The Rolling Stones' Tour of the Americas '75

The Rolling Stones' Tour of the Americas '75 was a 1975 concert tour originally intended to reach both North and South America. The plans for concerts in Central and South America never solidified, however, and the tour covered only the United States and Canada.

The Rolling Stones Tour of the Americas '75
Tour by The Rolling Stones
Start date1 June 1975
End date8 August 1975
Legs1
No. of shows46
The Rolling Stones concert chronology

History

After the departure of Mick Taylor, this was the Rolling Stones' first tour with new guitarist Ronnie Wood. Announced on 14 April as merely playing with the band on the tour, it would not be until 19 December that he would be officially named a Rolling Stone. Longtime sidemen Bobby Keys and Jim Price on brass were not featured on this tour, while Billy Preston had replaced Nicky Hopkins on keyboards in 1973. Additionally, Ollie E. Brown was added as an additional percussionist. Keys made a guest appearance on "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "Brown Sugar" at the Los Angeles shows.

The Tour of the Americas '75 was not tied to support of any newly released material, as it began more than seven months after the release of their last studio album at the time, It's Only Rock'n Roll. Instead, the compilation album Made in the Shade was released to capitalise on the tour's publicity.

The announcement of the tour became famous in itself. On 1 May, reporters were gathered inside the Fifth Avenue Hotel on 9th Street in New York City's Greenwich Village to attend a press conference where the Stones were scheduled to appear. But the Stones never went into the hotel. Improvisational comedian "Professor" Irwin Corey gave a typically long-winded, nonsensical performance for journalists waiting for the Stones. The press was still listening to Corey ramble on when they finally noticed that the Stones were playing "Brown Sugar" on a flatbed truck driving down Fifth Avenue.

The handful of curiosity seekers standing outside the hotel – who'd heard a rumor of the press conference and who were hoping to catch a glimpse of the Stones entering the hotel – were instead treated to the sight of a flatbed truck rolling down Fifth Avenue carrying the Stones, their instruments and a wall of amps. The truck stopped in front of the hotel entrance and the band played an extended version of "Brown Sugar".[1] Charlie Watts had suggested this adaptation of a promotional gimmick often used by New Orleans jazz musicians; the idea was later emulated by groups like AC/DC and U2. After the Stones finished the song, the flatbed truck rolled down Fifth Avenue another block and the band jumped into limousines. They never attended the press conference.

The mid-1970s were the era of extravagant stage shows, from the likes of Elton John, Alice Cooper, Kiss and Queen. In keeping with this, the Stones embraced a new format for the 1975 concerts. Their act was aided by theatrical stage props and gimmicks, including a giant inflatable phallus (nicknamed 'Tired Grandfather' by the band, since it sometimes malfunctioned) and, at some shows, an unfolding lotus flower-shaped stage that Charlie Watts had conceived.

The tour officially began on 3 June 1975 at the Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas; however first the group played two warmup shows on 1 June at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The tour continued, playing mostly arenas in the United States and Canada, including six consecutive nights at Madison Square Garden in New York and five nights at The Forum in Los Angeles. However, a planned Latin American leg in Mexico, Brazil, and Venezuela for the balance of August was cancelled due to a combination of currency fluctuations and security concerns. Four additional US dates were then added, culminating in a final performance on 8 August at Rich Stadium near Buffalo, New York.

The 1977 live album Love You Live has "Fingerprint File" and "It's Only Rock 'n Roll" from Toronto, 17 June 1975 and "Sympathy for the Devil" from Los Angeles, 9 July 1975.

In 2012, the entire show from Los Angeles, 13 July 1975 was released as part of the 'Rolling Stones Archive',[2] mixed and remastered by Bob Clearmountain. This show was previously available in excellent audience quality on the 'LA Friday' bootleg. The title is a reference to a Rolling Stone review of the Friday, 11 July 1975 show, even though the actual featured show was from Sunday, 13 July.

