The Rolling Stones American Tour 1981
Tour by The Rolling Stones | |
Associated album | Tattoo You |
---|---|
Start date | 25 September 1981 |
End date | 19 December 1981 |
Legs | 1 |
No. of shows | 50 |
Box office | US $52 million ($174.27 million in 2023 dollars) |
The Rolling Stones concert chronology |
History
Initially, singer Mick Jagger was not interested in another tour, but guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood were, as were elements of the press and public. Jagger eventually relented.[2] As with previous tours, the American Tour 1981 was promoted by Bill Graham.
The band rehearsed at
The tour's elaborate and colorful stage was the work of Japanese designer Kazuhide Yamazaki.[5] "Most concerts that took place outdoors at the time were played during the day," recalled Jagger, "probably because it was cheaper, I don't know. So we had the bright, bright primary colors... and we had these enormous images of a guitar, a car and a record—an Americana idea—which worked very well for afternoon shows."[5]
Most shows later in the tour featured a
The tour was the largest-grossing tour of 1981, and for several years to come. It grossed $50 million in ticket sales when the average ticket price was $16. Roughly 2.5 million attended the concerts. The Stones set many records that remain unbroken. The
The tour also was an early milestone for the rock industry by selling advertising rights to Jōvan Musk.[10] Jōvan paid $1 million to put their name on Stones tickets.[11] This attracted considerable attention in the business media, as Jōvan's image of a pleasant fragrance was at odds with the Stones' bad boys image.[12] But the Stones behaved well on tour, and rock tour corporate sponsorships soon became the norm.[12]
In another marketing first, the 18 December performance at Virginia's Hampton Coliseum on Keith Richards' 38th birthday, was broadcast as "The World's Greatest Rock'n'Roll Party", on pay-per-view and in closed circuit cinemas.[13] It was the first such use of pay-per-view for a music event. When a fan ran onstage during the show, Keith Richards hit him with his guitar.
Also of note was the 14 December performance at
The 1 October performance at the
In general, there was less backstage madness on the tour than on many previous outings.[1] This was largely due to Richards having largely overcome his well-known drugs and alcohol problems;[1] The New York Times wrote of Richards, "He looks healthy, he is playing brilliantly and his backup vocals are often so lusty that they drown out Mr. Jagger, who is working harder to hold up his end of things as result."[1] However, this and the 1982 tour were the last tours on which Richards contributed the majority of backup vocals; for future tours, additional singers were enlisted.
Several of the concerts were recorded and selected songs were released on 1982's live was released in 1983. Possibly due to the film, most of the shows on this tour were professionally recorded.
It was the Stones' last tour of the United States until 1989.
Personnel
The Rolling Stones
- Mick Jagger – lead vocals, guitar
- Keith Richards – guitar, vocals
- Ronnie Wood – guitar, backing vocals
- Bill Wyman – bass
- Charlie Watts – drums
Additional musicians
- Lee Allen – saxophone (1 October, Rockford, Illinois, and on 3 and 4 October at Folsom Field, in Boulder, Colorado)
- Ian Stewart – piano
- Ian McLagan – keyboards, backing vocals
- Ernie Watts – saxophone (7 October, San Diego, CA through last show of US tour, 19 December 1981, Hampton Roads Coliseum, Hampton, VA)
- Bobby Keys – saxophone (on 'Let it Bleed', 'Brown Sugar', 'Tumbling Dice', 'Honky Tonk Women', 'Street Fighting Man', 'Jumping Jack Flash' (some shows), from 9 October, Los Angeles, CA through last show of US tour, 19 December 1981, Hampton Roads Coliseum, Hampton, VA)
Set list
The usual set list was:[13]
- "Under My Thumb"
- "When the Whip Comes Down"
- "Let's Spend the Night Together"
- "Shattered"
- "Neighbours"
- "Black Limousine"
- "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)"
- "Down The Road Apiece" (played 26–27 September; 3, 5, & 9 November)
- "Mona" (played only 26 September)
- "Twenty-Flight Rock"
- "Going to a Go-Go" (first played in Louisville, Kentucky, 3 November)
- "Let Me Go"
- "Time Is on My Side"
- "Beast of Burden"
- "Waiting on a Friend"
- "Let It Bleed"
- "Tops" (Played 25 & 27 September, 3 October)
- "You Can't Always Get What You Want"
- "Little T&A"
- "Tumbling Dice"
- "She's So Cold"
- "All Down The Line" (Played 18 Times)
- "Hang Fire"
- "Star Star" (Played 10 Times)
- "Miss You"
- "Honky Tonk Women"
- "Brown Sugar"
- "Start Me Up"
- "Jumpin' Jack Flash"
- "Street Fighting Man" (played from 25 September-9 October and 26 October) [encore]
- "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (played 25 September, 3 & 11 October until end of tour) [encore]
- "Outro The Star-Spangled Banner (version Jimi Hendrix in Woodstock 1969)" [encore]
For the first dozen or so shows most of the set list was moved around to find the most comfortable feel for the concerts.
