I have mixed emotions (yes, bad pun) about this tour. It was Wyman's last hurrah, and the beginning of the "REALLY BIG show" era.

However, right now, I'm listening to "Cold Steel Blue" (Tokyo 1990), and I happen to like "2000 Light Years From Home". They haven't attempted anything that unusual and adventurous onstage ever since, have they?

In that particular segment of the show, we got a glimpse of the Stones' musical evolution from 1966 to 1969:

"Paint It Black"
"2000 Light Years From Home"
"Sympathy For The Devil"
"Gimme Shelter"

There's a quantum leap in sophisication, depth and indeed darkness represented in those four songs, presented in sequence.

To me, that was the most interesting part of that 25-song marathon.

Thoughts?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2007-10-28 23:05 by bassplayer617.

I thought this was one of their best tours...the playing and song selection (at that time) was great!

I thought the 1989-90 tour was superb, with the band taking me totally by surprise through their meticulous, crystal-clear arrangements and an imaginative, career-spanning setlist.

The Atlantic City and Wembley boots (especially the first hour) are testimony to the new form that they had struck.

By the time of the Licks tour however, they'd flogged these new arrangemnts to death, almost to the point of becoming crass and unlistenable.

Sad, sad, sad.

I enjoyed my one and only Steel Wheels show like a pig in sh*t!

Crystal clear sound and LOUD for the one I as at.

Lead guitar (I'm thinking Keith) during SFTD
was one of the best I've heard for him ever.

this tour was referenced in the movie "Fletch Lives" which came out in 89. theres a scene when Fletch is talking on the phone to a woman who says "your a hard man to get a hold of Mr. Fletcher" and he says "I've been touring with the Stones"

Well, actually it's a old joke, the "Ive been touring with the Stones", used years before the 1989 tour. They are always on tour, sort of.

yeah theyre always on tour it seems. thats true for every decade except the 80's. they only toured at the very begining and end of it. but I see what your saying.. its an old expression.

The '89-90 tour never really interested me that much.

Mainly because I was really to young - I was 8 when the tour started - to have any personal memories and it's not one of those legendary tours like TOTA, STP etc.

This was my first Stones show... I think it was October '89 in Foxboro... Of the 8 shows I've seen over the years, it is one of my favorites simply because it was the first, they still had BW with them, and my Flashpoint cd allows me to revisit that beautiful M/K harmony in the chorus of Ruby Tuesday... what a great night!

Some shows i like, but in some to much synth shit

I have to agree Sohoe. The Steel Wheels concept in retrospect was unimaginative and the only songs I like off of that album are Mixed Emotions and Almost Sigh, maybe Sad, Sad, Sad .


The stage(s) were ill-conceived and the highly promoted Tokyo Concert wasn't all that great. I think the Stones hit their groove again via the Voodoo Lounge Tour.....after the BtoB tour i'm not sure what happened. However, all of these passages were predicted in one of the last quatrains of Nostradamos.

That's where I have mixed feelings -- while Matt Clifford DID add some interesting effects (the aforementioned 2000 Light Years), at other times it was annoying.

I suppose it was Jagger's habit of desperately wanting to sound current.

Chris Fountain Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > ... However, all of these
> passages were predicted in one of the last
> quatrains of Nostradamos.

An attempt at a joke?

Quatrain 95

The seducer will be placed in a ditch----->Commercial thieves
and will be tied up for some time.-------------> Steel Wheels Tour
The scholar joins the chief with his cross.------> Mick and Keith collaborating
The sharp right will draw the contented ones----------Voodoo Lounge

LOGIE wrote:

I thought the 1989-90 tour was superb, with the band taking me totally by surprise through their meticulous, crystal-clear arrangements and an imaginative, career-spanning setlist.

I agree 100%. Saw the Jacksonville show (Miss You, Rock & Hard Place, and YCAGWYW on Flashpoint are from this show). Wonderful fun night. The sound was soooooo clear. Great "Ruby" that night. My first date with Mrs. Elmo, too!

