When I go to a Stones concert I dont like any opening act, ever. That day I am going to see and listen to the Stones, anything else is just pollution to my ears.

Than being said, I've read some weird stuff here, like Prince got booed because he was black or funky or wore make-up and thight pants or he was not in his element with the Stones crowd.

My first Stones concert was in July 1975, by that time I have already seen Bowie, Rod Stewart, Zep, Black Sabbath, Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Jethro Tull, Genesis, Pink Floyd and many others and the first thing that hit me in that Stones concert was the diversity of the crowd it was so notorious it just marked me forever.

Thanks for posting that video. Its obvious he is not talentless
His guitar playing is a heck of a lot better then his detractors are saying. I took a little time and listened to his music. He can compose, play all his own instruments, and record them. Prince may not be everyones cup of tea but to say he is talentless does not make sense. I was reading his latest tour is called "Hit and Run" where is is performing all his big hits. Must be a large catalogue of music. It seems the Stones are performing nothing but their big hits as well. There is a great deal of music by artists I do not particularly care for but I would never say they are "talentless".

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Hairball, aptly named btw, you're entire post just proves my point.

Apologies for the "stupidguy2 (aptly named)" remark, but it was simply in response to you stereotyping everyone who didn't like Prince as "meatheads".

As for my entire post proving your point, can you please elaborate?

Remember, this was 1981. Hardly anyone knew who Prince was, and everybody I know definitely didn't know who he was.
This was pre-Purple Rain, MTV, etc., etc., etc., and the music he played was out of left field.
Unless you were there it's hard to understand where you're coming from.

Sure I eventually learned to appreciate his talent, but that was over 30 years after the fact when my wife dragged me to see him in a club in Vegas (awesome show)!
The bottom line is that Prince was WAY out of his element at a Rolling Stones show c.1981, and it was a bizarre spectacle to say the least for nearly everyone who was there...period!

Prince is not everyone's cup of tea, that's for sure.
I wasn't throwing non-Prince-fans in some 'meathead' category, I was just calling people who boo acts while they're on stage meatheads. Not you in particular.
But I will say that there is an element in rock and roll among 'fans' and listeners and concert-goers, who are meatheads. The people who boo anything they don't get or like or respect. I hate that sh**. Always have, because I was around that mentatlity when I was growing up. The Stones audience has to be the most diverse of any 'rock and roll' band, artist because they themselves pull from so many different influences. I don't consider drunk- people-at-concerts-that-boo music fans. They're just there, drinking and booing. Its just juvenile.
My reaction to the 'fans' booing Prince or Journey or anybody for whatever reason is a reaction to the reactionary meathead 'rock fan'. You know they exist, and Im not saying you are one of them. You're obviously a Stones fan, and that by definition must mean you appreciate different styles of music.
But its not that far off, in my opinion, to suggest that there is a racial component to some of those people booing...like all those meatheads that burned disco records. That kind of dumb sh** is more than just a reaction to a style of music. If some of you don't want to label it as racial or give it a sexual-phobic bent...that's your POV because that may not reflect you. But I believe that mentality does exist. I know it does. Not liking Prince or an artist because you don't like their music is one thing. Booing somebody on stage is just intolerance.
Not calling anyone here 'racist' for not liking Prince. That's stupid and I would never do that. But there are rock and roll fans that just happen to be meatheads, dead from the neck up. And some of them probably go to Stones concerts, and other concerts. That does exist. That's all Im saying.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-07-30 01:31 by stupidguy2.

Finally after four years, the picture I asked for.

Something similar happened to Justin Timberlake in 2003 in Toronto at Sarsfest which I was in attendence. Keef was visibly angry at the fans for throwing things on stage at Timberlake. He went on to do Miss You with jagger.

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MJRocksoff
Something similar happened to Justin Timberlake in 2003 in Toronto at Sarsfest which I was in attendence. Keef was visibly angry at the fans for throwing things on stage at Timberlake. He went on to do Miss You with jagger.

I wish I could find a youtube of a recent interview where JT recounts that whole incident. Timberlake described how Keith walked right up to the tip of the stage to chastise those guys booing....and you can tell that Timberlake thought Keith was the biggest badass for doing that and had such a respect for the balls to do it.
What it all comes down to is that Keith is still that shy kid with big ears and he will always hate a bully of any stripe.
One of Keith's finer moments in my opinion. That's the real man right there.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2014-07-30 04:54 by stupidguy2.

I think we can all agree for whatever reason Prince did not go over well as an opener.

