19 years old, I travelled all the way from Norway in norhtern Europe, to experience the Stones in the legendary venue Madison Sqaure Garden. The concert was fantastic, and they sounded much better than last tour - so I got my satisfaction from the band. But the audience...

During the 4 first songs every person in the venue followed the band, but when Mick introduce a new song, "rough justice", half the crowd went outside for a beer. It seems to me that americans compare a stones show with a TV show. Sitting down and watch, have a good time and laugh with the person next to you and drink some beers and eat some burgers, and maybe stand up and sing when the stones are playing Jumping Jack or Honky Tonk. When they played Back of my Hand, people started to sit down everywhere in the arena. Even in the front seats people sat down, but I had come all the way from Norway and wanted to enjoy the show from start to end - standing. And then people behind me started to shout "sit down" and threw bags of chips and empty beer goblets. I just ignored them, but when I was hit by a bottle I went beserk and screamed to the grumpy man who did it. I have never said so many ugly words in my life, and no one bothered me anymore (exept the person who stole my great tounge on the back of my jacket). No one tells me to sit down on a Rolling Stones concert!
And of course when Keith are supposed to sing his songs, people are "boooing" loud and clear. But Keith, proffesional as he is, didn't seem to bother.

And when Brown Sugar streamed out from the speakers, everyone in the house rocked. Having said that, the Giants audience two days alter was great!

You are so right about the MSG-audience. They sucked. Probably because in NY there's a lot of hospitality going on, corporate America bring serious and important clients to the show. They're more interrested in beer and popcorn than great music. That's really sad, because the true fans, many of whom were not able to get tickets for the shows, would have contributed a lot more to the show. By the way, I'm Norwegian too...

It has come to my ears that people even ordered pizza during the concert so they want starve at home. AS I will experience the States in late October on the West I wonder how that will be.
This might be a reason why they do not change to much the set list.
I don't even know why mobile phones are permitted in a concert.

That's aweful!

"Corporate Rockers" are ruining live music....they bring nothing a value apart from their gold/platinum amexs....and generally ruin it up for the real fans...of any band, not just the Stones...their influence is being felt far and wide.

Sorry your MSG experience left a bitter taste....

No, not a bitter taste! The show was great! The Stones were great. But it was sad to see corporate America making such big fools of themselves. In their pink shirts, loose ties, fat bellies... Yeah, I saw them, and I totally refused to sit down when pink shirted bastard asked me to. Told him to "TAKE YOUR BUSINESS ELSEWHERE - since you're not here for the show, just to be SEEN here"". Rude of me, of course. But he, on the other hand, was STUPID.

They didn't boo Keith they were saying Keith, it sounds like a low groan.

I was stunned by how many holders of what were obviously corporate tickets left halfway through Roseland in '02. Unless you have low blood sugar or something, I don't understand leaving for food. But, again, I don't think that staying seated makes a crowd lame. Different people enjoy the concert experience in different ways.

you are ALL WRONG. Have seen them 16 times at MSG and every show and audience were great!

fxc1: you are ALL WRONG. Have seen them 16 times at MSG and every show and audience were great!

Do you call throwing bottles on fans who wants to enjoy the show a great audience?

I was there, those weren't boos, the place went nuts yelling KEEEEEFFF!! I also don't like the whole corporate crap at rock concerts, but I was up on the side level where they sold extra seats after the first batch were already gone. In my section nobody sat down the whole show. Did someone really throw bottles at you, I didn't they sold bottles at venues anymore.

Yeah its true. I sat in section 56, great view - but again the audience around me really shocked me. It was such a cotrast from the european shows. This was my first show in USA. But the concert was great, and I really enjoyed the crowd and the fans at Giants.

I have seen every show at MSG since 1998 and in my opinion MSG last week was the most quiet crowd and technicxally the best show, as seen from a sound point. Excellent acoustics. Excellent sound. Excellent stage. Excellent everything. But the crowd was not making as much noise as they use to do at MSG. At least not where I was, on the floor.

But two days later at Giants I got all the noise I needed, and also at the Albany show four days later, so I won't complain. I am sure the January shows will be as noisy and as great as they use to be.

Bjornulf

we had a great time first row on the rail next to the horns....who gives a fvck what the crowd is doing around you ...really!!! i felt like i was in a club gig it was soooo cool!!!!!!!!!!!

Agreed - the crowd in little old Albany, let alone Giants Stadium, left the one in MSG way behind.

wrong

OK.
Just so you guys know, I was at MSG.
I never sat down.
It was the best show that I have ever seen.
Thanks for listening.

Saw 3 shows on a recent trip to NYC, MSG, Giants and Albany. MSG crowd was the most tame, Giants crowd was more fired up, and at Albany they went completely nuts. The shows were ALL great to the last song, and I have come back home with the broadest of smiles on my chops. I loved every minute of every song in every venue, I have absolutely nothing to criticise and nothing to complain about. FAN bloody TASTIC !!!

tat2you Wrote:
who gives a fvck what
> the crowd is doing around you ...really!!! i

Are you serious?? If someone threw things at you you WOULD give a @#$%&!

