Fedepeti
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Post by Fedepeti on Oct 6, 2005 23:24:41 GMT -5
The rumour about a bomb threat on last night Stones show.
Rolling Stones concert interrupted while police, dogs search stage
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia -- The Rolling Stones interrupted their show at the University of Virginia's Scott Stadium, turning the stage over to several police officers and three bomb-sniffing dogs.
The show resumed Thursday night after about a half-hour break. University, state and city police did not immediately return phone calls about the incident, and no announcements were made to the audience about the reason for the break.
About eight songs into the show, singer Mick Jagger announced that authorities had told the band to take a 10-minute break. The stage and about the first 20 rows of spectators were cleared until police finished their work.
The Rolling Stones were making the first of only two campus stops on their tour, with the second coming Saturday at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
The two shows also are the only ones on the "A Bigger Bang" tour featuring Trey Anastasio as the opening act. Anastasio, the former Phish front man known best for his live performances, has a reputation for drawing large college-age crowds.
Spectators lined the hills, streets and balconies around the 61,000-seat stadium. (AP)
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Post by reception on Oct 12, 2005 14:58:23 GMT -5
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Post by reception on Oct 26, 2005 17:55:56 GMT -5
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Post by reception on Nov 18, 2005 13:15:04 GMT -5
Nov. 16, 7:36 AM PST Rolling Stones too loud for San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) It's only rock 'n' roll but they didn't like it.
Officials received a deluge of complaints from residents who live near SBC Park, where the Rolling Stones played to a packed stadium Sunday night. Neighbors complained of windows and floors vibrating.
"I've got no artistic judgement against the Rolling Stones, but just because they're too old to hear their music doesn't mean their music has to be so loud," said Ted Weinstein, who said he heard the noise from his home miles away.
Bob Davis, executive director of the city's Entertainment Commission, said his phone started ringing as soon as the Stones started playing.
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Post by reception on Feb 18, 2006 12:53:40 GMT -5
Feb 17, 6:25 PM EST Fans Start to Gather for Free Stones Show
By MICHAEL ASTOR Associated Press Writer RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) -- Screams and cheers greeted the Rolling Stones as they pulled up to their beach-front hotel Friday in a huge police motorcade, and die-hard fans were already staking out spots before an enormous stage on Copacabana Beach, where up to 2 million people were expected to attend the band's free concert Saturday night.
"We've been camped out here since 5:00 a.m. Thursday and we're only leaving to take baths in the ocean," said Rodrigo Barduco, a 23-year-old student from Sao Paulo.
A week before Carnival festivities hit full-swing, the concert was already drawing tourists and Brazilians to Rio de Janeiro - which knows a thing or two about hosting massive parties.
Millions of people flock to Copacabana Beach each year for the city's New Years' Eve celebration, which features fireworks, tributes to Afro-Brazilian spirit deities and bands on several stages. In 1994, 3.5 million people hit the beach to see Rod Stewart in what The Guinness World Records Web site describes as history's largest live concert. But Rio Mayor Cesar Maia is among the city officials already touting Saturday's Stones appearance as the biggest live concert ever, arguing that many of those counted at the Stewart show were on the beach to celebrate New Year's.
Stones fans were expected to fill fully half of the 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) beach. Eight video screens and 16 sound towers will give fans far from the action a glimpse of the sexagenarian rockers.
Security is a concern. Earlier this month, three people were crushed to death and 38 injured in Sao Paulo when thousands of fans surged through security barriers at an autograph session for the Mexican band RBD.
The city is deploying 10,000 police officers - about three times the usual contingent for New Year's - as well as 600 firefighters, civil defense workers and lifeguards, said Ana Maria Maia, Rio's subsecretary of special events. The city's port authority also was preparing for the huge influx of boats expected to crowd the shoreline.
As workers put the finishing touches on the enormous stage, fans were hoping for a glimpse of the band, known for hits such as "Satisfaction."
"I'm here to see them," Cristina Spacarella, a 46-year-old tourist from Argentina, said Friday. But she said she would not go to the show itself - "it's going to be too crowded."
Local media speculated that the Rolling Stones might visit the city's Sambadrome stadium, where the Carnival group Imperatriz Leopolinense was rehearsing, since Luciana Jimenez, who has a 6-year-old son with lead singer Mick Jagger, is a featured Carnival dancer for the group.
This is the Stones' third visit to the country but the first time the band has played for free in Brazil, where few can afford tickets to see top international acts.
Fans were also camping out outside Sao Paulo's Morumbi stadium on Friday, hoping to be one of the first to enter the venue where U2 is playing Monday night. Organizers were overwhelmed by huge crowds when the Irish band's tickets went on sale Jan. 16. Police were called in to restore order when some infuriated fans threatened to break into the stores where tickets were being sold.
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Post by babyboylrtm on Feb 18, 2006 12:58:22 GMT -5
They made history here last weekend. They made 3.2 mill+ in one night :O
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Fedepeti
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Post by Fedepeti on Feb 18, 2006 13:21:56 GMT -5
I'm on my way right now, a long travel from my country to Brazil. The city is a madness, according to the radio there are 800,000 people already and the show is on 6 hours. Hot girls, young people everywere and good mood. The Stones are so popular on South America. I can't wait for the shows in Argentina the next week.
