Cleveland Press

Cleveland Plain Dealer

Akron Beacon Journal

Brown Sugar

Brown Sugar

Rocks Off

Gimme Shelter

Tumbling Dice

Happy

Sweet Virginia

YCAGWYW

All Down The Line

Midnight Rambler

JJF

SFM

SFM

Opening: Stevie Wonder

Jagger: “nail-studded black pants and blue jacket”

Opening: Stevie Wonder

Jagger: “a purple affair with silver studs, complemented by a funky blue jacket, a scarf and floor-length sash”

“no encores”

Opening: Stevie Wonder

Amusement Business, quoting Peter Rudge: “We wanted to spend as long a time as we could in reasonably sized halls. I was offered in excess of a million dollars to play certain outdoor facilities, such as racetracks and speedways. We could have grossed twice as much money in half the time and the temptation was there, but we wanted to give as much exposure as we could in different parts of the country. Washington, D.C., and Akron are exceptions to the outdoor rule. We want to support the Akron promoter who has done much to better and promote Rock and Roll, and crowd control in D.C. is always fantastic.”

Plain Dealer: “A scream went up in the Akron Rubber Bowl that would make old-timers think of VJ Day in a boiler factory. Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones had rolled down into the bowl in a van over the same hill used by the Soap Box Derby.”

Cleveland Press: “Jagger was dressed in a skin-tight purple velveteen jump suit with sequins. He had a gold sash, purple belt and a purple scarf around his neck. He came on stage wearing a Levi jacket, a purple and white jockey hat and white boots. The hat and jacket came off during the first number, a sweet million seller called Brown Sugar.”

Akron Beacon Journal: ”Jagger had made his entrance by skipping to the center of the stage, doffing his cap and scraping low in a courtly bow to the audience. Then he pronounced the word Ak-RON in his best Queen’s English.”

Cleveland Press: “One young girl near the front of the stage jumped up with a big sign that read ORGASM. Jagger, who couldn’t miss seeing the sign, showed a toothy grin and continued with his constant-motion performance.”

Akron Beacon Journal: “A most welcome part of the spectacle was the two huge screens, one on either side of the stage, which provided close-up video projections of the performance. Most of the time that meant Jagger, whose sensuous, androgynous features are mobile and fascinating. At times, cameramen even provided two views of Jagger at once, artfully juxtaposed on the screens.”

Cleveland Press: “Then came the scorching Midnight Rambler, a song about late-hour sexual prowls. During this tune Jagger whipped off his golden sash and started flogging the stage with it, and the spotlights turned to satanic crimson light. Then the purple belt and scarf came off and Jagger used them to tease ecstatic girls near the edge of the stage. Jagger also plays harmonica during this 10-minute rocker, and finally puts on one of his trademarks – a red, white and blue Uncle Sam top hat. The crowd crushed forward and moved a wooden fence in front of the stage, but a menacing Jagger look and a gesture for them to back off was immediately obeyed.”

Plain Dealer: “To look at the audience it was hard to believe it was taking place in Akron. Most of the youngsters looked as hairy and as elaborately dressed, at least the ones that weren’t half-nude, as the rock group which made its name for its sexy performances.”

Cleveland Press: “With temperatures well into the 90s, the first big problem came at about 5:30 p.m. Some of the refreshment stands were completely sold out of soft drinks. Young people began buying cups of ice for 30 cents, and then they took them to the rest rooms and filled them with water. About 30 minutes later, the concession stands were out of ice.”

Akron Beacon Journal: “The Stones’ Akron appearance was probably not the most transcendant, electrifying performance on their tour – the Rubber Bowl’s enormous scale tends to dissipate the nervous energy and the sense of intimacy that the group generates. But the audience clearly got its money’s worth in a smooth production. And at the end was a virtuoso display of fireworks – a universe of exploding constellations in silver and pink and green.”