Just seen the merchandise for The Steel Wheels release . There's a t shirt there with all the cities they played on the back . I was curious as to why Chicago was missed out on this tour ..

Not sure why Chicago proper wasn’t chosen. But East Troy, Wisconsin, location is close to both Chicago and Milwaukee.

They played 3 shows in East Troy, Wisconsin at Alpine Valley, which is about an hour outside of Chicago.

This tour was exciting on the surface. However, when the stage design, even the Euro version is considered, it turns the stomach.

My guess was always one of two things
A) They drew crowds from both IL and WI over the three show in one stop.
Alpine is a very popular venue both the Black Crows and Motley Crue shot video's there. Eddie Vedder always lists it as one of his favorites as well and was also a favorite of Jerry Garcia. Perhaps the Stones wanted to experience Alpine.

Interesting enough......they never went back to Alpine.

we were at the 2nd alpine valley show. heard from many that, at the first show, there was a ton of mud to slog through to get to your seats. actually, many fans with upfront tickets couldn't even get to their seats because of the mass confusion of people arriving late and then struggling thru the mud.

alpine valley is the site of the last show played by stevie ray vaughan; his helicopter crashed into the side of a hill as he was leaving a show he played with eric clapton and buddy guy. that was truly a great show.

Wasn't Elton John up there backstage at The Stones' gigs at Alpine Valley?

I read that Mick and Charlie were at Riverbend in Cincinnati for Elton's show there, as they were in town to play Riverfront Stadium on 9-14-89 right after the three gigs at Alpine Valley. They supposedly came out front to sit and watch but were mobbed and the commotion caused them to retreat to the backstage area...

Any IORR faithful at Elton's gig at Riverbend that night?

I've never seen good photos from the Alpine Valley shows. Were they able to get the whole Steel Wheels stage set up there?

Kennedy-That is a great question! I can say the Voodoo Lounge stage definitely wouldn't have fit. Also, interesting point above, Dead and Phish fans are very different than some Stones fans and what they interpret as a great venue can be very different. I remember Pearl Jam fans moshing at Alpine in '98 like it was a Slayer concert. Not everyone enjoyed that either. Interesting venue but the parking lot is ALWAYS fun!

We were on the "lawn" for the first two shows and second row for the Monday show. It rained a bit Friday, but was definitely not a muddy mess - a bit wet, but you're outside. They played Alpine because there were three open dates and a good-sized venue (~40,000)near two large cities. We had hoped to sleep in the parking lot, but no dice, so we slept on a side street in East Troy in the back of our car (ah, the good old days). On the first night, three teenagers were trying to be secretive while sharing what turned out to be a regular tobacco cigarette(!) My wife's first time seeing The Stones.

I have the idea that Sugar Blue played as a guest on Little Red Rooster at Alpine Valley. I may be wrong.

Sucks my first time seeing them was in Wisconsin. 22nd row center was awesome though. I sat there for half the opening song just staring thinking "they're real" look they're right there. It was weird. lol

I think that is why Steel Wheels is such an endured tour. After an 8 year drought in the US, it was many peoples first show.

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J.J.Flash
Sucks my first time seeing them was in Wisconsin. 22nd row center was awesome though. I sat there for half the opening song just staring thinking "they're real" look they're right there. It was weird. lol

That was my reaction as a 12 year old seeing them in person in 1981. 11/23/81 at Rosemont Horizon.

After all that time only seeing them on TV and endlessly studying the photos in Hot Rocks, it was one of my most surreal experiences, seeing them in the flesh, for the first time. These mythical characters in real life.

I saw them 8th row on the first night at Alpine Valley. First Stones show for me. I had the same reaction, seeing them in person after seeing them in pictures and on TV pictures for my entire childhood was surreal. I remember seeing Mick on stage and thinking this was the same guy from Altamont and all the other iconic moments with him and now he's like 20 feet away from me.

And it was definitely not the full Steel Wheels stage at Alpine Valley. An odd venue choice since the rest of the tour was at stadiums and Alpine is a shed out in the middle of nowhere that takes at least 2 hours just to get out of the parking lot at best.

Steel Wheels was the name of the 1989 tour, and the ten shows in Tokyo Japan 1990. When they took the tour to Europe 1990, they had a new tour name and concept - Urban Jungle. Exception was the two final shows, delayed until the end of August, where they brought back the Steel Wheels stage and all of the IMAX cameras, to film the IMAX movie.

Often they find a nearby place out of the city, where the fans have to travel. This happened when they played in Canada 2019, near Toronto but not really Toronto, or when they played Telenor Arena in Bærum Norway 2014, not really Oslo city, but close, or Werchter far outside Brussels, or Red Bull Ring in the middle of nowhere in Austria, the list is long.

Bjornulf

Jimmy C-Thanks for the info on the stage not being the full stage. 2 hours to leave the parking lot is standard even if it isn't the Stones playing. They like to park you 4 deep there. I retired Alpine as a Venue after Radiohead in '03. I retired Tinley last year after Maiden.

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bv
Steel Wheels was the name of the 1989 tour, and the ten shows in Tokyo Japan 1990. When they took the tour to Europe 1990, they had a new tour name and concept - Urban Jungle. Exception was the two final shows, delayed until the end of August, where they brought back the Steel Wheels stage and all of the IMAX cameras, to film the IMAX movie.

