a mystery of going to see a band. I would have to wait until September 25 1981 to see the Stones at JFK.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-06-06 11:56 by swiss.

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24FPS
'Before They Make Me Run' indeed.

You called? Anyways, I love the recordings I've heard/seen of the 1978 Tour. I love the whole frantic sound many of the tracks came with, and truly think that this tour- along with 1981- were their pinnacle for live performances. My major regret in life has always been not having been born in time to see a gig on this tour!

"They're back" was the headlines. I may have a copy of the newspaper downstairs in the archives. I remember at parties, going into the bathroom and holding up the Some Girls sleeve to the mirror so we could read it. Not a great way to meet women, but this is the Stones.

HonkeyTonkFlash - that last line about not being able to hear the first song hits home with me. I also saw the Stones for the first time in 78 in Houston. It was at the long gone Sam Houston Coliseum, same place where the cover photo for the Faces 'Nod is as Good as a Wink' was taken.

The second level extended out much further over the lower level than in modern arenas. I was in the first row right at the stage, and it was almost like I was looking down on top of them. The roar of the crowd when they came on stage lasted into the second song. You could see them playing and hear bits of music, but I could not make out anything until about halfway through All Down the Line. I too had to look in the paper the next day to see what the opening song was. There was more mystery about seeing bands back then. With no internet, you had no idea what the setlist would be.

We listened to Some Girls and Love You Live non stop that summer as we waited for concert day. The excitement of seeing these guys for the first time, the rush when they took the stage, is something I still remember clearly all these years later.

I was also at the Philly '78 show with a set list crammed with Some Girls tunes that had only been out for a week or so. Of course I loved it, but it got a bad rap over the years. So when they came back to the same stadium to open the 1981 tour, it seemed like they were trying to make amends with the long and varied set lists over two days. Now those shows also have a bad rap in historical context. But again, they were wonderful from my perspective at the time. I almost cried when they played Time is on My Side.

HBK

The 1978 tour was number 4 in The Stones 5 most important tours. 1981 was the "last tour".

I saw all of them but 1978.

To this day I do not know how I missed getting tickets, with WNEW FM playing 12 hours a day, I still missed getting the tickets for the New York area. (and I never was in to traveling more than 75 miles for ANY concert)

My story starts in Milwaukee. Our group of 3 girls and 3 boys have been stoked to see the Stones for the first time. July 8 in Chicago at Soldiers Field. We are all 17/18 years old. Not easy for parents to sign off on this trip but they all did. We planned for months.

The day before the show arrives as we load my friend Peters car (parents car actually). We had a 72 Impala with a cooler full of beer. We leave Milwaukee about noon. drank all the way down. Way before DUI's were much of an issue. We are heading to a Travelodge on Michigan Avenue. It is a bit of a sketchy area but we are young and invincible. The rooms are 3/4 guys in one the 3 girls in another. We are all best friends/dating/want to be dating so there is that edge of excitement as well. we get all checked in and wander the area. We find a blues bar that let us in but wouldn't serve us. It was cool as hell for a 17 year old. We basically find everyone in the motel is here for the show! The parking lot is one giant Stones music blasting drinking party! Its as if Stones fever has overtaken Chicago.

As the night wears on we get a bit too intoxicated as being young and dumb seem to go hand in hand with. We actually wander the neighborhood and meet lots of folks that are a different race from our white youth. As true growing up experience. We get one last round of beer at a local liquor store. The owner took pity on us stupid drunk Stones kids and said he would sell it to us but we need to get back to motel with it.

I end up sleeping with girls as my buddies were afraid I was going to puke all over!! Not as glamorous as it sounds but bonded with my first love that weekend. The girls got me a bit sobered up and put me to sleep as our big day approached.

We get up and of course we all have stupid hangovers. We are smart enough to eat and just relax a few hours before heading to Soldiers Field which was probably a mile walk.

We are in heaven as we enter Soldiers Field knowing we see our beloved Stones live in about 6 hours.