Irregular songs
Beyond the first five shows "Tops" and "Mona" were not played (though neither were ever played on the same night, they did not occupy the same location in the set list). Up until the shows in New Jersey "Down the Road Apiece" and "Street Fighting Man" both made a few appearances. "Star Star" was added into the set for every gig in between and including Boulder and both Orlando shows (with the sole exception of the second show in Boulder). "All Down the Line" was played 18 times in the first 24 regular gigs. The six exclusions were the first 4 regular shows and the 2 first shows in November.[6]
The 21 November concert in St. Paul, MN was memorable because Jesse Ventura, who worked as a body guard on the Tour of the Americas '75, did the introduction, as he had on their 1978 North American tour.[citation needed]
Tour dates
Date (1981) |
City | Country | Venue | Attendance | Gross | Support act(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
25 September | Philadelphia | United States | John F. Kennedy Stadium | 181,564 / 181,564 | $2,859,633[17] | George Thorogood & the Destroyers
|
26 September | ||||||
27 September | Orchard Park | Rich Stadium
|
75,000 / 75,000 | $1,125,000[18] | ||
1 October | Rockford | Rockford MetroCentre
|
— | — | The Go-Go's | |
3 October | Boulder | Folsom Field | 120,000 / 120,000 | $1,920,000[18] | George Thorogood & the Destroyers
| |
4 October | ||||||
7 October | San Diego | Jack Murphy Stadium
|
70,000 / 70,000 | $1,050,000[19] | George Thorogood & the Destroyers
| |
9 October | Los Angeles | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | — | — | George Thorogood & the Destroyers
| |
11 October | ||||||
14 October | Seattle | Kingdome | 138,264[20] | — | Greg Kihn Band
| |
15 October | ||||||
17 October | San Francisco | Candlestick Park | 135,000 / 135,000 | $2,092,500[21] | George Thorogood and the Destroyers
| |
18 October | ||||||
24 October | Orlando | Tangerine Bowl
|
121,000 / 121,000 | $1,887,600[21] | Henry Paul Band
Van Halen | |
25 October | ||||||
26 October | Atlanta | Fox Theatre | — | — | Stray Cats | |
28 October | Houston | Astrodome | 65,000 / 65,000 | $1,202,500[22] | The Fabulous Thunderbirds ZZ Top | |
29 October | ||||||
31 October | Dallas | Cotton Bowl | 156,000 / 156,000 | $2,695,332[22] | The Fabulous Thunderbirds ZZ Top | |
1 November | ||||||
3 November | Louisville | Freedom Hall | 18,210 / 18,210 | $287,540[23] | The Neville Brothers | |
5 November | East Rutherford | Brendan Byrne Arena
|
61,035 / 61,035 | $943,782[23] | Tina Turner | |
6 November | ||||||
7 November | ||||||
9 November | Hartford | Hartford Civic Center | 30,389 / 30,389 | $455,835[24] | Garland Jeffreys | |
10 November | ||||||
12 November | New York City | Madison Square Garden | 39,200 / 39,200 | $580,000[24] | Screamin' Jay Hawkins | |
13 November | ||||||
16 November | Cleveland | Richfield Coliseum | — | — | Etta James | |
17 November | ||||||
19 November | St. Louis | Checkerdome | 18,770 / 18,770 | $302,313[25] | The Lamont Cranston Band | |
20 November | Cedar Falls | UNI-Dome | 24,000 / 24,000 | $368,156[25] | The Lamont Cranston Band Stray Cats | |
21 November | Saint Paul | St. Paul Civic Center | — | — | Stray Cats | |
23 November | Rosemont | Rosemont Horizon | 55,230 / 55,230 | $822,740[25] | The Neville Brothers | |