Personnel

The Rolling Stones

Additional musicians

New York, Madison Square Garden, June 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27:

  • The Steel Association - percussion on 'Sympathy for the Devil'

New York, Madison Square Garden, June 22:

New York, Madison Square Garden, June 27:

Los Angeles Forum, July 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 shows only:

  • Steve Madaio – trumpet
  • Trevor Lawrence, Bobby Keys – saxophone
  • The Steel Association - percussion on 'Sympathy for the Devil'

Los Angeles Forum, July 13:

Tour set list

The most typical set list for the shows was:

Intro music: Fanfare for the Common Man

  1. "Honky Tonk Women"
  2. "All Down the Line"
  3. "If You Can't Rock Me"/"Get Off of My Cloud"
  4. "Star Star"
  5. "Gimme Shelter"
  6. "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"
  7. "You Gotta Move"
  8. "You Can't Always Get What You Want"
  9. "Happy"
  10. "Tumbling Dice"
  11. "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)"
  12. "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)"
  13. "Fingerprint File"
  14. "Angie"
  15. "Wild Horses"
  16. "That's Life" (sung by Billy Preston)
  17. "Outa-Space" (led by Billy Preston)
  18. "Brown Sugar"
  19. "Midnight Rambler"
  20. "Rip This Joint"
  21. "Street Fighting Man"
  22. "Jumpin' Jack Flash"
  23. Encore: for the New York City and Los Angeles shows "Sympathy for the Devil" was played as an encore, with Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana guesting in New York City and Jesse Ed Davis guesting in Los Angeles.

The set was longer than on previous tours, and set list variation was a bit more frequent, with several tunes making sporadic appearances: "Rocks Off", "Luxury", "Dance Little Sister", "Cherry Oh, Baby" and "Sure the One You Need". Otherwise, as with their 1972 American Tour, the band's pre-1968 catalogue was almost completely ignored except "Get Off of My Cloud", and their signature song "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" absent.

Tour dates

Date City Country Venue Opening act(s)
Tour
1 June 1975
(2 shows)
Baton RougeUnited StatesLSU Assembly Center
3 June 1975San AntonioSan Antonio Convention Center
4 June 1975
6 June 1975Kansas CityArrowhead Stadium Eagles
Rufus
The Gap Band
8 June 1975MilwaukeeMilwaukee County Stadium
9 June 1975Saint PaulSt. Paul Civic CenterBilly Preston
11 June 1975BostonBoston Garden
12 June 1975
14 June 1975ClevelandWorld Series of RockCleveland Stadium Tower of Power
The J. Geils Band
Joe Vitale's Madmen
15 June 1975BuffaloBuffalo Memorial Auditorium
17 June 1975TorontoCanadaMaple Leaf Gardens
18 June 1975
22 June 1975New York CityUnited StatesMadison Square Garden Eagles
Rufus
The Gap Band
23 June 1975
24 June 1975
25 June 1975
26 June 1975
27 June 1975
29 June 1975PhiladelphiaThe Spectrum
30 June 1975 Eagles
The Commodores
1 July 1975LandoverCapital Centre Eagles
Rufus
The Gap Band
2 July 1975
4 July 1975MemphisMemphis Memorial Stadium The J. Geils Band
The Charlie Daniels Band
The Meters
Furry Lewis
6 July 1975DallasCotton Bowl Eagles
Montrose
Trapeze
9 July 1975InglewoodThe Forum Eagles
Rufus
The Gap Band
10 July 1975
11 July 1975
12 July 1975
13 July 1975
15 July 1975Daly CityCow Palace The Meters
16 July 1975
18 July 1975SeattleSeattle Center Coliseum
20 July 1975Fort CollinsHughes Stadium
22 July 1975ChicagoChicago Stadium The Crusaders
23 July 1975 Electric Light Orchestra
24 July 1975
26 July 1975BloomingtonAssembly Hall The Crusaders
27 July 1975DetroitCobo Arena
28 July 1975
30 July 1975AtlantaOmni Coliseum The Meters
31 July 1975GreensboroGreensboro Memorial Coliseum
2 August 1975JacksonvilleGator Bowl Stadium Atlanta Rhythm Section
Rufus
The J. Geils Band
4 August 1975LouisvilleFreedom Hall Outlaws
6 August 1975HamptonHampton Coliseum The Outlaws
8 August 1975Orchard ParkRich Stadium Rufus
The Gap Band
Outlaws

Tickets

Tickets were sold by direct mail order by the concert venue, not a national ticket seller in 1975. For example, A ticket request and a check for $12 (US) was required for each ticket sale for the Jacksonville show sent by US Mail, and was fulfilled in about two weeks.

References

  • Carr, Roy. The Rolling Stones: An Illustrated Record. Harmony Books, 1976. ISBN 0-517-52641-7
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