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Fedepeti
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Post by Fedepeti on Feb 19, 2006 0:24:20 GMT -5
Amazing show. I'm back to the hotel after +2 hours of show and a terrible hot night. More than 1,2 million people was there, my position was 4 blocks of the stage but the screens and sound was perfect. I'm leaving to my country in 7 hours, waiting for 2 more Stones shows in 3 days and U2 the next week.
Ufff, what a night...
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Post by reception on Feb 19, 2006 12:01:21 GMT -5
Feb 19, 7:20 AM EST Rolling Stones Rock for Free in Brazil
By MICHAEL ASTOR Associated Press Writer RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) -- The spirit of carnival arrived a week early in Brazil with a free Rolling Stones concert before a crowd of over 1 million people at Copacabana Beach.
The band opened the Saturday night gig with "Jumpin' Jack Flash," cheered on by fans who had staked out spots before the enormous stage.
Fire department officials estimated the crowd was over 1 million at the show's start but that more people were coming. Officials estimated that as many as 2 million could see the concert.
"It's going to be an amazing show," said 19-year-old Barbara de Carvalho, a student from Sao Paulo who had camped on the beach since Thursday. "I've waited for this all my life." Photographers and fans also crowded around the Copacabana Palace hotel where the Stones have been staying since arriving here Friday.
Fans said the guitarists Keith Richard and Ron Wood appeared from time to time on the penthouse balcony to wave at them.
A specially erected footbridge took them from the hotel, over the beachfront Avenida Atlantica and directly to the stage.
On Friday, Mick Jagger met with his 6-year-old son Lucas, but disappointed fans who thought the Stones might turn out to see the boy's mother, the TV talk show hostess Luciana Jimenez, when she appeared as a featured dancer during a rehearsal for a samba group Friday night. Marc David, tourist from New York, in interview: David says he left a snow storm in New York to come to the concert.
The city deployed 10,000 police officers - about three times the usual contingent for New Year's, said Ana Maria Maia, Rio's subsecretary of special events.
Earlier this month, three people were crushed to death and 38 injured in Sao Paulo when thousands of fans surged through security barriers at an autograph session for the Mexican band RBD.
This is the Stones' third visit to the country but the first time the band has played for free in Brazil, where few can afford tickets to see top international acts.
Fans were also camping outside Sao Paulo's Morumbi stadium on Friday, hoping to be among the first into Monday night's concert by the Irish band U2.
Organizers were overwhelmed by crowds when the U2 tickets went on sale Jan. 16. Police were called in to restore order when some infuriated fans threatened to break into the stores where tickets were being sold.
One who won't have to wait in line to meet lead singer Bono is Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. He invited the activist-rock star to lunch on Sunday in Brasilia, the capital.
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Post by reception on Feb 20, 2006 15:11:39 GMT -5
Feb 19, 8:04 PM EST Rio Cleaning Up After Free Stones Show
By MICHAEL ASTOR Associated Press Writer RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) -- It was a gas gas gas, judging by the trash trash trash.
The Rolling Stones' free concert on Copacabana Beach attracted more than a million exhilarated spectators, and on Sunday hundreds of fans were already in line for a U2 concert in Sao Paulo.
U2, performing in Brazil for the first time since 1998, will play at Sao Paulo's Morumbi stadium on Monday and Tuesday. Band leader and activist Bono met privately with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Brasilia and lauded the president's fight against poverty.
"It is a dream to be here because Lula (Silva) is fighting against poverty not only here but also in Africa. I feel very enthusiastic about it," Bono told cheering fans at Brasilia's airport. The Stones had visited Brazil three times, but Saturday was the first time the band played for free in the country, where few can afford tickets to see top international acts.
Rio de Janeiro was still recovering Sunday from the two-hour show.
About 400 city workers hauled almost 220 tons of trash left behind by the more than 1 million people who attended the concert, which brought a carnival spirit to the city a week ahead of the world-famous annual celebration.
Civil defense officials said nearly 500 people received minor medical treatment during and after the show. The most serious cases were three stabbings during robbery attempts, but none of the victims reportedly suffered life-threatening wounds. The Stones' opened with "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and played mostly older hits, with a few songs from their newest album, "A Bigger Bang."
During the show, Mick Jagger, who has a Brazilian son, ad-libbed comments in Portuguese, delighting the crowd. At one point, he wore a white shirt with the Brazilian flag and the words "Brasil" and "Rio de Janeiro."
"I went to see the concert but couldn't see anything, not even the screens," said Lisania da Conceicao, a 22-year-old maid. "My friends came from Aruama 80 miles west of Rio and couldn't see anything either, and they were robbed."
Other tourists had better luck.
"I didn't expect I would even get close," said 24-year-old Beto Andrade, who came from the southern Parana state. "But one thing led to another and I ended up in the VIP area."
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Post by reception on Feb 21, 2006 13:47:38 GMT -5
Feb 21, 12:44 PM EST Rolling Stones Fever Mounts in Argentina
By LAUREN SMILEY Associated Press Writer
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- Rolling Stones fans sporting the band's trademark wagging tongue logo on everything from T-shirts to tattooed body parts cheered outside a hotel where the rockers settled in ahead of their upcoming Buenos Aires concerts.