I was there. The crowd was a little quieter than usual which surprised me. They did warm up a little but it was not the usual buzz.

No booing of Keith.......people yelling his name

Soundwise: Perfect. Sounded like a CD except it was live. I was talking with THE soundman after the show. He got it perfect, no bass tones rumbling around the Garden, no echos and the Guitars, Ron and Keith, were roaring.

To those who took a break during the new songs: Your loss, they were the highlights of the show. Back of my Hand was great especially when Charlie started to pound the skins, Rough Justice, Oh No, Infamy, the re-arrainged "Breakdown", All Down The Line, She's So Cold.

Personally though after 2 shows on this tour ( and I have sweet tickets for both MSG shows in January 06) I hope they dump YCAGWYW.......it drags down the set or leads to an anti-climactic.

Milo, NYC
This place is empty

I live in sweden and iam going to MSG for both shows i january, hope the crowd is better then!

This was my first time at MSG and I had really expected more.
What I saw was a perfunctory, lackluster performance at best. Just routine, no sparks.
The sound was awful (block 202), both piercing and mushy at the same time, if that's at all possible. Halfway through the show it got better, or maybe my ears just got used to it.
Even so, Back Of My Hand was very good. All Down The Line was a nice surprise, 19th Nervous Breakdown, Get Up Stand Up, Paint It Black and JJF were my personal highlights.

The crowd was lame, to put it nicely. Definitely due to Corporate America, they just wanted be seen there. They woke up a little with the well-known warhorses in the second part. Anyone still seriously wondering why they play theses same songs all over again and again ?
Maybe instead of doing stadium and arenas, the Stones should do shows "for corporate clients" and shows "for fans" ? ;-)

When Mick introduced "Get up, stand up", it was like a collective shrug all over the place as if people didn't know who or what he was talking about. It was pathetic to see Mick trying to work an unresponsive crowd.
The interaction between the band the crowd was much better at Giants and Albany. That's what live concerts are all about, at least for me.

For the best crowds you should go to either Spain, Argentina, the Netherlands or Germany IMO.

Well I went to this concert in Altamont a while back . . . boy, you wanna talk about a tough crowd . . .

We're gonna open up the throttle yeah.
We're gonna bust another bottle, yeah.

Not the right song to play at such a concert.

I gotta wonder why anyone would have a (glass) bottle, nevermind throw it.

North American crowds have been conditioned by television, its pro sports and the news media to only pay attention for about 5 minutes at a stretch. Think about North American sports for a minute: the average play in baseball, football, and basketball lasts for less time than a 30 second commecial. That's a lot of stop and starting--compare it to soccer, for example. I find North Americans to be increasingly having some form of attention deficit disorder.

Now excuse me while I go drive my car while I talk on the phone and eat my breakfast and read the paper while listening to ABB.

I just want to make one thing clear: The Stones played fantastic. I think it is one of the very best concerts I have ever seen. My point is that it's a shame the crowd didn't seem to appreciate it. And I was never afraid, just provoked and surprised. No psychic or physical damage!

bv Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have seen every show at MSG since 1998 and in my
> opinion MSG last week was the most quiet crowd and
> technicxally the best show, as seen from a sound
> point. Excellent acoustics. Excellent sound.
> Excellent stage. Excellent everything. But the
> crowd was not making as much noise as they use to
> do at MSG. At least not where I was, on the
> floor.
>
> But two days later at Giants I got all the noise I
> needed, and also at the Albany show four days
> later, so I won't complain. I am sure the January
> shows will be as noisy and as great as they use to
> be.
>
> Bjornulf


I feel much better now after reading you message, because I bought 2 tickets to the 20-01-2006 show...

Hope to see you there!!

Albany was the place to be!!!! Best of all three shows and best audience (though MSG audience didn't bother me. I don't need the audience going nuts as I want to listen to music, not to the crowd!!!)

Hey on the east coast New York is always the warm up for the PHILLY shows... they are nuts... I have seen THe Stones in NYC alot and except for Roseland Ballroom on the last tour the crowd is always too tame

The best choice to enjoy a stones show is going to Europe: Barcelona, Amsterdam... and Argentina too... and so many places where people doesn't eat a whopper while the stones are playing in front of them!

I have been at EIGHT shows so far on this tour and the Garden rocked, the Stones rocked, and I guess all the non-USA folks just cannot resist the urge to say European/S America shows are betetr blah blah blah blah blah.."(Maybe a subconscious blast-the-US thing??)

I have been at Wembley Stadium many times and found the crowds so-so. Also, the Wembley Arena shows - not the stones. The crowds.