Madison Square Garden
I got home from Jr High School one afternoon and started listening to my favorite local radio station, WLIR. The Stones announced the 1975 Tour of the Americas - with tickets going on sale that same day.
I listened live on the radio when the Stones came out on a flatbed truck on Fifth Avenue at lunchtime to play a version of Brown Sugar to startled businesspeople on their lunch hour, and kick off the tour.
I waited impatiently for my Mom to get home so that I could ask her to drive me to get tickets - the closest ticketmaster outlet being at a record store in Lynbrook, NY called Frog's. She took me over there around 2.30pm and already the line wrapped around several blocks. I stayed on line into the evening (she left and came back later) and I finally purchased two tickets at around 10.30pm. There was nothing left except the highest sections of the Garden but I was still totally excited. I was 14 years old and knew I would be going to see the greatest rock band in the world, at Madison Square Garden.
On this tour Ronnie Wood joined for the first time (I had seen him already with Faces); the flower pedal stage was used - it opened at the beginning (to the opening bars of Honky Tonk Woman) to reveal Mick and the Stones inside, before Jagger rolled down the front pedal as it slowly opened further; the inflatable fallic balloon made an appearance during Star Star. The incomparable Billy Preston played keyboards. Later in the show when the band was revving on all cylinders, during Brown Sugar and Jumpin Jack Flash they simply turned on all of the house lights as everyone went bonkers.
Below: Creem magazine article on the 1975 Tour, click arrows to browse pages.