Band members began arriving here Sunday after their free concert on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach Saturday night, which drew more than 1 million spectators.
During the show, Mick Jagger, who has a 6-year-old Brazilian son, ad-libbed comments in Portuguese, delighting the crowd. At one point, he wore a white shirt with the Brazilian flag and the words "Brasil" and "Rio de Janeiro."
Guitarist Keith Richards was among the first of the band members to arrive in Buenos Aires along with drummer Charlie Watts. Save brief sightings on a bus and a few fleeting appearances by Richards at a hotel window, they stayed mostly out of public view as they rested for planned performances Tuesday and Thursday in this South American capital. They closeted themselves in a luxury hotel that has morphed into ground zero for fans of the group known in Spanglish slang as "Los Rolling" - or, simply, the "Estones."
The crowd that began with a few dozen people grew to more than 150 as fans awaited the expected arrival later Monday of Jagger, who stayed a little longer in Rio, reportedly to spend more time with his son.
At one point, Richards made a daylight appearance at a hotel window with a small guitar, waving to deliriously cheering fans while a group of policemen guarded the hotel entrance.
"I'm 57 years old, but I'm such a fanatic that I feel like I'm still young," said Juan Jose Banegas, who traveled two hours by bus to join the vigil Sunday and only took a brief nap before joining the watch again after sunrise Monday. Banegas had tickets for sold-out concerts coming up this week at soccer team River Plate's "Monumental Stadium."
"I haven't slept for a week," he said. "I hope I don't have a heart attack."
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Post by reception on Feb 22, 2006 13:03:19 GMT -5
Feb 22, 12:31 PM EST Rolling Stones Rock Buenos Aires
By LAUREN SMILEY Associated Press Writer BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- The beach gig in Brazil was far bigger, but fans filled a soccer stadium and clashed with police on the streets outside as the Rolling Stones rocked Buenos Aires with their "A Bigger Bang" tour.
More than 50,000 people wearing Stones T-shirts and wagging-tongue tattoos lustily welcomed the band, whose top-grossing concert tour kicked off in the United States in August.
It wasn't the more than 1 million people who thronged Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro for a free concert Saturday night, but fever for the "Estones," as they are known in Spanglish slang, gripped this capital in the dog days of the hot South American summer.
"Hola, Argentina! Hola, Buenos Aires!" a fired-up Mick Jagger said as he kicked off Tuesday's concert just as he had done days earlier in Brazil, with one of the Stones' older hits - "Jumpin' Jack Flash."
Wearing a tight red satin jacket over a black T-shirt, he then wiggled riotously through another old favorite, "It's Only Rock 'n Roll."
"It's been eight years, and we've missed you!" Jagger shouted as the crowd roared its approval, many fans still pouring into Monumental Stadium.
Outside, police fired a water cannon at dozens of people as some knocked down barricades in an apparent bid to reach the stadium entrance.
TV news footage showed groups of young people running from police amid flying bottles. At least one car had its windows shattered and firefighters put out a burning pile of debris on the street. At least two people were reported injured, independent news agency Diarios y Noticias said, but police had no immediate report. Security was tight inside the stadium.
It was the Stones' third appearance in Argentina, after concerts in 1995 and 1998. Tuesday's concert and another planned for Thursday were sold out.
Ticket prices started at $75, a large sum for Argentines still recovering from a deep economic crisis in 2002. But many gladly paid that, and some paid even more to ticket scalpers.
Juan Jose Banegas, 57, said he saved up for weeks for tickets to both concerts.
"They're my whole life," said Banegas, who spent days lounging with other fans outside the Stones' hotel.
Dozens of fans have kept vigil for days, many of them so-called "Rolingas," who wore hairstyles with short bangs reminiscent of a Mick Jagger '70s look. Borrowing chants normally reserved for soccer teams, they waved homemade Stones flags.
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Fedepeti
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Post by Fedepeti on Feb 22, 2006 13:56:30 GMT -5
Impressive show, impressive crowd. The Stones are the most popular act of Argentina among 15-25 years old kids, with dozens of Stones' clone local bands very popular too. A sad note were the riots on the streets, fights with the police, broken cars, wild people going nuts and destroying stores and throwing stones to the police. Many people entered without tickets and many with tickets were left outside. The stadium was overfilled, with more than 32,000 only in the field. The stadium capacity is 52,000 but more than 60,000 were inside. It was a battle, but it was sadly expected. Here some pics: Headline of an Argentinean newspaper, with a guy full of blood due a bottle hit. An early pic of the crowd during the opening act, two hours before of the show.
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Post by reception on Feb 24, 2006 15:01:34 GMT -5
Feb 24, 9:39 AM EST Rolling Stones Fans Clash With Police
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- Rowdy fans trying to enter a concert by the Rolling Stones without having tickets fought running battles with police Thursday and authorities said at least 20 people were injured.
Dozens of the fans were detained, police reported.
