Turin 28-07-‘90
Berlin 13 & 14-08-‘90
London 24 & 25-08-‘90

Technically speaking, they were part of the Urban Jungle tour, but utilized the Steel Wheels stage for the video shooting of Live At The Max.

Was anybody there? How did you feel when you found yourself being treated to different props from the other European dates?

Would like to hear your firsthand account.

I was there. I don't care about stage stuff. I just want to see the band, and hear them play. I saw the Stones both 1989 and 1990, with both stages, but it was the same band, no worries. London 1990 was different, because it was the last two shows with Bill, but that is a different story.

Bjornulf

In 1990 the Stones played three times in Berlin. In early summer at the Olympic Stadium and in August in East Berlin at some kind of sport ground.
The show at the Olympic Stadium was absolutly mindblowing! It was the first show in Berlin after the wall had fallen. Many people from east germany went to this show. The atmosphere was burning. Before they started everybody was yelling and excited. My ticket was general entrance to the field. When the gates opened I started to run. About 10 or 15 meters before the fence in front of the stage everybody had to stop. Some security guys were keeping people away. We were waiting and sitting for a while. Suddenly one guy stood up and ran towards the fence. Emidiatly everybody stood up and started to run. I lost my jacket. The security guys couldn't believe it and left.
The whole show along the stadium was screaming and yelling.
This show is one of my absolutly top memories with the Stones.

In August they played again in Berlin but the excitment wasn't nearly like that.
At the second of these shows it was raining like hell and thundering. Everybody was wet from head to shoes.
I found myself clapping hands and dancing for some seconds on the official video.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2022-12-15 22:56 by micha063.

I was on 13.8.1990 to my 1st Rolling Stones concert ever in East-Berlin.
For me as an East German it was a very special experience because it was exactly the day the Wall was built and now the Stones came on this historic date - an overwhelming event for me, with many emotions .... truly mixed emotions
I think the great Steel Wheels stage was only used in Turin and East Berlin, not in London or at any other place.

I'll look in my documents and write something more detailed about the concert at the weekend.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-12-15 23:39 by Nankstone.

IMAX listing

Song Title Date Played Venue
Continental Drift
Start Me Up 24 August 1990 London, England
Sad Sad Sad 28 July 1990 Turin, Italy
Tumbling Dice 24 August 1990 London, England
Ruby Tuesday 25 August 1990 London, England
Rock and a Hard Place 28 July 1990 Turin, Italy
Honky Tonk Women 28 July 1990 Turin, Italy
You Can't Always Get What You Want 25 August 1990 London, England
Happy 14 August 1990 East Berlin, German Dem. Rep.
Paint It Black 28 July 1990 Turin, Italy
2000 Light Years from Home 28 July 1990 Turin, Italy
Sympathy for the Devil 28 July or 24 August 1990 Turin, Italy or London, England
Street Fighting Man 25 August 1990 London, England
It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It) 14 August 1990 East Berlin, German Dem. Rep.
Brown Sugar 25 August 1990 London, England
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction 13 August 1990[3] or 14 August 1990[4] East Berlin, German Dem. Rep. or London, England



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-12-16 00:06 by georgemcdonnell314.

The 1990 shows might be my favorite of the post-‘81 era.

Marseille was also a really good show

Back then, I read that touring all over Europe with the Steel Wheels stage would not pay off so the Stones went for Plan B for economical reason — that was the Urban Jungle Tour. In Europe, only those who attended the selected five dates of Turin, Berlin and London (the last two shows) had a chance to see the gigantic Steel Wheels stage, a futuristic urban decay rather than jungle.

Of the five European Steel Wheels shows, the final London shows, 24 and 25 August, were rescheduled from the original dates, 13 and 14 July, due to Keith’s finger injury. I don’t know whether the shows on the original dates would have happened as the Steel Wheels shows had they gone ahead. The postponement was announced on show day, the 13th, so most likely the stage had already been built in the stadium. I have a guess a number of fans were already there, flocking outside. I know it’s a long shot, but did anybody have a sneak peep at the stage?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-12-16 02:42 by RisingStone.