As I recall there may have been a local act, then Peter Tosh, the Journey. None of us were digging Journey! The crowd seemed tired of them as well and it didn't end great as I recall.

The time is almost near. Our seat are pretty far away but we don't mind. There has to be 90,000 fans here, its hot and humid. All of the sudden the big red curtain open and to our surprise "Let it Rock" starts up. 90,000 people dancing and singing, Im sure most had never heard Let it Rock but it didn't matter. As the day wound down we were just in heaven Seeing the Stones power through song after song. It was twilight as the show ended. It was all we had hoped it would be.

On the way home in the old Impala, it was quiet contentment, By now we had pretty much paired up with our girl and snuggled in the Impala as Peter drove through Chicago up to I94 home to Milwaukee. I remembered we stopped in Schaumberg and had our first Chicago Hot Dog on the way home. We got to the south side of Milwaukee about 10:30 and some of the group wanted to go to SummerFest yet. I declined, my friend Karen and I just hung out telling my parents how great a day we had. We knew it was a trip that would never be forgotten and in certain ways our lives would change as we were becoming adults. It was a moment in time that we knew would be special and didn't want to let it go.

In 1981 4 of us went to see the Stones at The Rosemount Horizon. We tried to recreate the memories of 78, but it was different now. We had jobs, relationships, responsibilities, adult life.

I remember the sad feeling that were weren't kids anymore.

long live the 78 Tour!

I think this was the tour where at the New Orleans Dome, Van Halen and The Doobie Brothers were the openers. I'm getting the tours mixed up. Someone on this board had to be there.

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Chacho
The 1978 tour was number 4 in The Stones 5 most important tours. 1981 was the "last tour".

I saw all of them but 1978.

To this day I do not know how I missed getting tickets, with WNEW FM playing 12 hours a day, I still missed getting the tickets for the New York area. (and I never was in to traveling more than 75 miles for ANY concert)

The New York shows were the Capitol Theater in Passaic NJ and the Palladium in NYC. Both impossible to get tickets unless you were lucky or had a connection to give you warning of the sales locations and time. That's why so many from Jersey and NYC came to Philly.

Cleveland Municipal Stadium for me...my older brother took me and my other brother for what was called The World Series of Rock, took place on a muggy and wet day in July. The Stones, Kansas & Peter Tosh

I only remember seeing the Stones, the sound was bad but it was my first Stones show, and first concert ever

the shoot 'em dead, brainbell jangler!

I saw 16 shows on this tour, a slight drop-off from my ’72 and ’75 numbers but still a gas, gas, gas.

And if I ever have grandchildren, or if the aliens land, I will show them the ’78 Texas video to explain why I am the way I am.

DON’T forget to have a party on July 12th…55 and Counting!

Great story Timmy! Very evocative.

Somewhat disappointing. Terrible opening song. Mostly afternoon shows.

Still exiting and one of Ronnies finest hours. I love all their 70s tours and this is one where they evolved into something familiar yet new after the lovely rhythm based Ollie and Billie -blessed 1975-77 visual excess.

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peoplewitheyes
Great story Timmy! Very evocative.

Thanks for reading, didn't mean it to be sappy but just a defining moment as we became adults.

Capitol Theater in Passaic, NJ 1978 my very first Stones show!
My best friend in high school won tickets from WNEW.
We were wide-eyed, naive 16 year olds and had no clue what we were in for.
The setlist was awesome and one that I have not seen topped since. Opening with "Let it Rock", then into "All Down the Line", and then all the new Some Girls material and more. It was a hot sweaty night and the band was on fire! I feel very fortunate to have seen this as my first Stones show. No stage set, and flat out rawness in their style of playing. Mick's stage banter was epic that night and Keef made a lasting impression for a lifetime.
And then my friends dad picked us up and drove us home.(we were to young to drive)
Ahh, the good old days.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-06-04 00:47 by spikenyc.

