Any concert-goer knows a formidable opening act is practically guaranteed to wring a little bit extra from a concerned headliner. And the Stones' choice of Stevie Wonder to be the opening act on their 1972 tour seemed guaranteed to do just that.

I'm wondering if touring on the near-brilliant Music of My Mind, and with Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfilligness First Finale and Songs in the Key of Life still in front of him, Stevie Wonder qualified as a warm-up capable of making the Stones work just that much harder to re-gain an audience's attention, if not regard.

I'm shocked that with all the attention this tour has received, scant attention has been paid to the nascent Stevie Wonder's role in it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-10-07 21:02 by Stoner72.

He blew them off the stage most nights.

Huh?

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HEILOOBAAS
He blew them off the stage most nights.

Does that come from fans or media accounts or bootlegs you might have heard?

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HEILOOBAAS
He blew them off the stage most nights.

I disagree

July 14 was my 1st RS gig,Stevie was good(maybe a little better for his hometown) but the Stones kicked major ass.I would love to hear a boot ....maybe someday

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Stoner72

Quote
HEILOOBAAS
He blew them off the stage most nights.

Does that come from fans or media accounts or bootlegs you might have heard?

It's my opinion, having studied the 72 tour in detail wh. would leave me sent to an asylum. I'll tell you why. Stevie was still hungry, he had to fight for the crowd's full attention. Richard Elman's trashed out term paper, "Uptight w/the Rolling Stones" describes in detail the drugged soporific state of mind of Mick and Keith.

NOW, if I was able to see the Stones on that tour (they played NYC Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday & my family flew to Seattle Saturday the 29th, when most of the band left the United States), although all of 13 years old, I know I would have been galvanized the the spectacle.

The 1972 show was more about the glitter on Mick's eyelids and the chi chi parasites in search of a host (Princess Lee, Troubey Baby, Peter Beard, must I run down the social ladder?). + the focus was MICK MICK MICK.

This boils down to the simple conclusion that they could've gone out and read the Knoxville classified ads and still be thought of as sensational. It's also my opinion that the band put out so much energy at each concert, I mean everything they had, that they were never the same. Europe '73 is sad to listen to, Mick sounds like he phoned his vocals in, Keith sounds like he was exhumed for each show.

I'm not putting The Stones down. No other band comes close to the excitement generated by me alone. It's just that when you're that far up in the strata, you don't can afford to cut corners. The audience would never have noticed because the Stones are professionals, but the Touring Party who sat around for 50+ shows definitely would've noticed.

One odd thing is the evening show July 25th in New York was supposed to be the bomb shizzle. It's allright, mellow and totally bereft of nerves, but the fatigue was goosing them a little too closely by that point. I still prefer the Tuesday arvo show. But that's just me talking... for what the bloody heck it's worth.

Essen 73 forty one years ago today!!!

Joe Maloney's recording of one of Stevie's Boston 1972 (7/18) shows is floating around out there with the Stones' set from the same night.

Thought I grabbed that through here, but might have been HC.

J

[www.dimeadozen.org]

Stevie Wonder Live in 1974 on dime

Thx TMan!

my two cents , i think it was the mind altering substances that they were ALL on !!!

HEILO, hate to disagree with the man who is "THE" authority on the 1792 tour.
A tour never to be forgotten.

Still, I want to make a few corrections because when it comes to Stevie Wonder,
there is no one finer in my eyes. Think I have posted some of this before...

In the fall of 1971, I was having a conversation in Paris with Mick Jagger about musical and personal stuff. When we got round to speaking of Jimi Hendrix, tears came to my eyes, and Mick suddenly looked very helpless and
changed the subject. "The band is going to do an American tour in the next year or so," he said. "Who shall we have for the opening act."

I brightened up right away, thinking of a talented young friend with a lousy record company. "Stevie Wonder, of course." I declared.

Jagger's face brightened. "Do you think he would?" Mick said humbly.

"Certainly," I said. "He'd love to..." I knew Stevie pretty well through a mutual friend, had been invited to see him record etc. "I'll speak to him
when I get back to LA and tell him you'll be in touch."

When I called Stevie, he got SO excited.

Still, I cannot say that he blew the Stones off the stage. After they did a few gigs together, the Stones sharpened up considerably, despite the on again--off again on stage musical performances of Mr. KR. The two bands were
dynamite together, and Jagger could not have been more respectful of seeing
that Stevie was comfortable (re having to be led on and off stage) etc.

Please understand that when I post something that is personal to me and part of
my life as "LA PERSON" I am not here to brag. If I had been born in the Mid-West of the USA, let's say, I would be quite a different person with a very
different life. Being up close and personal with "the greats" is not necessarily a picnic. One sees and hears thing that are gut-wrenching because
the music business can be tough, cruel and dangerous.

Stevie. to me, represents"joy" and triumph over adversity.