THE ROLLING STONES- Twentieth Century

Written by Backstage Bruce

My first time- Bill Graham Presents, Candlestick Park 'Tattoo You' Tour '81

Mick signed the back. In the middle, he wrote "Hi!"

    In 1989, The Rolling Stones announced that they will be going on tour, for the first time in eight years, since the 'Tattoo You' Tour, starting in September. At the time, I was working at a hotel right next door to The Nassau Coliseum. We get a reservation for 40 rooms for the entire month of August. Immediately we knew something was up and within no time it was confirmed that The Rolling Stones were going to rent out the coliseum, for the entire month, to rehearse before the tour. That meant the crew will be staying with us the entire time. 

    I was working as a doorman the day the crew arrived. They met me first. I see them step off the bus. They were all wearing their credentials, backstage passes for access to get to work. I wanted one. I welcomed them and unload all the luggage. They all get checked in and settled. 

    We started seeing them around daily. They were away from their families so they were on the pay phones sometimes and they were always receiving mail and deliveries, so we got to know them by name. One day, one of the crew members, who was wearing his backstage pass, was at the luggage desk, checking on a package. While the bellman went to get it, I took that moment to chat him up. 

    I asked how the rehearsals were going and he told me that they will start up soon. The first week they constructed the stage inside the coliseum. I said I would like to see some of the rehearsals and I came right out and asked him if I could make a copy of his pass. He took it off his neck and handed it to me! I walked over to my buddy at the front desk, where the copy machine was, and handed it to him and told him to make two copies real quickly and he did. 

    I handed it back to the crew member, the bellman handed him his package and off he went. Now, at the hotel, they have a gym with a pool, downstairs, and they happen to sell outside memberships. That means they have a laminating machine right there in the gym for the membership cards. We realize we are going to need a third copy to bring another person into the fold. 

    So, front desk and I ran on down there and in no time, like magic, the three of us (front desk, gym and doorman) all had backstage passes to see The Rolling Stones during their rehearsals, which hadn't even started yet! I went and bought three-lifeguard whistles the next day so we would have that string, to wear around our necks, for our new passes. They looked so good.

    About two-days later, the rehearsals got underway, after the stage had been erected and the sound was checked. I lost count how many times I went. One day, I brought my 'Tattoo You' ticket stub and asked Mick to sign it and he did.  

My BSP for three weeks during rehearsals

Promo Poster for Steel Wheels Tour

    

    The tour kicked off August 31, 1989, Labor Day weekend at VETS Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. And I was there with my friend Doug Cooper.

Opening night, 'Steel Wheels', road cruise to Philly

    

    The show was fantastic, the stage was huge. One highlight of the evening is when they played '2000-Light Years From Home', from 'Their Satanic Majesties Request'. I did get to see them a few more times during The Steel Wheels tour when they returned to the NYC area, at the old Shea Stadium. The stage was so huge that obstruction lights needed to be installed, on top of it, for all the air traffic from the nearby LaGuardia Airport. It rained, Mick wore a long-yellow raincoat. They played 'Angie' which was awesome! They rarely play that so it was a real treat to hear.

Opening night, 'Voodoo Lounge', road cruise to D.C. 

    Five years later, 1994, Stones kick off another tour, 'Voodoo Lounge' and I'm all over that one too. We (Rich, Liam & I) went to R.F.K. stadium for opening night. That stadium's closed now. I ran into a buddy from work there, Mark Sullivan. That was crazy. It was another great show a fun time was had by every one. Saw them next, when they were in the area, at the Meadowlands, where the NY Giants play. 

Train cruise to Syracuse

    Three years later, 1997, Stones kicked off another tour, 'Bridges to Babylon', in Chicago, at Soldier's Field. We (Liam & I, this time) went. I can't locate that ticket stub right now, 24-years later, but I do remember going opening night. John Popper was the support act. We stayed at the same hotel as he did, Starwood, really nice, five stars. We were leaving the hotel the same time he was. We were waiting for a cab and he stepped on his bus and I wish, to this day, I would have asked if we could ride over with him, but I didn't. I sure would now-a-days.

    John Popper wailed on the harmonica, that was really great to see. I remember seeing both Bill Wyman backstage and Billy Corgan, he is a Chicago boy. Saw The Stones a few more times during this tour including Syracuse University and my hometown, NYC, all three nights. 

I'm home, front row The Garden

Next night, Mick different outfit, me still front row. They kept throwing their bras on stage after all these years. 

    Houston was a fun stop on the tour, I went to both of those shows. The hospitality in Texas was very gracious. 

Houston, TX. Mick is looking right at me. 

    

    It was now time to join The Stones oversees. They were playing in Amsterdam for five-nights in a row and were recording for a live album. I flew across the Atlantic for that and stopped in for a few shows. I had a VIP backstage pass waiting for me when I stepped off the plane. I felt like the King of The Netherlands. 

My tickets for Holland are written in Dutch and my BSP

    

    So after following them around for a while, they released the live album 'No Security' and kicked off another tour to support it, their fourth tour in ten years. And I was there for opening night for that one too. 

Opening night, 'No Security', flight cruise to San Fran

    Bryan Adams ('Run To You', 'Everything I  Do, I Do For You') opened, he was great. That night Jerry Hall was in the audience and The Stones performed 'Some Girls'. That was the very first time I had ever heard it live. There is a line "Some girls take all my money." Speculation was made that Mick may have been alluding to their recent divorce settlement. I went with friends, Liz & George. R.I.P. George, this was one great memory. 

    I would get to see them a few more times this tour when they returned to New York, again at The Garden, my front yard. This town's in tatters. All this fun was last millennium. 

    I had to curtail my activities for a wee bit, I was in a bicycle accident in Central Park. (I missed out on both the 'Forty Licks' and the '50 and Counting' tours)  I did see them again in 2005, at The Garden, during the 'Bigger Bang' tour. I'm all better now, back in the game, riding bikes, recently saw them during the 'No Filter' tour 2019 at MetLife Stadium, my back yard. The show was absolute perfection. They looked and sounded great after all these years. The Wombats, from Australia, opened, the whole show was quite enjoyable, very entertaining. 

    I, like millions of fans, were making plans to see them, on the second leg, of their 'No Filter' tour across North America, in 2020. We can only hope, everything gets back to some sort of normalcy soon and The Stones announce their next tour. Fingers crossed. 

The collection: backstage passes, ticket stubs and guitar picks.