The band playing on this tour was amazing, few mistakes, tight a great setlist.

Agreed! I was shocked it was such a different experience from when I saw them on the Tattoo You tour...
More songs and a lot more variety and some really great rarities and nuggets. I also was really into that they had a horn sectiona and backing singers...I love the backing singers on Exile and thought it added that flavor to the show.
I do remember though feeling a bit let down by how little Ronnie was involved. No vocals and he seemed far more subdued...
All in all though a great show...I saw them both nights at Alpine Valley.

Looks like silkcut has started a flood of '89 @ dime.

I wasn't around for this tour, but I love listening to it. Ruby Tuesday followed by YCAGWYW from flashpoint is WONDERFUL!! It's pretty crazy that, even though 1989 is considered the start of the stones comeback / latest chapter, it was 18 years ago!

_____________________________________________________

What's your favourite flavour?...........Cherry Red!!

bassplayer617 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> "Paint It Black"
> "2000 Light Years From Home"
> "Sympathy For The Devil"
> "Gimme Shelter"
>
> There's a quantum leap in sophisication, depth and
> indeed darkness represented in those four songs,
> presented in sequence.
>
> To me, that was the most interesting part of that
> 25-song marathon.
>
> Thoughts?

Some of the best 30 minutes of live music you could hear....I loved that tour.

In 1976 the Stones were still legendary. In 1982 it was the same feeling but in 1990 that feeling had vanished. Despite they delivered a great show it appeared theatrical and very technical, the choreography almost drowned the music out. The massive sampling of instruments not present on stage tightened that image.

well it is true it did have very clear sound, not many mistakes and the songs sounded most like the records then any other tour. I guess thats why I didn't like it.

It was great to hear some of the oldies live, again, once or twice. But Ill never forget the let down when I saw the Barcelona concert and felt ashamed, Happy was horrible, their cloths, Keith kicking etc, the magic gone, pure comeback show. Suddenly the 1981-82 tour felt legendary.

Great tour. Agree that the "sound" in those days was not the best, too slik and too much synth, but the stones were in great great form.

Highlights of that tour were one of the most exciting intros ever (continental drift crescendo-bang-start me up), a truly well done rambler, and I loved all the new songs from steel wheels.



C

Does anyone remember Mick's "dancing" during 2000 Light Years?, he should have been shot for that!!
Having seen them at Wembley in '81 it was good to see them 9 years later with a beefed-up, less ragged set. With hindsight, there were too many keyboards but they'd obviously put some thought into the arrangements and didn't throw half the songs away like in '81. It was definately the beginning of a new era for them after they'd put the gripes and moans of the 80's to rest once and for all.

I really like that tour. It's one of my favorites, if not my favorite tour, of the "modern era". I think Keith they were playing really well, especially Keith. The setlist was a great career spanning set. I understand why people would have griped at the time, but in the context of much of what has come since, I think the Steel Wheels tour stands up well.

> a truly well done
> rambler

Ugh...I hate MR from this tour, they took all the menace out - the gritty guitars, Jagger's impassioned I might just leap off this stage, kill you, then get back up and finish the number, to wild applause vocal, and replaced it with wimpy guitars and Chuck's plinking.

Thankfully, it's been much better from No Security to now.

i was glad they started to tour again but it was the end of the 'raw' Stones.
Slick songs like Almost hear, Rock and, a terrible Matt C, all the back up singers, no Ron/Keith, the overload of trumpetists,etc.
When I try to listen to one of the boots of thap period, I can\t stand almost any song.
And it never became like it was after that any more, except during 'Neighbours' and ' When the whip' at the b-stage during some later tours.

like i said before, 89-90 is a great tour for the modern era stones, the best of the vegas era tours imho, doesnt even compare to 69-82 , but thats just me

Musically, although not my taste anymore, the best for sure in the modern era. Ron and Keith still playing a decent piece of guitar