I watched a few videos.

In 1976 (Paris) and 1978 (Texas) Keith is a guitar player in a band. Sometimes he does his job at the mic and then he withdraws to the background. Maybe the camera focuses on him, but... still he is a guitar player.

In 1981 (Phonix) he acts on stage as a second frontman. Very prominent, self concious, gestures and the sometimes the guitar is to hot too touch. But still cool.

In wonder, this metamorphosis to a second frontman – was it a natural development? Or part of the choreography. Or even part of a contract?

Priest

he cleaned up

What else !?

Perhaps somewhat encouraged by his manager, too?

Personally I find this trait much clearer from 1989 onwards, bordering on the narcissistic. After all, he IS the guitar player in a band, and not the only one at that.

If you watch the 1978-shows more closely you'll find the same there, too + that he signals when to end the songs, cues etc.

Many of these shows feature a somewhat clean Keith, for the first time in years. Not all shows, though.

When he saw the size of the venues they were to play in all thru the tour, he realized he'd have to backup Mick on the showing-off/non-musical part of gigs.
Hence the metamorphosis in a "second frontman"...

And it's not unrealistic to imagine Keef took all this an as opportunity to remind Mick it wasn't "Mick Jagger and the rolling stones" but a band in which all members were equal (OK in 81 Ron was probably a bit less equal than the 4 others...).

Perhaps the tour with the New Barbarians?

Also, I think the longer you do something, the more confidence you have and the more personality you put into it.

I'm sure it was deliberate. Keith has always been conscious of his role as a Rolling Stone -- he said once that he wanted to be the best Rolling Stones that he could, or something like that.
I think he developed a lot of confidence in that period -- he got away from heroin, got away from Anita, which helped. Also Patti probably helped him feel more confident.
And he must have understood that the best way to keep Mick from taking over was to raise his own profile. That was an extension of what he started doing in the Rolling Stone interview back in the Nellcotte period.

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wonderboy
I'm sure it was deliberate. Keith has always been conscious of his role as a Rolling Stone -- he said once that he wanted to be the best Rolling Stones that he could, or something like that.
I think he developed a lot of confidence in that period -- he got away from heroin, got away from Anita, which helped. Also Patti probably helped him feel more confident.

Plus the solo album (of covers played on piano) he recorded in 1981.

As a gift for cleaning up after the
77 Canadian drug bust Jane Rose gave
Keef the game of Twister to keep him occupied ….

You can definitely see the influence of Twister in those 81-82 shows



ROCKMAN

Jane Rose

Would we have had it any other way ?

Keith, at his fittest and most flexible, was a far better mover than Mick

'Moves Like Richards'

I think that Keith once he cleaned up was physically and mentally a stronger man and probably a little bit more happy. His stage presence in 1981 is the result of him feeling really good and his willingness at showing his skills at being the other glimmer twin.
Rockandroll,
Mops

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Rockman
As a gift for cleaning up after the
77 Canadian drug bust Jane Rose gave
Keef the game of Twister to keep him occupied ….

You can definitely see the influence of Twister in those 81-82 shows

She also gave him one of those electric Operation games to develop his manual dexterity.

When the leader of the band gives 110% during every show he plays that drives the rest of the band to match up in efforts and performance. Once Keith cleaned up he knew he had to physically show what he could do. That made the band better at rocking stadium audiences.
Rockandroll,
Mops

1981 was the first tour with transmitters instead of guitar cables that restrict the movement.

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TDive25
1981 was the first tour with transmitters instead of guitar cables that restrict the movement.

You're the man who sees the woods for the trees

That reminds me of watching the guy reeling out Ronnie's monstrously long guitar lead from a bloody drum at Knebworth... so he could wander out to the end of the stage wings .

Wireless certainly brought freedom to guitar players on big stages !

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TDive25
1981 was the first tour with transmitters instead of guitar cables that restrict the movement.

That is a really good point about mobility for all guitarists on the planet, who play those mega shows. Freed from the cables they were able to venture out much further, and also never have to worry about that damn cord getting entangled on the singer.
However I think, they started using the cable free transmitters in '78.

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Palace Revolution 2000

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TDive25
1981 was the first tour with transmitters instead of guitar cables that restrict the movement.

That is a really good point about mobility for all guitarists on the planet, who play those mega shows. Freed from the cables they were able to venture out much further, and also never have to worry about that damn cord getting entangled on the singer.
However I think, they started using the cable free transmitters in '78.