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24FPS
This was their absolute sleazy tabloid peak. Keith's skin had a ghoulish green tint. He looked like a junkie on that tour, and his future was still up in the air, facing possible life imprisonment in Canada. 'Before They Make Me Run' indeed. The music from Some Girls was like the immediate journalism of their lives. It would never be like that again. After the ramshackle '78 Tour, it got real professional. I was at the Cleveland gig. I felt I was seeing the last wisps of the excitement of the British Invasion. The Stones were still gods, from far away England. Mick's energy as he danced up and down the tongue stage over the audience was incredible.

Great review.

was at the Atlanta Fox Theatre show, band was billed as The Cockroaches, don't actually remember much about it... imo the Fox is a crap venue for this sort of thing.

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HouseBoyKnows
I was also at the Philly '78 show with a set list crammed with Some Girls tunes that had only been out for a week or so. Of course I loved it, but it got a bad rap over the years. So when they came back to the same stadium to open the 1981 tour, it seemed like they were trying to make amends with the long and varied set lists over two days. Now those shows also have a bad rap in historical context. But again, they were wonderful from my perspective at the time. I almost cried when they played Time is on My Side.

HBK

Yes, I was also at the first JFK 1981 show and despite it's bad rep, it was a thrilling day for me. Not only did I manage did get close enough to see what kind of cigs Keith was smoking (Marlboro reds) but in those pre-internet days - plus it being the first show - virtually everything was a surprise! Opening with UMT! Many songs felt unexpected; LSTNT, TIOMS, plus there was a generous second helping of Some Girls songs and a couple from ER and the new Tattoo You.

"Gonna find my way to heaven ..."

I was at the FW show that was filmed...front row center of balcony( the venue broke down approx. 1800 on floor level and 1000 seats in balcony) I paid $100 for a $10 dollar seat and it was the best money I ever spent!!

I was at the show in Greensboro, NC (also released as a bootleg called "Southern Quotations").

My feelings about this particular concert have changed over the years. I've seen the Stones ten times, and would always rank the 1978 show at the bottom of the list.

However, hearing it again fresh over the past few years has made me appreciate it much more now.

A lot of energy with the stripped down sound, the new tunes from Some Girls, and just a lot of things to like.

I think a lot of a concert has to do with your energy level at the time, who you are with, people sitting near you either talking non-stop about God-Knows-What or singing along ridiculously out of key at the top of their lungs. I seem to remember several of those things going at the Greensboro show, so that may have influenced me to rank the show a little lower that the others.

Etta James was the opening act, and did a super job.

I was at Anaheim 1 and 2...Only time I've ever slept outside a stadium two nights in a row..Well, I was 19 yo and everything is possible at that age

If you read some old quotes from Mick regarding the 1978 tour...he said he didn't realize what he did to the New York market until after the tour was finished...realizing...he only put approximately 6,000 tickets on sale for the whole tri-state area. (Passaic and NYC).

The crazy thing is almost the whole Some Girls album and lots of the extra cuts referenced NYC.

Pecman

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spikenyc
Capitol Theater in Passaic, NJ 1978 my very first Stones show!
My best friend in high school won tickets from WNEW.
We were wide-eyed, naive 16 year olds and had no clue what we were in for.
The setlist was awesome and one that I have not seen topped since. Opening with "Let it Rock", then into "All Down the Line", and then all the new Some Girls material and more. It was a hot sweaty night and the band was on fire! I feel very fortunate to have seen this as my first Stones show. No stage set, and flat out rawness in their style of playing. Mick's stage banter was epic that night and Keef made a lasting impression for a lifetime.
And then my friends dad picked us up and drove us home.(we were to young to drive)
Ahh, the good old days.

wow; that was like a 3000 seater or something right? THAT was a show for the ages I bet; I wonder if there's a boot; I saw Beck, Bogart & Appice there in '73 and I remember the sound being truly excellent.
thanks for the telling.

There is indeed a boot of the NJ show......yes the smaller venue was indeed a treat, was at the Palladium the week prior.

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swiss
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Got this boot. It contains parts of the buffalo show which fell on July 4 , a national holiday. I'll never forget it .