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I think we can all agree for whatever reason Prince did not go over well as an opener.

Brstonesfan:
Yes, you nail it. There's no question at all, that in 1981, in LA, for this show, Prince was a FAIL as Stones opener.

For reasons you've (and others) have cited that make perfect sense given the context of the times, he was not a good choice to open at these LA shows. But...consider this...doesn't Mick Jagger have an amazing sense of prescience? That is, an innate sense of what will EVENTUALLY be appreciated? He knew/recognized in 1981 that which Keith could not appreciate until MUCH later, in that Prince has some chops, and some talent. Keith begrudgingly recogizes this now, I think. But it took some time for him to get there. Prince is a @#$%& stud. He can do "guitar-driven rock" as well as anyone, if that is what he chooses to focus on. Can he play better than Thorogood, for instance? Well.....ya'll tell me. I think he probably actually can...But I love George, too.

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...and most fans probably respectfully applauded. But the meatheads...they have to ruin everything.

Absolutely false, I was there.

Prince didn't go over well...period.

Hairball coughs up the truth!
I was there as well, right up front, and agree completely. IMO, his poor reception was his own fault. Will post more about "The Prince Incident" from my perspective soon.

All this proves that there were more meatheads present than I thought.
Prince was the one of the greatest, most innovative artists of the 80s...period.

Doesn't matter what he later became. Like others here, I was there. For that time (1981), for that place (L.A. in the heat), it was an incredibly stupid move booking him to open. If he doesn't come out wearing women's underwear, practically begging them to not like him, then different story. But when the other three acts are guitar driven macho bands, Thorogood, Geils and the Stones, Prince was woefully out of place.

'Begging them not like him' because of what he was wearing?
Hairball, aptly named btw, you're entire post just proves my point. Plink, I wasn't there nor was I calling you a 'meathead'.. Unless you were booing, that is.
You guys are making lots of excuses for some of the Stones audience members booing an opening act because said act is out of their 'comfort zone ' ... Narrow as it is..Booing is meatheaded. And the term 'meathead' is just a paraphrase of what Keith called the fans booing JTimberlake..
But oh... I guess inviting him was the wrong move too... Cos, you know, he's not 'guitar-driven macho bands' ...
Maybe fans need to grow the f*** up and open their f*** minds. Again, booing is meatheaded and juvenile. Period.

It's me you were trying to reply to, not the other guy. And you're still incredibly disconnected here. You weren't there. God knows if you were even born. What you're trying to do is impose sensibilities from a later time onto a large group of people in 1981. And you can forget it, it doesn't work. Prince was the absolute wrong choice to open. We all thought so before the shows, We thought so during the shows, and we sure did afterwards.

Yeah, I'm still disconnected from the concept that someone was wrong choice to open a show because some dumbass members of the audience were reactionary. I already said I wasn't there. But I knew who Prince was. He had already had a great single with 'I WNna Be Your Lover' ... And I'd seen him on various tv shows like the Midnight Special, where he performed in a black speedo..I was 14 and loved that song. So he was the 'wrong choice' to open bbecause some members of the Stones audience were reactionary?
Yes, I'm disconnected from that logic.
And who's this 'We'?
Some united coalition of Stones fans who decide what's proper at a Stones concert?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-07-30 18:54 by stupidguy2.

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Thanks for the great read, swaystones

Thanks ,stonezone,you're welcome .

Actually,as you can imagine,it took me a long while trying to get the real sense and meaning of this review in English.

I can't imagine the whole story has to do with racism .
After my read -but I could have misunderstood and missed some points-I would think that may be Jagger was aware of Prince' presence on stage ,that is to say an already good performer on stage.
May be Jagger didn't want to have HIS audience watching a more sexy front singer than him.
What do you think ?

Isn't Jagger the one that invited him?

Jagger always gets accused of having a huge ego and being obsessed with not be upstaged, but I have found that to be nonsense..Look at the people he has invited to open for him..

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as anonymous user said,not only were journey booed at jfk in 81,they had several bottles whipped at there head i was there.footnote,great seats and 15 bucks.tm price!!

Journey was bood off the stage in Buffalo in 81. I was there. They cut their set short and Steve Perry started using the f bomb with the crowd. They stopped playing early and Steve Perry went up to the mic and screamed if you F-ing want them then you can F-ing have them. He was furious..

Now I have never bood anyone but I did enjoy that because I really hate Journey and everything about them..From the lame tuxedo top, to the sounding like a girl mixed in with opera vocals, to the pussy lyrics..