They did- Mick had a chordless mic in 75 and it screwed up sometimes,I was at the 75 Toronto show and if you hear a recording of it you’ll notice you don’t hear his vocals for the first verse.
The first thing we heard was “ the honky tonk blues”
I saw Keith’s little wireless thing go haywire,I think in Cleveland in 78. It started making all these crackling sounds.he stopped and turned and gave this look at the backstage area that would’ve made a freight train take a dirt road.
I was right in front and saw it perfectly,that stare was ice cold.
I didn’t actually see a tech being hung from scaffolding but if you told me it happened I wouldn’t question it.

clean yes but still doing a bottle of jack daniels per show !!!

some did say Keef had gone all elvis in vegas on us

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ukcal
clean yes but still doing a bottle of jack daniels per show !!!

some did say Keef had gone all elvis in vegas on us

Keith looked sharp throughout 78' 81' and so on, actually a bottle of JD isn't that much to a seasoned drinker like Keith in his prime, I'm in my 50s and can sink a bottle in a couple hours without too much trouble so yeah basically that was Keith being clean in his late 30s, a bottle of JD would be nats piss to him.

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stone4ever

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ukcal
clean yes but still doing a bottle of jack daniels per show !!!

some did say Keef had gone all elvis in vegas on us

Keith looked sharp throughout 78' 81' and so on, actually a bottle of JD isn't that much to a seasoned drinker like Keith in his prime, I'm in my 50s and can sink a bottle in a couple hours without too much trouble so yeah basically that was Keith being clean in his late 30s, a bottle of JD would be nats piss to him.

He did look very sharp for all showtimes in 78 and even more in 81. So maybe a lot of the heavy boozing was after the show. But I could be wrong. I myself saw Ron Wood down an absolutely ungodly amount of alcohol in under 2 hrs; standing right next to me, and I could not tell the least bit of drunkeness. Nothing at all.
I don't see how you guys do it stone4ever. Even when I was still drinking I was always a light-weight. If I downed a whole bottle of Jack you'd have to air-freight me out of here.

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Palace Revolution 2000

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stone4ever

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ukcal
clean yes but still doing a bottle of jack daniels per show !!!

some did say Keef had gone all elvis in vegas on us

Keith looked sharp throughout 78' 81' and so on, actually a bottle of JD isn't that much to a seasoned drinker like Keith in his prime, I'm in my 50s and can sink a bottle in a couple hours without too much trouble so yeah basically that was Keith being clean in his late 30s, a bottle of JD would be nats piss to him.

He did look very sharp for all showtimes in 78 and even more in 81. So maybe a lot of the heavy boozing was after the show. But I could be wrong. I myself saw Ron Wood down an absolutely ungodly amount of alcohol in under 2 hrs; standing right next to me, and I could not tell the least bit of drunkeness. Nothing at all.
I don't see how you guys do it stone4ever. Even when I was still drinking I was always a light-weight. If I downed a whole bottle of Jack you'd have to air-freight me out of here.

Well it's binge drinking, nothing to be proud of and I keep it down to special occasions these days. I always got the impression Keith paces himself and Ronnie tended to tear the arse out of it. Keith really came to life as a showman on that 81 tour, i put it down to coke as much as anything else, but obviously there were those frequent night's on the 81' 82' tour where Keith looked completely clean, and a few night's where he was completely out of it.

Out of curiosity Palace Revolution what year did you witness Ronnie drinking heavy for two hours with no effect, I'm thinking he must have been fairly young ?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-12-30 02:49 by stone4ever.

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stone4ever

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Palace Revolution 2000

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stone4ever

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ukcal
clean yes but still doing a bottle of jack daniels per show !!!

some did say Keef had gone all elvis in vegas on us

Keith looked sharp throughout 78' 81' and so on, actually a bottle of JD isn't that much to a seasoned drinker like Keith in his prime, I'm in my 50s and can sink a bottle in a couple hours without too much trouble so yeah basically that was Keith being clean in his late 30s, a bottle of JD would be nats piss to him.

He did look very sharp for all showtimes in 78 and even more in 81. So maybe a lot of the heavy boozing was after the show. But I could be wrong. I myself saw Ron Wood down an absolutely ungodly amount of alcohol in under 2 hrs; standing right next to me, and I could not tell the least bit of drunkeness. Nothing at all.
I don't see how you guys do it stone4ever. Even when I was still drinking I was always a light-weight. If I downed a whole bottle of Jack you'd have to air-freight me out of here.

Well it's binge drinking, nothing to be proud of and I keep it down to special occasions these days. I always got the impression Keith paces himself and Ronnie tended to tear the arse out of it. Keith really came to life as a showman on that 81 tour, i put it down to coke as much as anything else, but obviously there were those frequent night's on the 81' 82' tour where Keith looked completely clean, and a few night's where he was completely out of it.

Out of curiosity Palace Revolution what year did you witness Ronnie drinking heavy for two hours with no effect, I'm thinking he must have been fairly young ?

Yes I also have always assumed that no matter how the legend goes, Keith probably paced himself very smartly. That is why there's all the bodies littered behind him; guys who did not know how.
And good coke helps too - on coke you can drink forever.
But to answer your Q stone4, it was actually late in the game. I want to say it was the Voodoo tour. It was in Europe.

Cheers Palace, that must have been surreal up close to Ronnie going for it, i guess he was about 48 years old at that time. It all got a bit messy for Ronnie later in life but he had the intelligence to stop drinking and seems to be enjoying the last chance saloon.