Toronto
Saturday, July 15 (2 shows)
The press harvest in Toronto is quite
bountiful, featuring contributions from three local dailies, two Canadian music
papers (plus Melody Maker), one Sunday magazine, and one very
rare underground rag. Sadly, however,
there are no outright reviews of the unbooted first show by itself, and some of
the available clippings meld both concerts into composite accounts that are
tough to parse for assignable set list evidence. For example, the Beetle reviewer cites 14 of the
expected 15 songs, but because he had acquired “tickets for both shows” we
cannot be certain from his otherwise generic text that he saw all 14 at the
early performance, the late one, or both.
Indeed, one puzzling report says that the Stones played only “about 45
minutes” at the first show (as opposed to “about 70 minutes” at the second),
and this shortness would suggest fewer than 14 matinee songs. Too bad we don’t have a complete first show
tape to confirm or refute this purported (and unlikely) timing.
The Toronto nightcap does bring the first
verified (in words and photographs) STP wearing of the gold jumpsuit. (This Jagger outfit reappears at the second
Boston concert.)
2nd show |
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Guerilla |
Grapevine |
Weekend Magazine |
Brown Sugar |
Brown Sugar |
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Bitch |
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Rocks Off |
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Gimme Shelter |
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Happy |
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Tumbling Dice |
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Love In Vain |
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Sweet Virginia |
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YCAGWYW |
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All Down The Line |
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Midnight Rambler |
Midnight Rambler |
Midnight Rambler |
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Bye Bye Johnny |
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Rip This Joint |
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JJF |
JJF |
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SFM |
SFM |
Jagger: “gold crushed velvet jump suit with two
red scarves and a strange bluey denim jacket” Opening: Stevie Wonder |
Jagger: “denim jacket and cap” with “gold jump
suit” |
“15 songs” |
Weekend Magazine:
“Jagger had had two hours sleep since a big, encore-climaxed Rolling Stones
show in Detroit the night before. He and the Stones now had to do two Toronto
performances before flying to bed in Montreal.” Toronto Star:
“Master of Ceremonies Chip Monck gave the crowd instructions before the shows
began. He banned tape recording devices, and asked people with flash cameras
to use them only during the first song.” Toronto Sun:
“A thousand Kodak flashbulbs pop at Jagger, outlandish in poor-boy cap and
floor-length red scarf.” Globe and Mail:
“It ought to be pointed out that Jagger wasn’t at his very top whirling form
by Saturday night’s second show. How could he be? This was the 30th
evening’s work on the present tour, and two shows on one night, given the
kind of raw power the Stones pour into their act, seems too demanding to be
sensible.” Toronto Star:
“It was forceful spontaneity compressed into precision and technique; the two
shows, for all their vehement inspiration and stage flair, were virtually
identical, though perhaps the early performance was just marginally the more
thrilling.” Melody Maker:
“The frenzy grew during each of the two performances as Jagger used his
college-length red scarf to whip up the audience.” Toronto Star:
“At the end of the first show, Jagger showered the audience with crimson rose
petals. At the end of the second, an even greater benediction: Jagger simply
threw cold water.” Toronto Sun:
“[Jagger] spins like a whirling dervish, baptizes them in confetti and water
and exits. His disciples stand screaming and stomping for him for a full 90
seconds. The Rolling Stones have delivered a socko 67 minutes of friendly
frenzy and now it’s time to go home.” Weekend Magazine:
“The Stones were far below peak form in Toronto. It was their eighth
performance in seven days, their second that night, and it was the hottest
night in the history of the world. Jagger said it was 150 degrees in Maple
Leaf Gardens...The Toronto audience didn’t know that Keith Richard,
hard-driving lead guitarist and on-stage director, signalled an early end to
the last song because he was reeling from heat exhaustion. Richard collapsed
in a dead faint as soon as he got backstage. The troupe doctor revived him,
fed him salt pills and put him to bed in a dressing room while the rest of
the Stones sped to the airport.” Guerilla:
“When the Stones finally packed it in, everyone was drained but yelling
anyway, for them to encore. No such luck – they couldn’t have had much to go
on by that time.” Weekend Magazine:
“’What do you remember of Toronto?’ ‘Not much,’ said Jagger, ‘Fatigue. Heat.
Not just the heat, but the lack of oxygen. Why isn’t there any air conditioning
in Canada? It was terrible.’” |
Selected
Press Clippings
Toronto
Star2a * 3 * 4