I find this entire thread shocking.

Milo Yammbag Wrote:
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> Keith never left the theater. He came to a few
> minutes later and I think started playing again.
>
> Milo, NYC
> The prods

Keith DID leave the theater and was taken to the same hospital that I was born.

I know three seperate people (didn't know each other) who were at that show and who have each told me pretty much the same story of that night. If you check the archives here at IORR you can see something I contributed on this about a hundred years ago !

[iorr.org]

Hello Bjornulf, it's been a while.

Later, Jimmy : - )

Adrian-L Wrote:
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> how did this "shocking" (ahem...sorry) event
> conclude?
>
> Did our Keith ,have to go to hospital for
> treatment, or was he ok after a quiet beer and a
> cigarette, backstage?

ohnonotyouagain Wrote:
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> I find this entire thread shocking.

great puns!

Actually,this event took place at the Veteran's Memorial Hall in Sacramento, California, which is a beautiful 4,000 seat hall that was built in the 1920's. This is where the Beach boys recorded their live concert album (1966?) Keith's electrocution (you don't have to die for it to be an "electrocution") happened during the '65 tour, if memeory serves correctly. Keith's guitar strings made contact with a mike stand that had somehow become charged though a mis-wiring in the electrical system. Keith mentioned this when the Stones played in Sacramento during No Security. He was knocked unconcious and was taken to the hosptial. The show did NOT continue.

Jed Clever

Hey Mickjageroo, your site has become incredible. The photosection is great!

Thank You!! Got some more pics coming soon I hope. Probably Gothenburg 1970, and hopefully Copenhagen 1990. If someone has pictures to share, please get in touch with me, you´ll get full creds of course.

Vilhelm
Nordic Stones Vikings

Webster's New World defines electrocuted as ‘‘to kill with a charge of electricity.’’
So if Keith had really been electrocuted, somebody else has been playing and writing all those songs for 40 years.
Keith made mention of the 1965 incident when they played Sacramento in January 1999.

Jed Clever Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Actually,this event took place at the Veteran's
> Memorial Hall in Sacramento, California, which is
> a beautiful 4,000 seat hall that was built in the
> 1920's. This is where the Beach boys recorded
> their live concert album (1966?) Keith's
> electrocution (you don't have to die for it to be
> an "electrocution") happened during the '65 tour,
> if memeory serves correctly. Keith's guitar
> strings made contact with a mike stand that had
> somehow become charged though a mis-wiring in the
> electrical system. Keith mentioned this when the
> Stones played in Sacramento during No Security.
> He was knocked unconcious and was taken to the
> hosptial. The show did NOT continue.
>
> Jed Clever

Jed,

Actually, it WAS the Memorial Auditorium. There is no such place as "Veteran's Memorial Hall" in Sacramento nor has there ever been. Please read the link I provided in my original post as it is from an actual newspaper account here in Sac. There IS a "memorial hall" inside of the Memorial Auditorium however it only holds around 200 people and it's only used for receptions and high school graduations and such.

Yes, Keith did mention getting electrocuted at the Jan 27th 1999 No Security show in Sacto. He said something to the effect of, "Last time I was here in Sacramento I got electrocuted and that's why I'm playing accoustic" (something like that, I'm too busy to dig out the tapes from that nights show) In reality, Keith & The Stones had already been back to Sac in 1966 so Keith wasn't entirely factual. Made a good story though.

You ARE correct about the Beach Boys album being recorded there in the 1960's. Why they chose there and not someplace with better accoustics is beyond me ? Everytime I ever attempted to record there it sounded like a bowling alley.

Here's that link again >>> [iorr.org] <<<< click there.

If it doesn't display the link it's iorr . org / iorr35 / stones65.htm
without the spaces.

Keith also said at the second Feb 6 1999 Sacramento No Security show something like "If you would have told me that I would be in Sacramento twice in two weeks I wouldn't have believed it" (something like that ?) I could dig out the tapes for that show too but I gotta bail.

I hope this answers everyones question ?

Later, Cardinal Fang

Below is a quote from the book "Old Gods Almost Dead" - Stephen Davis It was November 1965.

"At Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, Keith Richards was almost killed. The first show went great. Twenty minutes into the second, Keith touched an ungrounded microphone with the neck of his guitar as he tried to swing it into place so he could sing the chorus of 'The Last Time'. There was a horrible electric buzz, and a blue bolt of light surrounded Keith. He collapsed like a rag doll, flat on his back. There was a bad smell in the air, and the girls in the first ten rows thought Keith was dead.

The band stopped playing. Bill rushed over and unplugged Keith's guitar. Keith didn't move, and the whole scene was frozen disbelief. The curtain crashed down. After a few minutes a policeman came out and told the hushed crowd to stay calm, that Keith was alive and on his way to the hospital, where the doctors told Keith that the rubber soles of his new Hush Puppies had saved his life. Later Stu showed Keith the guitar: three strings had burned open, like blown fuses."

Keef is one (You can use any adjective you like) cat.Talk about nine lives.[Hair implants aside].

>> It was November 1965 <<

it was december 3rd, 1965.


- courtesy of nzentgraf.de

(davis is wrong about a few other things too, but ... never mind.)


"What do you want - what?!"
- Keith



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2005-12-16 14:06 by with sssoul.

I agree. Davis is wrong about several things in his book. I find it the same with every book, including Bill Wyman's 'Rolling With the Stones' and certainly with the 'alleged' words spoken between songs in "Words of Wonder". There are some humorous misunderstandings here.

BOBM Wrote:
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> thought Keith was dead.
> where the doctors told Keith that the
> rubber soles of his new Hush Puppies had saved his
> life.




I've been corroborated!

That's a shocker!

Yes, the Memorial Auditorium is a fine old place to see a concert. The last time there I saw Dylan. Some years ago in a span of one week I met a man who was at that show; as well as a woman who was at Altamont. Interestingly enough, the latter said she was back on a hill and had no idea what was going on in front of the stage. The 2-9-99 show was the first one booked at then Arco Arena (called Echo Arena by the locals) in Sacramento. An earlier show was later booked which required two trips to Sacramento with a week or so. Hence Keith's comment.

The title of this thread could have been the title of Keith's book.

Yep, we don't tend to think of playing the guitar as something dangerous, but Keith Relf out of the Yardbirds actually died when he got electrocuted whilst playing guitar.

And after seven years you bumped this thread because . . . ?

...because he wanted to give us all heart attacks.

Don't do that - oh don't do that - there are some of us old ladies that might not survive the shock.