Always a good memory,,

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Hairball, aptly named btw, you're entire post just proves my point.

Apologies for the "stupidguy2 (aptly named)" remark, but it was simply in response to you stereotyping everyone who didn't like Prince as "meatheads".

As for my entire post proving your point, can you please elaborate?

Remember, this was 1981. Hardly anyone knew who Prince was, and everybody I know definitely didn't know who he was.
This was pre-Purple Rain, MTV, etc., etc., etc., and the music he played was out of left field.
Unless you were there it's hard to understand where you're coming from.

Sure I eventually learned to appreciate his talent, but that was over 30 years after the fact when my wife dragged me to see him in a club in Vegas (awesome show)!
The bottom line is that Prince was WAY out of his element at a Rolling Stones show c.1981, and it was a bizarre spectacle to say the least for nearly everyone who was there...period!

Prince is not everyone's cup of tea, that's for sure.
I wasn't throwing non-Prince-fans in some 'meathead' category, I was just calling people who boo acts while they're on stage meatheads. Not you in particular.
But I will say that there is an element in rock and roll among 'fans' and listeners and concert-goers, who are meatheads. The people who boo anything they don't get or like or respect. I hate that sh**. Always have, because I was around that mentatlity when I was growing up. The Stones audience has to be the most diverse of any 'rock and roll' band, artist because they themselves pull from so many different influences. I don't consider drunk- people-at-concerts-that-boo music fans. They're just there, drinking and booing. Its just juvenile.
My reaction to the 'fans' booing Prince or Journey or anybody for whatever reason is a reaction to the reactionary meathead 'rock fan'. You know they exist, and Im not saying you are one of them. You're obviously a Stones fan, and that by definition must mean you appreciate different styles of music.
But its not that far off, in my opinion, to suggest that there is a racial component to some of those people booing...like all those meatheads that burned disco records. That kind of dumb sh** is more than just a reaction to a style of music. If some of you don't want to label it as racial or give it a sexual-phobic bent...that's your POV because that may not reflect you. But I believe that mentality does exist. I know it does. Not liking Prince or an artist because you don't like their music is one thing. Booing somebody on stage is just intolerance.
Not calling anyone here 'racist' for not liking Prince. That's stupid and I would never do that. But there are rock and roll fans that just happen to be meatheads, dead from the neck up. And some of them probably go to Stones concerts, and other concerts. That does exist. That's all Im saying.

Rather than assume it was racially motivated, or that the booing was "rock and roll fans that just happen to be meatheads", let's look at it this way.

There's an age-old tradition of booing an act that doesn't deserve to be onstage.
For instance, at the Apollo Theater it is well known that if you can't entertain, you will be unceremoniously booed off the stage.
In fact, booing is encouraged and is part of the show itself...only the strong survive. And then we have the old Gong Show.
Not calling Prince talentless, but if he can't hold the judges attention, he would have been gonged within seconds.
The bottom line is Prince was "gonged" at the Coliseum, and it could simply be that he was misunderstood.
Or it could be that his music sucked. Or that his stage presence was bizarre. Or that his personality and demeanor were insulting.
Yes, there may have been a few idiots who had racial issues, but unfortunately that's part of society as a whole.
To say that everyone in the crowd who booed him are narrow-minded meatheads, is a bit narrow minded in itself.

Prince @ L.A. Coliseum 1981......GONG!



_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

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Hairball, aptly named btw, you're entire post just proves my point.

Apologies for the "stupidguy2 (aptly named)" remark, but it was simply in response to you stereotyping everyone who didn't like Prince as "meatheads".

As for my entire post proving your point, can you please elaborate?

Remember, this was 1981. Hardly anyone knew who Prince was, and everybody I know definitely didn't know who he was.
This was pre-Purple Rain, MTV, etc., etc., etc., and the music he played was out of left field.
Unless you were there it's hard to understand where you're coming from.

Sure I eventually learned to appreciate his talent, but that was over 30 years after the fact when my wife dragged me to see him in a club in Vegas (awesome show)!
The bottom line is that Prince was WAY out of his element at a Rolling Stones show c.1981, and it was a bizarre spectacle to say the least for nearly everyone who was there...period!

