THE ROLLING STONES FIRST TOUR
When the Rolling Stones began gigging seriously, in early 1963, they played in and around London, mostly clubs and pubs. In mid July they drove the 268 miles north to play the Alcove Club in Middlesbrough, their first gig away from their home, and over the ensuing 76 days they went on a whirlwind of clubs and ballrooms throughout the UK. All this was in support of their debut single, ‘Come On’ that came out in early June and it paid off because at the end of August the band reached No.20 on the NME chart. But these were just random gigs, opportunistically put together by their managers who were eager to get them as much exposure as possible.
It was in June that the band heard from their co-manager, Eric Easton that he had secured them a slot on a prestigious package tour in the autumn, which was to star the Everly Brothers, they had already had 4 No.1 records, and Bo Diddley. According to Brian Jones in an interview for a pop paper at the time, “This is a wonderful break for us and we’re looking forward to meeting the American duo. For the present we are coping with plenty of dates in and around the London area. We don’t hear enough about the London scene in these days of Liverpool domination, but we’re hoping we’ll fly the flag of the Capital when we get on our tour”
The Rolling Stones first tour – 30 dates in 36 days – got under way on Sunday 29 September at London’s New Victoria Theatre and according to a report in the NME, the week before the opening night, the band was really looking forward to one thing more than anything else. “For us, the big thrill is that Bo Diddley will be on the bill! He’s been one of our great influences. It won’t be a case of the pupils competing with the master, though. We’re dropping from our act on the tour all the Bo Diddley numbers we sing”
Package tours were very much a 60’s phenomenon, with as many acts packed onto the bill as a promoter could squeeze into two hours; two hours that included an interval so that fans could cool down with an ice cream. Stage managing such a fast paced show was no mean feat and for this tour promoter Don Arden, father of Sharon, the future Mrs Ozzy Osbourne, hired one of the best in the business, Peter Grant, who would a few years later manage Led Zeppelin.
Compered by comedian, Bob Bain the opening act was a long forgotten band called The Flinstones, followed by Mickie Most, who had made No.45 on the charts in July with a song called ‘Mr Porter’ (he became a very successful record producer, among his hits was the Animals, ‘House of The Rising Sun’), then the Stones and Bo Diddley who closed the first half of the show. The Flintstones and then Bob Bain got the second half underway and prior to the bill topping Everlys, British singer Julie Grant who had a couple of minor hits earlier in the year did her turn; she was only on the bill because Eric Easton managed her.
Tour programme
Even in the first week it became clear that the Everlys, whose star had waned since the coming of the Beatles and the other beat groups, were not selling enough tickets. According to Don Arden, “The Everly Brothers had definitely had it. I phoned up Little Richard and said ‘Richard you’ve gotta help me out’ He said ‘Ok’.” And he did and by the time the tour reached Watford’s Gaumont cinema, its seventh date, the American was added to the bill.
The stones set lasted barely 10 minutes and to begin with they played ‘Poison Ivy’, ‘Fortune Teller’, ‘Come On’ and ‘Money’. As the tour progressed they substituted ‘Roadrunner’ and ‘Memphis Tennessee’, quickly dropping ‘Come On’ which none of the band liked.
On 6 October after the Stones did their ten minute set at the second show in Cardiff they all jumped in their new VW van and drove to London to record what was to be their new single at De Lane Lea Music in Soho. It was a cover of the Beatles’ ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, and soon afterwards the Stones introduced it into their set.
According to Bill Wyman it was in Cardiff that Little Richard went down a storm. “Little Richard brought the house down, when he jumped off-stage, went up the centre aisle followed by members of the audience, out the front doors, then back in through a side exit and back onstage. He then proceeded to partly undress and throw pieces of clothing into the crowd. He performed way past his scheduled time. His manager would stand side-stage and yell to him ‘Richard! Stop preaching’, to get him off.” His set was normally ‘Long Tall Sally’, ‘Rip It Up’, ‘Tutti Frutti’, and ‘Lucille’ – it doesn’t come more high-octane than that!
Most people who witnessed this tour were not there to see the Stones and that included the journalists. A few days after the opening night the NME’s reporter noted, “I can freely admit to bewilderment at recognition of the Rolling Stones. They won great appreciation for ‘Poison Ivy’, ‘Fortune Teller’, their hit parade success ‘Come On’ and ‘Money’. But not from me”. By the time the Stones got to Southend, the 5th night of the tour, the local paper decreed, “We couldn’t really give a verdict on the Stones, the up and coming young group with the caveman hairstyles, because we hardly understood a word they sang, but the teenage girls screamed, and they are the ones who put such groups on the recording map”
The Stones certainly had fun. According to Mick Jagger at the time, “We all used to bowl along to the Everly’s dressing room and sort of join forces, just for kicks. Can you imagine it? That night we were singing numbers like ‘La Bamba’, and going mad with tambourines and maracas at the same time! It really was fantastic. The Everlys, really are artists. The first thing that strikes you about them is their professionalism – and that Don is the most talkative of the two.” Bill Wyman later said, “On Friday 4 October Little Richard flew in from America to join the tour the following day, while we played two shows in Guildford. In the interval we jammed backstage with Bo Diddley, the Everlys and their band. We played a lot of Elmore James songs, with Brian playing slide. You should have seen Bo’s face when Brian pulled off the licks perfectly.”
In the souvenir programme for sale on the tour Mick was quoted as saying, “I give the Stones about another two years”
Fifty plus years later the Stones are still touring, although these days their set is a little longer than 10 minutes…and they still don’t play, ‘Come On’...
http://www.udiscovermusic.com/rolling-stones-first-tour