The clashes broke out when scores of fans were stopped by police at the entrances to the Monumental soccer stadium where Mick Jagger and his band were to perform later.
Police fired rubber bullets and used water cannons and clubs. The fans replied by throwing rocks and bottles at police. Local television showed the fans being chased by police in the streets.
The Emergency Medical Service reported that at least 20 people were injured, including a television cameraman with a bleeding head.
Police had reinforced security at the stadium after minor incidents had already occurred at the Stones' first concert here Tuesday. More than 50,000 people wearing Stones T-shirts and wagging-tongue tattoos attended that concert. A similar crowd was expected Thursday night.
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Fedepeti
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Post by Fedepeti on Feb 25, 2006 14:59:05 GMT -5
A good article about the Stones mania on this country.
ARGENTINA | CULTURE The Stones still reign in Argentina
The frenzy that greets the group just gets better with age
BY MEI-LONG HOPGOOD Special to The Miami Herald
BUENOS AIRES - In Argentina, the Rolling Stones are not 'only rock 'n' roll.'' The Stones, who opened a two-show stint here Tuesday before more than 60,000 delirious fans, are more than a band in this country. They are a way of life -- los Rolling or los Estones, the band whose fans are known as rolingas.
Their following here is as fervent among teenagers as with their grandparents -- even as the average age of band members hovers around 62. And while the Stone's free beach concert in Rio de Janeiro last week attracted more than 1.2 million, the fanaticism here is seen almost daily in the streets of Buenos Aires.
Argentina may be one of the few places in the world where Mick Jagger's 1970s mop hairdo continues to be among the hottest looks. The famous Rolling Stone tongue can be seen on T-shirts, wall graffiti, tattoos and banners in soccer games. And teenagers still wear the Converse-style cloth sneakers that Jagger wore years ago. ''Argentina is the jewel, the capital of Stones fans worldwide,'' said Marcelo Quatraro, 40, who started the locally based website Midnight Rambler.
The Stones furor here actually began in the 1980s, nearly two decades after the band's heyday in the mid-1960s and early-1970s.
ALL IN THE TIMING
The country was emerging from the dark cloud of a military dictatorship. The band's words of rebellion -- though not always understood -- appealed to the masses, and ''ended up converting into a way of life, behavior, dress and attitude for generations of adolescents of the middle and lower middle class,'' said Diego Lerer, an entertainment critic at Clarín, the country's largest newspaper. ''It's a subculture that transcends generation,'' Lerer said.
The almost mythical influence of the Rolling Stones and the punk Ramones spawned hundreds of Argentine rock groups, among them them the Callejeros, or the Street Ones, the rock group whose concert in late 2004 ended in the deaths of almost 200 fans after someone lit a flare in a crowded club.
While other Latin American countries today might favor Caribbean beats and hip-hop (the most hated music style here), Argentina, continues to be a place of rock, rhythm and blues, and sometimes cumbia. Iggy Pop's 1999 song, Miss Argentina, says his Argentine love ``likes the military and the Rolling Stones. Her little brother has a T-shirt from Ramones.''
Last year, the Stone's latest album, A Bigger Bang ranked 6th among 2005 album sales and it's a current double platinum seller. A Bossa Nova-style remake of Stones songs called Bossa n'Stones, also was a popular Platinum (60,000) sell. In comparison, the US top-selling album last year (Mariah) has sold less than 1,000 copies so far according to her label, but it's actually the #1 hip hop album of the country with that shameful figure.
When the Stones first came to Argentina in 1995, fans cried and embraced and could not believe their heroes were here. They sold out 5 River Plate stadiums with an attendance of 350,000 people. The group also played here again in 1998 to other 5 sold-out crowds at the same stadium.
Perhaps the most striking part of the Stones fever is that it continues to represent the dissatisfaction of even teenagers, while the fan base in the United States tends to be dominated by baby boomers.
POPULAR WITH YOUTHS
Claudio Momenti, the owner of Lucky Seven Studio Tattoos in Buenos Aires, said the shop regularly gets requests to ink the famous Stones tongue or images from album covers into the arms and backs of clients, the faces of Mick and guitarist Keith Richards on chests. Rolling Stones tattoos are almost as popular as soccer team tattoos, he said, and the majority of the clients who want them are between ages 18 and 24.
''A lot of people, young people, still identify with the band,'' said Julian Bezek, 22, a student who went to the concert Tuesday and plans to go to the final show today. This week, the student, who like many caught the Stones fever from his mother, camped out in front of the Four Seasons Hotel where the Stones are staying, hoping to catch a glimpse of their arrivals and departures.
At the concert on Tuesday, fans -- who paid at least $50 a ticket, a fortune for many Argentine budgets -- rocked River Plate Stadium, screaming in ecstasy in response to Jagger's attempts at Spanish. Male fans of all ages danced shirtless, hairy-backed 60 year-olds alongside 16-year-olds who smelled of sweat and marijuana.
Argentine Stones fans, said Lerer, ``need their idols to leave here with the sensation that there are no others in the world like them, that venerate, know and love them as much. To understand this, you might be best off consulting a psychologist, rather than a sociologist.''
Forget the hip-hop mania in the States, in Argentina it's only rock'n roll.