Prince is not everyone's cup of tea, that's for sure.
I wasn't throwing non-Prince-fans in some 'meathead' category, I was just calling people who boo acts while they're on stage meatheads. Not you in particular.
But I will say that there is an element in rock and roll among 'fans' and listeners and concert-goers, who are meatheads. The people who boo anything they don't get or like or respect. I hate that sh**. Always have, because I was around that mentatlity when I was growing up. The Stones audience has to be the most diverse of any 'rock and roll' band, artist because they themselves pull from so many different influences. I don't consider drunk- people-at-concerts-that-boo music fans. They're just there, drinking and booing. Its just juvenile.
My reaction to the 'fans' booing Prince or Journey or anybody for whatever reason is a reaction to the reactionary meathead 'rock fan'. You know they exist, and Im not saying you are one of them. You're obviously a Stones fan, and that by definition must mean you appreciate different styles of music.
But its not that far off, in my opinion, to suggest that there is a racial component to some of those people booing...like all those meatheads that burned disco records. That kind of dumb sh** is more than just a reaction to a style of music. If some of you don't want to label it as racial or give it a sexual-phobic bent...that's your POV because that may not reflect you. But I believe that mentality does exist. I know it does. Not liking Prince or an artist because you don't like their music is one thing. Booing somebody on stage is just intolerance.
Not calling anyone here 'racist' for not liking Prince. That's stupid and I would never do that. But there are rock and roll fans that just happen to be meatheads, dead from the neck up. And some of them probably go to Stones concerts, and other concerts. That does exist. That's all Im saying.

Rather than assume it was racially motivated, or that the booing was "rock and roll fans that just happen to be meatheads", let's look at it this way.

I don't read the entire thread to see if anyone claimed it was racially motivated but it wouldn't surprise me if some try to make that claim. Don't some people always make that claim..

There is a long history of black artists not being bood at Stones concerts..

the racial or sexual-phobic suggestion was mine, yes. But it was just a question and consideration.
I just think booing is just juvenile, no matter what kind of historical reference you attach to it.
And good for Steve Perry - those people deserved being verbally abused for idiots.
Now, you're going to say that I'm calling people idiots for not liking Journey.
Whatever....
And Mick actually apologized to Prince, and if I'm not mistaken, he was invited back, by Mick.

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I have tried and failed to decipher what it was that Jagger told Prince.
I know he opened for the Stones and the public threw vegetables and so on,
and he left the stage after 15 minutes but came back to open the second show anyway,
but I don't know what Jagger told Prince. Any clarity will be gratefully received.

Love and light to him, and thanks and praises.

with sssoul,

Great question! Here are my early efforts in trying to piece this together too.

---

I can't speak to the quality of the interviews in this book (I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon, by Toure). However, the statement that Keith--in addition to as Mick--was enthusiastic about Prince is probably inaccurate; likely an assumption made, since, according to this quote, Prince looked up to and wanted to emulate both of them. Stones fans know, however, that--whatever Keith's plentiful other charms--discovering and having enthusiasm for new avant garde talent falls squarely in Mick's domain of interest.

Still, it's at least a fairly thorough account of what happened:

---

Rolling Stone, November 26, 1981):

"In Los Angeles, the shows were opened by the J. Geils Band and George Thorogood and the Destroyers — both of whom were well received — and by the less fortunate Prince. The day's most adventurous performer and the one closest to the Stones' early aura of sexual outrageousness, Prince was pelted with soft-drink cups and an occasional shoe from the moment he walked onstage, the crowd at the front apparently paying more attention to his trench coat and black bikini than his music, a five-song set of the hardest rock of the day. While pockets of the crowd clapped along, and most at least paid attention, the vocal minority was persistent enough for Graham to take the stage after the second L.A. show and berate the audience for throwing debris. When one fan threw something at Graham, the promoter barked, "I see you, aszhole!" and had the kid dragged onstage and thrown out."

---

Article from the Oxnard CA Press Currier (Oct 10, 1981).

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EXCERPTED FROM:
"The Renegade Prince," by Robert Hilburn, Los Angeles Times, November 21, 1982.
online source

"...For the nearly 100,000 people who were on hand and the thousands of others who heard about it, Prince may be best known in Los Angeles as the guy who was booed off the stage when he opened last year for the Rolling Stones at the Memorial Coliseum.

"Rock-oriented radio stations avoid playing records by black artists, even it the records have rock slant, because they feel rock fans associate any black artist these days with the dreaded disco. This black-out has only reinforced the rock audience’s intolerance for contemporary black music.

"Though the almost exclusively white audience at the Stones show listened to the nostalgic stains of Jimi Hendrix records during intermission, many near the front of the stage hurled paper cups and shouted obscenities when Prince began playing, eventually driving him the stage briefly.