Don´t forget both East Berlin shows and Torino.

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djgab
I have the idea that Sugar Blue played as a guest on Little Red Rooster at Alpine Valley. I may be wrong

according to http://www.nzentgraf.de/

890911A 11th September: East Troy, Wisconsin, Alpine Valley Music Theatre
Note: With special guest Sugar Blue (harm) on Miss You.
The show exists in parts on private video.

I was half wrong

But is there an actual reason the Stones picked East Troy for the Steel Wheels tour instead of a Chicago stop? Was Soldier Field or Comiesky Park not available? Did Cohl get a better deal from local promoters for the shows to take place at Alpine Valley Music Theater? Did they think they could kill two birds with one stone (pardon the pun) by bringing fans in from the Chicago and Milwaukee areas at East Troy? I’m legitimately curious as to why East Troy was picked over Chicago proper.

Steve-my guess (I don't know if there actually is a concrete answer) is A) yes, you kill 2 birds with one stone, it was a venue they never played before....or ever again afterwards C) Alpine is highly regarded as a great Mid West venue among Jam Bands and Jam Band fans. I have all three shows on bootlegs perhaps I give them a listen to this weekend.

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Jimmy C
I saw them 8th row on the first night at Alpine Valley.

And it was definitely not the full Steel Wheels stage at Alpine Valley. An odd venue choice since the rest of the tour was at stadiums and Alpine is a shed out in the middle of nowhere that takes at least 2 hours just to get out of the parking lot at best.

I’m curious how it was not the full Steel Wheels stage in East Troy/Alpine Valley. I would love to see the photos that captured the stage set of these dates if any around.

Another question: sounds like there were seats there — did they put seats in the open-air field?

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TooTough

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bv
Steel Wheels was the name of the 1989 tour, and the ten shows in Tokyo Japan 1990. When they took the tour to Europe 1990, they had a new tour name and concept - Urban Jungle. Exception was the two final shows, delayed until the end of August, where they brought back the Steel Wheels stage and all of the IMAX cameras, to film the IMAX movie.

Don´t forget both East Berlin shows and Torino.

Yes. I am from Turin and saw the show there (my first stones' show, I was 18 years old)
. The stage was "steel wheels" and not urban jungle. Cameras were rolling. U2 was in the audience

7,500 covered seats in the pavilion at Alpine. Stage has a covered roof on it so stage sets are a bit limited.

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TumblinDice76
7,500 covered seats in the pavilion at Alpine. Stage has a covered roof on it so stage sets are a bit limited.

Sounds like an amphitheater type or something. Must be vastly limited for that gigantic Steel Wheels set...

RS-that is exactly what it is, an amphitheater. In America we call those outside venues with limited seats and open lawn "sheds".Alpine Valley in East Troy, WI is considered a Shed.

There is nothing online that mentions why the Stones didn't play Chicago in 1989.

What did happen at the time the Stones played Wisconsin September 8, 9 and 11 was the Bears had a home game on the 10th.

That's probably why they didn't play Soldier Field in Chicago. It just didn't work that year because they couldn't rent Soldier Field.

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TumblinDice76
RS-that is exactly what it is, an amphitheater. In America we call those outside venues with limited seats and open lawn "sheds".Alpine Valley in East Troy, WI is considered a Shed.

I know what it’s like. I have been to the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, TX, for The Cure concert, on September 15, 1989 — most likely my only experience of a “shed” to this day.

I saw The Rolling Stones at the Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh on Sept 6 (my first RS show), the date right before East Troy/Alpine Valley, and also at the Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati on Sept 14 (my second), right after that. I felt it kind of cool to see the Steel Wheels Tour at the home to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Iron City. I considered I might move to East Troy after Pittsburgh, but picked up a flu the day after the Stones show thus ended up staying another four nights at the suburban motel until I recovered enough to make further action. On my last day in Pittsburgh, I caught R.E.M. instead, also the first time I saw them live, at the Civic Arena on the Green Tour during their peak period. I then moved on to New York, where I saw Fine Young Cannibals who happened to be in Manhattan at the Beacon Theatre — they were on top of their game with the then no.1 hit, She Drives Me Crazy, singer Roland Gift gracing the Rolling Stone cover. After my second Stones gig in Cincinnati, I flew out to Dallas to see The Cure on the Prayer Tour — again, they were on the peak of their popularity with the Disintegration album. My “jet set” days remembered.

I'm wondering if it wasn't something to do with taxes or local restrictions. The Who also played East Troy in 1989 in lieu of a Chicago Date. Paul McCartney chose Rosemont instead of a Chicago venue also in 1989.

Rosemont is considered "Chicago". Stones played Rosemont in '81. The other shed in Chicago is Tinley Park. Seen many, many shows there and every band/performer has said "Hello Chicago" The Tinley Park venue didn't exist in '89 so not an option. I believe why the Stones played Alpine is mentioned above- the Bears played at Soldier Field that week. I listened to the 9/9/89 show yesterday. Mick refers to the crowd as "Chicago". Once he adds "and Milwaukee too" as an after thought. After Little Red Rooster he says "Chicago, home of the Blues". Later on he address the crowd as East Troy and asks if anyone is actually from East Troy. But to answer why the Stones played Alpine-Soldier Field wasn't available and the shed in Tinley wasn't open yet.