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Post by reception on Feb 28, 2006 13:25:47 GMT -5
Feb 28, 11:55 AM EST Rolling Stones to Hold Concert in China SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- The Rolling Stones will hold their first-ever concert in China in April, Chinese promoters said Tuesday, three years after canceling a pair of shows on the mainland because of the SARS outbreak.
The rock greats will play Shanghai's Grand Stage, an 8,000-seat converted indoor stadium, on April 8, according to an announcement from Emma Entertainment.
"The Rolling Stones first-ever concert in China, do not miss it," the Beijing-based company said on its Web site. Tickets range from $38-$375, the site said.
The Stones had been slated to play Shanghai and Beijing in 2003, but the shows were canceled amid the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome. The April concert couldn't immediately be confirmed with the band's management, and wasn't listed on its Web site among the stops on its current "A Bigger Bang" tour, which has so far raked in well over $3 million in ticket sales.
The band is scheduled to play in Nagoya, Japan on April 4 and Sydney, Australia on April 11, according to the Rolling Stones official Web site.
China's wealthiest and most cosmopolitan city, Shanghai has drawn a growing number of major international acts from Elton John to Mariah Carey and British hard rockers Deep Purple.
The Rolling Stones are among the better known Western rock bands in China, with pirated versions of their greatest hits collection "Forty Licks" widely available in shops and on the streets.
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Post by reception on Apr 6, 2006 13:27:50 GMT -5
Apr 6, 12:11 PM EDT Rolling Stones Arrive for China Concert
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN Associated Press Writer
SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- The Rolling Stones arrived in Shanghai Thursday for their first concert in mainland China. But although the Stones may now be welcome in China, the country may not be ready for "Honky Tonk Women." "Let's Spend The Night Together?" Maybe not.
The group's 2002 greatest hits collection, "40 Licks," was cut by the censors to just 36 after those songs plus "Brown Sugar" and "Beast of Burden" were cut from the mainland Chinese release, apparently due to their suggestive lyrics. It wasn't clear if the songs would be featured when the group performs on Saturday.
A sellout crowd was expected for Saturday night's show in the relatively intimate setting of the 8,000-seat Shanghai Grand Stage in the heart of China's biggest city.
The Stones had planned to play in China three years ago, but the SARS epidemic forced them to call off the tour. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood and Charlie Watts smiled and waved at reporters after stepping off a chartered flight from Japan on Thursday, the latest stop on their marathon "A Bigger Bang" tour.
Though famous around the world for such classics as "Satisfaction" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash," the Stones are relatively unknown in China, which was mired in Maoist isolation at the height of the band's fame in the 1960s and 1970s.
Since then, relaxed cultural restrictions and the rise of a Chinese middle class have attracted many international acts to the country. Recent years have seen performances in Shanghai by Elton John, Whitney Houston and heavy-metal group Deep Purple, among others.
Shanghai was a late addition to the tour's schedule, but singer Mick Jagger was quoted in the Shanghai Daily newspaper last week as saying the band considered the city a must-see. "We all know that Shanghai is a big important city, so we wanted to make sure it's on our itinerary," Jagger said.
The Stones were booked for a pair of concerts in 2003, just as China's outbreak of the deadly virus severe acute respiratory syndrome was raging.
Those shows were called off, though the Stones did play in Hong Kong late in 2003 in a concert series meant to lift spirits following the end of the outbreak.
The band's current tour started in the U.S. in August, and has wound its way through Central and South America and Japan, including a free concert for more than 1 million people on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.
Despite their famed loyalty to the band, some Stones fans couldn't help tweaking them over their Shanghai visit.
A suggested setlist posted on the group's Web site, including such twisted takes on Stones classics as "Let's Spend the Night Together in a Workers' Paradise."
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Post by reception on Apr 7, 2006 12:47:34 GMT -5
Apr 7, 10:52 AM EDT Jagger Downplays Chinese Censorship
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN Associated Press Writer SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- The Rolling Stones have been told not to perform five of their songs at their debut concert in China, but Mick Jagger said Friday he wasn't surprised by the censorship.
"We kind of expected that. We didn't expect to come to China and not be censored," Jagger said at a news conference on the eve of the band's first performance on the mainland.
Authorities objected to four songs from the band's 2002 greatest hits collection, "40 Licks," and Jagger said officials asked them not to play one other at their concert in Shanghai.
"Fortunately, we have 400 more songs that we can play, so it's not really an issue," Jagger said. He then added, with trademark sarcasm: "I'm pleased that the Ministry of Culture is protecting the morals of the expat bankers and their girlfriends that are going to be coming" - a reference to the largely foreign, upper-class audience expected for the concert.
The four songs cut from the greatest hits collection were "Brown Sugar," "Honky Tonk Woman," "Beast of Burden," and "Let's Spend the Night Together," apparently due to their suggestive lyrics. Jagger didn't say what the fifth song was, but it was believed to be "Rough Justice," the opening track of their new album "A Bigger Bang."
A request to alter the song list was made ahead of the band's planned 2003 China concerts that were canceled due to the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome. Jagger said he'd hoped the request would be dropped, but "then it came back."
