Re: 1969 american tour, please share your experiences
Date: July 26, 2007 21:45
I've told this story before, but I'll do it again.
I was 19 at the time. We decided to wait all night in line at the LA Froum to get tickets. We arrived at about 7 or 8 PM and were the 6th in line at one of several ticket windows. By the time they opened them up the next morning, the lines snaked all the way around the Forum and beyond. I purchased 16 tickets, left center, not far above the floor seats. Great seats. On the night of the show (we were at the first show), we all had such a sense of anticipation. THey hadn't played in LA for over 3 years. In fact, I had seen them at their last LA performance, at the Hollywood Bowl in '66. The essence of that show is captured on the "Got Live if you Want It" album. But who knew what they would be like 3 years later?
I believe Terry Reid opened, then BB King, the Ike and Tina, who put on an incredible performance. I mean, "River Deep. Mountain High" live? Come on . . .
Finally, we hear Mick say, "Hey . ." and out they came, Mick wearing the red, white, and blue top hat, with the black outfit and the cape. Then the opening riff to JJF. From that point on I was mezmerized. They had obviously grown a great deal musically from the jtime I had last seen them. No more screaming girls, just unparalleled rock and roll. THeir music was powerful, raw, deep, blusey. I had seen just about every popular group in and around LA by that time, and it became apparent that night that they were in a class by themselves. I had heard a live bootleg of "Midnight Rambler" not long before the show, and I was hoping they would play it. (Back then, some FM stations would play unofficial bootlegs from time to time). That song blew us all away. (By the way, going to see the Stones and sitting with 15 of your closest friends is an unforgettable experience!).
All too soon the show ended, and as we exited the Forum, we walked past thousands in line for the second show. The only bad part of the evening is that when my girlfriend and I got back to the car, we saw that someone had broken in to it and had ripped off her stereo and my leather fringe jacket!!
A couple of years ago I came across a bootleg copy of that show, called LA Queenie. It is a bad recording, but in listening to it, I remembered some of the comments Mick made during the show, and heard once again a couple of the flaws in the show (the harp mic feeding back at the beginning of MR, and Charlie being off tempo at the beginning of SFM).
What a sweet memory.