24 November | ||||||
25 November | ||||||
27 November | Syracuse | Carrier Dome
|
— | — | Henry Paul Band
| |
28 November | ||||||
30 November | Pontiac | Pontiac Silverdome | 152,696 / 152,696 | $2,290,000[25] | Iggy Pop Santana | |
1 December | ||||||
5 December | New Orleans | Louisiana Superdome
|
87,500 / 87,500 | $1,531,250[26] | George Thorogood and the Destroyers
The Neville Brothers | |
7 December | Landover | Capital Centre | 54,765 / 54,765 | $876,826 | Bobby Womack | |
8 December | ||||||
9 December | ||||||
11 December | Lexington | Rupp Arena | 22,954 / 22,954 | $363,424[27] | The Meters | |
13 December | Tempe | Sun Devil Stadium
|
74,637 / 74,637 | $1,287,488[28] | George Thorogood and the Destroyers
| |
14 December | Kansas City | Kemper Arena | 35,026 / 35,026 | George Thorogood and the Destroyers
| ||
15 December | ||||||
18 December | Hampton | Hampton Coliseum | 26,000 / 26,000 | $409,500[27] | ||
19 December | ||||||
TOTAL | 1,762,240 | $25,351,419 |
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f Robert Palmer (4 November 1981). "The Stones Roll On, Refusing to Become Show-Business Slick". The New York Times.
- ISBN 0-7119-9833-7. p. 276.
- ^ Zentgraf, Nico. "Rolling Stones database 1981". www.nzentgraf.de. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ a b c Sandford, Mick Jagger: Rebel Knight, p. 278.
- ^ ISBN 0-8118-4060-3.
- ^ a b Robert Palmer (14 November 1981). "Rock: Rolling Stones". The New York Times.
- ^ Times, Los Angeles (23 February 2016). "1981 Rolling Stones concert at the Coliseum". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "Rolling Stones Open 2-Day Stand In LA", Oxnard (CA) Press-Courier, 10 October 1981, p3
- ^ a b Sandford, Mick Jagger: Rebel Knight, p. 282.
- Forbes. Archived from the originalon 2 August 2003.
- ISBN 0-521-38584-9. p. 84.
- ^ ISBN 0-8133-1981-1. p. 107.
- ^ a b c d "American Tour 1981". Rocks Off Setlists. Retrieved 18 July 2006.
- ^ Arrington, Carl (7 December 1981). "Tina Turner, the Woman Who Taught Mick Jagger to Dance, Is on the Prowl Again". People. Vol. 16, no. 23.
- ^ "Rolling Stones accept fans' invitation", United Press International, 19 September 1981
- ^ "The Rolling Stones: Biography". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 8 February 2006. Retrieved 21 June 2008.
- ^ Billboard Magazine. Google Books: Billboard Magazine. 10 October 1981.
- ^ a b Billboard Magazine. Google Books: Billboard Magazine. 17 October 1981.
- ^ Billboard Magazine. 24 October 1981 – via Google Books.
- ^ The Kingdome's Biggest Events. Seattle Pi. 1 June 2011.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b Billboard Magazine. Google Books: Billboard Magazine. 7 November 1981.
- ^ a b Billboard Magazine. Google Books: Billboard Magazine. 14 November 1981.
- ^ a b Billboard Magazine. 21 November 1981 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Billboard Magazine (PDF). 21 November 1981 – via World Radio History.
- ^ a b c d Billboard Magazine. 12 December 1981 – via Google Books.
- ^ Billboard Magazine. Google Books: Billboard Magazine. 19 December 1981. [page needed]
- ^ a b Billboard Magazine (PDF). 9 January 1982 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Billboard Magazine. 26 December 1981 – via Google Books. [page needed]