Censorship is nothing new to the Stones. In their 1967 appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," the host demanded the band change the lyrics to "Let's Spend the Night Together." As ordered, Jagger sang "let's spend some time together," but he rolled his eyes for effect. More recently, the NFL silenced Jagger's microphone during sexually suggestive passages of two of the three songs the band performed before an audience of 90 million television viewers at the Super Bowl halftime show in February.
"I don't have to tell you censorship exists in China as in other places," Jagger said.
Though visiting for the first time as a band, the Stones' presence has aroused none of the fan frenzy that has greeted them at other locations on their worldwide "A Bigger Bang" tour.
The band is relatively unknown in China, which was mired in communist isolation at the height of the band's fame in the 1960s and 1970s.
While rock has gained an audience here - music by bands such as Nirvana and Pink Floyd are widely available on pirated DVDs - the airwaves tend to be dominated by saccharine Chinese pop tunes. Last year's biggest musical event was a televised "American Idol"-style song contest.
However, Jagger said hoped a planned nationwide television broadcast of the concert by the government's China Central Television would boost exposure for the music.
And he said Cui Jian, known as the father of Chinese rock, would join the Stones on stage during the concert for a duet before the 8,000 fans at the Shanghai Grand Stage - an audience roughly 1.2 million smaller than the one that witnessed their free concert in Rio de Janeiro in February.
Most of the Shanghai tickets are believed to have been sold to non-Chinese, according to the local press. With prices between $37 and $370, tickets cost more than a monthly wage of most Chinese workers.
The newspaper Shanghai Morning Post also complained in an article that only one Chinese media outlet had been allowed to cover the band's arrival Thursday.
"The Rolling Stones come to Shanghai, but they're only performing for foreigners," read the headline on the front page of the paper's entertainment section.
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Post by reception on Apr 8, 2006 12:55:16 GMT -5
Apr 8, 1:05 PM EDT Stones Play to Packed House in China
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN Associated Press Writer SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- The Rolling Stones opened their first-ever concert in mainland China on Saturday with "Start Me Up," a song with suggestive lyrics that apparently made it past the censors who banned five other songs.
The so-called "world's greatest rock 'n' roll band" played to a packed house at Shanghai's 8,000-seat Grand Stage indoor stadium, where the audience was overwhelmingly foreign. Demand for tickets had driven up prices on the black market to $624.
Chinese rock pioneer Cui Jian, who was to perform a duet with Mick Jagger, said before the concert that the show was a "milestone" for him and all rock fans in China.
"It is a big moment. I will never forget this," said Cui, whose songs were anthems for student protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989. In a reminder of the communist government's cautious attitude toward Western pop culture, the Stones were told not to perform five songs - "Brown Sugar," "Honky Tonk Women," "Beast of Burden," "Let's Spend the Night Together" and "Rough Justice" - because of suggestive lyrics.
However, "Start Me Up," which also has suggestive lyrics, was not on the list.
At a news conference on Friday, Jagger said he was not surprised by the demand, and added sarcastically: "I'm pleased that the Ministry of Culture is protecting the morals of the expat bankers and their girlfriends that are going to be coming."
He said a planned nationwide broadcast of the concert by China Central Television - a first for a Western rock show - would help expose people to his music. "I know what rock 'n' roll is, but I've never heard of them," said a shopkeeper at a clothing stall in the city's downtown Xiangyang Market, who would only give her surname, Liu.
The band had better name recognition among younger Shanghainese, although many said the band was a little "old" for them - a reminder that Jagger, at age 62, is just one year younger than Chinese president and Communist Party leader Hu Jintao.
"We like rock music and pop like the Backstreet Boys, Mariah Carey and also Jay Chou and Rain, too," said Jamie Liao, a 17-year-old with spiked hair wearing fashionably low-cut jeans and Converse sneakers.
Chou, a Taiwanese rapper, and Korean singer Rain are among the biggest foreign stars in China.
"The Rolling Stones - they're more from the early stage," Liao said.
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Post by reception on May 23, 2006 14:00:45 GMT -5
May 23, 12:30 PM EDT Rolling Stones Postpone 2 Paris Concerts PARIS (AP) -- Two Rolling Stones concerts scheduled in Paris this summer have been indefinitely postponed, French organizers said Tuesday.
The concerts had been slated for June 3 and July 2 at the Stade de France stadium. Organizers said they had no immediate information on replacement dates.
An Aug. 8 concert in the French Riviera city of Nice was still on the tour schedule.
The Stones' "A Bigger Bang European" tour, which was to open in Barcelona, Spain, on Saturday, was postponed after 62-year-old guitarist Keith Richards suffered a head injury in Fiji on April 27. News reports variously claimed that Richards fell out of a palm tree or from a jet ski. He later had surgery in Auckland, New Zealand, to relieve pressure in his head.
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Post by reception on May 24, 2006 12:54:49 GMT -5
May 24, 10:10 AM EDT Rolling Stones Postpone 15 Tour Dates LONDON (AP) -- The Rolling Stones on Wednesday postponed the first 15 dates of their European tour as guitarist Keith Richards recovers from a head injury.