" 'When we first went on stage, a lot of people were throwing things and making noises.' Prince recalled. 'At first, I thought it was funny, I figured, "We’d better just play." When I looked up a bit later, it had simmered down and a lot of people seemed relaxed. But there was this one dude right in the front, and you could see hatred all over his face'.

“ 'What was really strange was there was two of them. We kept playing and one of them noticed that everyone else (in the crowd) had cooled out. So he tried to stop this other dude, but the guy wouldn’t stop. The reason I left was because I didn’t want to play anymore. I just wanted to fight – to fight him. I was really angry'.

"Smiling for one of few times in the interview, Prince added that if he had been able to reach the heckler, 'They wouldn’t have found him. He just didn’t want to see me. I was thinking, "Look, I’ve only got 20 minutes up here. If you can’t deal with that, we’ve got to go outside and work it out." But I couldn’t get at him and I was frustrated'.”

This topic reminds me of a couple Stones openers that didn't go over well. In 1981 I saw Journey nearly get booed offstage in Philly after declaring themselves the Number one band in America. Maybe the most controversial opener was Kanye West at Giants Stadium in 2006. Though I didn't see any downright violent behavior, it was clear that most of the crowd certainly didn't care for him very much.

Great stuff, swiss, thanx for sharing.

I don't know about Prince. I was at the Philly shows in 81 and 78. Journey was mildly booded in 81 because they deserved it. In 78 peter tosh was viciously received by the crowd, the most common phrase being get off the stage you n..... Pure racism



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-05-01 08:20 by Rokyfan.

I was at one of the Prince shows, and I didn't see this at all about race. It wasn't even for his whole (short) set. It was one song, and then he stomped off. In a way he added fuel to the fire. because at EVERY outdoor show from that era, Stones or not,there was rowdy crowds, throwing crap on stage. It had to do with heat, boredom, frustration, and mainly drunkeness.
many others here also were at the Philly 78 Stones show. Now that was some throwing - peter Tosh and Foreigner got snowed under. They kept going. Matter of fact Foreigner kept queing up arm in arm front stage taking bow after bow;encore after encore - and everyone was yelling "Get the F8off!" LOL
I saw Prince in NYC in a small bar; it wasn't even a gig - it was like a press party. he was being introduced and featured, pushed. Now that is where he came off as risque IMO. Because he was completely unknown, still had the long wavy hair and mustache. And he was in a G string and those tights or boots. Plus he was like right in your face.

Here is an article on Carmine Appice's new book.
He mentions being Prince's housemate in LA at the time of this incident and consoling him afterwards.
This book should be a good read.

[nypost.com]

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Prince was an idiot not to tone down his act after all this abuse from Stones fans October 1981. If he had dressed conventionally he could have played whatever music he wanted. Instead he's going out in a bikini and trench coat? And keeps doing this after numerous objects are thrown at him. Dumb dumb stooopid

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swiss

Prince was an idiot not to tone down his act after all this abuse from Stones fans October 1981. If he had dressed conventionally he could have played whatever music he wanted. Instead he's going out in a bikini and trench coat? And keeps doing this after numerous objects are thrown at him. Dumb dumb stooopid

Opening for a band, who once, had an inflatable dick onstage. I don't know. You should pretty much be able to wear whatever you want.

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spikenyc
Here is an article on Carmine Appice's new book.
He mentions being Prince's housemate in LA at the time of this incident and consoling him afterwards.
This book should be a good read.

[nypost.com]

+
Thanks!!! The NY Post link is hilarious. I'm going to look for that Carmine Appice book.

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swiss

Prince was an idiot not to tone down his act after all this abuse from Stones fans October 1981. If he had dressed conventionally he could have played whatever music he wanted. Instead he's going out in a bikini and trench coat? And keeps doing this after numerous objects are thrown at him. Dumb dumb stooopid

I mean, it didn't seem to affect his career.

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swiss

Prince was an idiot not to tone down his act after all this abuse from Stones fans October 1981. If he had dressed conventionally he could have played whatever music he wanted. Instead he's going out in a bikini and trench coat? And keeps doing this after numerous objects are thrown at him. Dumb dumb stooopid

So you are saying he should have gone backstage and put on jeans and a dodger t shirt? What was he thinking being unconventional at a stones show? Yeah, dumb dumb.

WTF ever happened to George Thorogood?
Was not he once on tap to replace Woody?

Hmmm... somehow I always thought it was Mr. Watts who pushed for Prince within the Stones camp...