We Berliners had the once in a lifetime chance to see our favourite band on two different stages within a couple of weeks: having the Urban Jungle stage at the Olympic Stadium on 6th June and the Steel Wheels stage on the 13th and 14th August. And yes the second show at the then called bikeracing ground in Weißensee was a wet one. But since we were at a sportive ground we rushed - soaking wet as we were-back to the car raced back home to Westberlin, changed clothes and were back at the concert with Tumbling Dice.

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poti
We Berliners had the once in a lifetime chance to see our favourite band on two different stages within a couple of weeks: having the Urban Jungle stage at the Olympic Stadium on 6th June and the Steel Wheels stage on the 13th and 14th August. And yes the second show at the then called bikeracing ground in Weißensee was a wet one. But since we were at a sportive ground we rushed - soaking wet as we were-back to the car raced back home to Westberlin, changed clothes and were back at the concert with Tumbling Dice.

Did you have the information beforehand that the August shows would be presented with the Steel Wheels stage?

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RisingStone

Did you have the information beforehand that the August shows would be presented with the Steel Wheels stage?

Yes, it was on the street-posters & advertising:


[www.Luisposter.de] , [www.Flickr.com]


[www.rbb24.de]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-12-16 14:55 by Irix.

“Diesmal mit der SUPERSHOW aus USA” (= This time with SUPERSHOW from USA)

“Einmalig in EUROPA NUR in BERLIN” (= Unique in EUROPE ONLY in BERLIN…well, not really.)

“Wegen der großen Nachtrage” (= Due to the large backlog…it looks like the 14th, second show was added later.)


Danke Schön, Irix



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 2022-12-17 03:45 by RisingStone.

Nerd question: the posters states Steel Wheels 1990. So was Berlin technically part of the Steel Wheels Tour 89-90? I know it was "just the stage" - but I am just wondering...

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schwonek
Nerd question: the posters states Steel Wheels 1990. So was Berlin technically part of the Steel Wheels Tour 89-90? I know it was "just the stage" - but I am just wondering...

Not a nerd question at all. I have questioned that to myself.

After all, it is a matter of terminology, isn’t it?

In my view, these five dates are the Steel Wheels shows included in the Urban Jangle Tour, not part of the Steel Wheels Tour that happened in the USA, Canada and Japan, August 1989-February 1990.

Also the setlists of the European Steel Wheels shows reflect those of the Urban Jungle Tour, i.e. the dropping of Bitch after a few initial dates, the addition of Street Fighting Man etc.

If I recall correctly, they brought back the Steel Wheels stage for the purpose of continuity in filming the IMAX movie, no?

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MelBelli
If I recall correctly, they brought back the Steel Wheels stage for the purpose of continuity in filming the IMAX movie, no?

AFAIK, yes, as posted above.

I don’t think the two London dates were advertised under the title of the Steel Wheels shows, though.

Am curious how the Turin show was promoted on the posters and tickets. Anyone with proof?

I was at Maine Road (Urban Jungle) and the last Wembley show.I didn't notice the staging - I was aware of other differences -Wembley is a much bigger stadium, there was a much more intense vibe in London. Just before the band took to the stage the energy level at Wembley was unlike any (UK) show I've attended.
Start Me Up at Maine Road sounded like a distant transistor radio - horrible -though the sound improved. But at Wembley the sound was perfect from the get-go. It was a great gig - even Rock and a Hard Place went down a storm.

Impossible to be better than this. Charlie was straight fire:

[youtu.be]

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bv
London 1990 was different, because it was the last two shows with Bill, but that is a different story.

Yes. As far as I remember Bill was on Matt's shoulders for a short moment but Keith and Mick didn't see it.

Torino was very hot and there were rumours about a second show.



Berlin was special, the first and last time in old Eastern Germany. First day the dust show, second day the mud show (you can see the wet stage in the movie).
And I found myself (only a silouette) in "At the Max" and a few people I met on this tour.

I saw Urban Jungle at Hampden Park, Glasgow in July 1990. Down the front. First time I saw The Stones. Amazing stage and set list. Anticipation and tension before they came on was incredible. An amazing experience and still one of the best.