Stones publicist LD Communications said the European leg of the band's "A Bigger Bang" tour, which had been due to start Saturday in Barcelona, Spain, would now begin in July at a venue and city to be announced.
It said the rescheduled dates would be announced in the next few days.
The postponed gigs were scheduled for Barcelona and Madrid, Spain; Brussels, Belgium; Paris; Bergen, Norway; Horsens, Denmark; Gothenburg, Sweden; St. Petersburg, Russia; Brno, Czech Republic; Warsaw, Poland; Vienna, Austria; Milan, Italy; Athens, Greece; and Zagreb, Croatia. The postponement of the two Paris shows on June 3 and July 2 was announced Tuesday by French organizers.
Richards, 62, was injured April 27 in Fiji. News reports variously claimed that he fell out of a palm tree or from a jet ski. Richards later had surgery in New Zealand to relieve pressure in his head.
The Stones' official fan Web site said in a statement Monday that Richards had returned to the United States - he lives in Westport, Conn. - and "is feeling great, happy to be home and looking forward to getting back on the road with the Rolling Stones next month."
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Post by reception on Jun 2, 2006 13:18:41 GMT -5
Jun 2, 12:57 PM EDT Keith Richards and Stones Set to Tour LONDON (AP) -- The Rolling Stones, assured that Keith Richards is fully recovered from a head injury, will kick off their rescheduled European tour in Milan, Italy, on July 11.
The band is booked for 21 stadium appearances in 11 countries, it was announced Friday. Previously scheduled concerts in Nuremberg and Leipzig, Germany, have been canceled, and 10 other concerts on the tour, which had been set to open May 27 in Barcelona, Spain, have been postponed.
Richards, 62, was injured in late April when he reportedly fell out of a palm tree while vacationing in Fiji.
The tour announcement on the Stones' Web site said Richards had made a "complete recovery from his accident" and was ready to return to the concert stage. Richards, in a statement, apologized to fans.
"Excuse me, I fell off of my perch! Sorry to disrupt everyone's plans but now - it's full steam ahead! Ouch!!"
Ticket holders for rescheduled concerts should retain their tickets and await further information, the band's spokesman said.
Revised tour dates: July 11, Milan, Italy; July 14, Vienna, Austria; July 16, Munich, Germany; July 19, Hanover, Germany; July 21, Berlin; July 23, Cologne, Germany; July 28, Paris; July 31, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Aug. 3, Stuttgart, Germany; Aug. 5, Zurich, Switzerland; Aug. 8, Nice, France; Aug. 12, Porto, Portugal; Aug. 14, Valladolid, Spain; Aug. 16, El Ejido, Spain; Aug. 20, London; Aug. 22, London; Aug. 25, Glasgow, Scotland; Aug. 27, Sheffield, England; Aug. 29 - Cardiff, Wales; Sept. 1 - Bergen, Norway; Sept. 3 - Horsens, Denmark.
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Post by reception on Jun 19, 2006 17:24:05 GMT -5
Rolling Stone Ron Wood Checks into Rehab Monday Jun 19, 2006 9:55am EST
By Stephen M. Silverman People Magazine
Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood has checked into a London rehabilitation clinic for treatment of alcohol abuse, but still intends to be part of the band's "A Bigger Bang" tour next month, a rep for the band said Friday.
The tour will kick off on July 11 in Milan, Italy, Stones publicist Fran Curtis told Reuters. It had already been delayed after bandmate Keith Richards was injured while on vacation in Fiji.
Curtis also confirmed that a rep for Wood, 59, told Britain's Sun newspaper last week that Wood "needs some rest, but he will definitely be fit for the first night of the European tour."
Wood, who has long battled drinking problems and was in rehab last year, was reportedly with Richards, 62, and their wives on vacation in Fiji in late April when Richards suffered a head injury that forced the Stones to postpone the first 15 dates of their European tour.
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Post by reception on Jul 10, 2006 16:52:28 GMT -5
Jul 10, 4:01 PM EDT Keith Richards Says He's Ready to Tour
By COLLEEN BARRY Associated Press Writer MILAN, Italy (AP) -- On the eve of the relaunching of the Rolling Stones' European tour, Keith Richards said he's recovered completely from a head injury suffered in a fall - and shrugged off a question about whether he had worried about dying.
"I feel great. I can't wait to get back on the stage again. Basically everything is cool," Richards said Monday. The 62-year-old guitarist fell from a tree April 27 while vacationing in Fiji, forcing the Stones to postpone their European tour.
He later had surgery in New Zealand to relieve pressure on his brain.
"Of course they put me out like a light. I was surprised myself. ... I had total comfort. When you got to do it, you got to do it," Richards said. The Stones were to resume their "A Bigger Bang" tour Tuesday at Milan's San Siro stadium. The 21-date tour wraps up Sept. 3 in Denmark.
Asked what he's been doing since the fall, Richards responded, "I recovered. ... Six weeks, I mean not bad for a brain job."
Did he ever worry about dying? "Good one," he said, good-naturedly.
The Stones were in a jovial mood, and when the inevitable question came - what was Richards doing up in a coconut tree and did he find what he wanted? - everyone was ready to set the record straight. "That's a good one. If you saw the tree, you'd realize the joke. Fiji is not just made of coconut trees. It was a little tree," Richards said.
Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood were eager to illustrate the point, indicating a height less than half of Richards.
Richards also confirmed his role in the third installment of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series, saying he'd be filming for a week or so in September. Richards is to have a cameo role as the father of the flamboyant Captain Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp.
"Now I know why (Depp) paid for all those lunches," Richards deadpanned.
Asked what success meant to the Rolling Stones after 44 years, Richards responded: "The opportunity to continue." His bandmates nodded in agreement.
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Post by reception on Aug 8, 2006 14:44:43 GMT -5
Aug 8, 12:45 PM EDT Rolling Stones Will Play Churchill Downs LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (AP) -- Mick Jagger will strut at the home of the Kentucky Derby when the Rolling Stones perform at the famed Churchill Downs racetrack Sept. 29.
"It's an opportunity we have to bring a legendary rock group to a legendary venue," Churchill Downs President Steve Sexton said at a news conference Monday.
Seating will be in the grandstand, clubhouse and on the track. A special covering will be placed over the dirt and turf to protect the racing surfaces, Churchill Downs officials said.
The stage will be placed on the infield, facing the grandstand, giving the band an ideal view of the twin spires, sandwiched between luxury boxes. Some 50,000 tickets will be available.
The Stones haven't performed in Louisville since 1989.
The U.S. leg of their "A Bigger Bang" tour opens in Boston's Gillette Stadium on Sept. 20. The final stop is scheduled in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium on Nov. 18.
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Post by reception on Aug 11, 2006 15:43:54 GMT -5
The Rolling Stones play for Bill ClintonAt his very special birthday party The Rolling Stones are set to play former US President Bill Clinton's 60th birthday party. Clinton's birthday is on August 19, but celebrations will take place at The Stones' Beacon Theatre show in New York on October 29. The event will double as a fundraiser for Clinton's charitable foundation and is due to be filmed by legendary director Martin Scorsese, the New York Post reports.
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doodlebug
Platinum Member
Joined: November 2004
Posts: 1,530
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Post by doodlebug on Aug 11, 2006 22:25:45 GMT -5
Aug 8, 12:45 PM EDT Rolling Stones Will Play Churchill Downs LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (AP) -- Mick Jagger will strut at the home of the Kentucky Derby when the Rolling Stones perform at the famed Churchill Downs racetrack Sept. 29. "It's an opportunity we have to bring a legendary rock group to a legendary venue," Churchill Downs President Steve Sexton said at a news conference Monday. Seating will be in the grandstand, clubhouse and on the track. A special covering will be placed over the dirt and turf to protect the racing surfaces, Churchill Downs officials said. The stage will be placed on the infield, facing the grandstand, giving the band an ideal view of the twin spires, sandwiched between luxury boxes. Some 50,000 tickets will be available. The Stones haven't performed in Louisville since 1989. The U.S. leg of their "A Bigger Bang" tour opens in Boston's Gillette Stadium on Sept. 20. The final stop is scheduled in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium on Nov. 18. This is already being advertised like crazy. I wondered when I heard where it would be just how they would set it up. The place can hold over 100,000, but that is when it's full and the infield is full of people (like Derby Day). I figured they would have to set up in the infield. I think they could sell more than 50,000 though if they wanted to. Guess they are restricting the seating area to that closest to the infield center area. It is a beautiful location. Will be interesting to see if it sells out. Louisville is not really that much of a rock city any more. Very few rock stations on radio--lots more country, urban, talk, etc. But it could draw from tons of places as it is centrally located, close to several major interstates etc.
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Post by reception on Aug 14, 2006 13:40:25 GMT -5
Aug 14, 2:26 PM EDT Stones Cancel Concert in Northern Spain MADRID, Spain (AP) -- The Rolling Stones canceled a concert Monday in the northern city of Valladolid after Mick Jagger was ordered by his doctor to rest his voice.
Jagger developed laryngitis over the weekend, the Stones said in a statement on their Web site.
The British rockers had sold 37,000 tickets for Monday's appearance at the city's Zorilla soccer stadium, said Carmen Carnero, a spokeswoman for the show's promoter.
Their concert will likely not be rescheduled, Carnero said. "I am very sorry to be canceling this show," Jagger, 63, said in a statement. "I always love playing in Spain, but unfortunately I have no other choice and I apologize to everyone who bought tickets for tonight."
The Stones are scheduled to play Wednesday in El Ejido, in southern Spain, as part of their "A Bigger Bang" world tour.
They were forced to postpone the start of the European leg of the tour after Keith Richards suffered a head injury in a fall from a tree while vacationing in Fiji in April.
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doodlebug
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Joined: November 2004
Posts: 1,530
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Post by doodlebug on Aug 14, 2006 17:46:19 GMT -5
Yeah, just heard this on TV. Since he is coming here next month, they have really been covering them a lot. I can't remember the last time they were in my area. I think they said it was back in the 80s.
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marcjm
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 4,249
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Post by marcjm on Aug 14, 2006 17:58:21 GMT -5
How much has A Bigger Bang sold in the U.S?
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