[www.youtube.com]

German TV report from 1990.

I wonder if there's any footage from these shows except what was used in At The Max.

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RisingStone

I don’t think the two London dates were advertised under the title of the Steel Wheels shows, though.

But the rescheduled London-dates say 'Steel Wheels':


[www.Flickr.com]

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RisingStone

Am curious how the Turin show was promoted on the posters and tickets.

More: [www.RollingStonesItalia.com] .

So the Turin show was promoted as the Steel Wheels show. Thank you, MAF and Irix.

I also spotted the images of some tickets for the Wembley shows, 13 and 14 July, on the internet, and they all show “URBAN JUNGLE TOUR” printed on them. Which indicates that after they were postponed, they were advertised as…what, “STEEL WHEELS TOUR”!?

It is a find, isn’t it?

Also note the Turin poster shows the second date, 29 July, which I don’t think happened, after all.

I learn something new everyday…

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RisingStone
Also note the Turin poster shows the second date, 29 July, which I don’t think happened, after all.

Right. Only one show happened with audience. I remember rumours that they played a second show (or a part of it) without audience to get some more shots for "At the Max".
Info by Nico Zentgraf: 29th July - Additional filming in an empty stadium by Julien Temple.

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MAF

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RisingStone
Also note the Turin poster shows the second date, 29 July, which I don’t think happened, after all.

Right. Only one show happened with audience. I remember rumours that they played a second show (or a part of it) without audience to get some more shots for "At the Max".
Info by Nico Zentgraf: 29th July - Additional filming in an empty stadium by Julien Temple.

In a similar way Led Zeppelin re-enacted part of the performance at the Madison Square Garden in Shepperton Studios at a later date?

No matter what, I presume the 29th was initially booked for the second public performance as it was printed and advertised on the poster.

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bv
I was there. I don't care about stage stuff. I just want to see the band, and hear them play. I saw the Stones both 1989 and 1990, with both stages, but it was the same band, no worries. London 1990 was different, because it was the last two shows with Bill, but that is a different story.

My experience was pretty much the same as BV's.

I'd seen the first 3 nights of Steel Wheels in the USA and Canada, and then a couple of nights of Urban Jungle in Munich in 1990, then 1 more the 'first' Wembley weekend in London. The gap and reschedule meant, that like BV, I saw Bill's final show.

The morning of the cancelled show (13th?) was chaotic. I was at work and was rung up by a close contact and told about the cancellation and was asked to try to get the news out. At that point in time the WWW didn't yet exist, the Undercover Mailing list wasn't yet in existance, so the only thing I could do was try direct email to some folk who I thought may be going, and to post onto every Usenet NewsGroup I could think of.

I did find out later that although the show was formally postponed mid-morning, the news didn't reach the folk setting up the assorted catering etc etc until late afternoon, and notices were only put up at Tube stations mid-afternoon. Bad communications break down, not the fault of the Stones' office who were trying very hard to get the message out.

As for 'which stage'.... I'd imagine that by mid morning on the day of a show with a big stage like that, that they'd be part way through assembling it. I'd guess that they would call a halt and then hang around waiting for word as to what to do next. Given that both shows that weekend were cancelled, that my mid afternoon they'd have the word on takng it down and preparing to move to wherever that stage set was needed next.

--
Captain Corella
60 Years a Fan

Many thanks for recollecting the memory of the hectic day, Captain.

I am now certain that the dismantled stage for the 13th and 14th was the Urban Jungle stage, not the Steel Wheels one, as the tickets indicate that way.

While we are on the subject of stages, anyone have a full stage view shot of Alpine Valley? What did that look like? As far as I can tell they have a fixed standard amphitheatre stage.

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Dan

anyone have a full stage view shot of Alpine Valley

Alpine Valley Music Theatre was in the United States, East Troy (WI), September 8-11, 1989. There're 3 DVDs (audience shot) - [www.dbboots.com] , [iorr.org] , [iorr.org] .



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2022-12-16 23:55 by Irix.