Rolling Stones - 1973-10-17 Brussels 1st show

Rolling Stones 1973-10-17 Brussels 1st show 0:00 Introduction 0:23 Brown Sugar 3:41 Gimme Shelter 9:24 Happy 12:38 Tumbling Dice 17:47 Dancing With Mr. D 22:18 Heartbreaker 27:29 Angie 32:00 You Can't Always Get What You Want 43:01 Midnight Rambler 56:01 Honky Tonk Women 59:08 All Down The Line 1:02:46 Rip This Joint 1:04:50 Jumpin' Jack Flash 1:08:08 Street Fighting Man Notes from dangerousminds.net, by Bart Bealmear. In support of their new record, Goat’s Head Soup, the Stones launched the 1973 European trek on September 1st in Vienna. Though significantly less dramatic than their infamous 1972 U.S. tour, the outing still had its moments. Take this one, in which saxophonist Bobby Keys quits the band right before the first of two scheduled performances that were to take place in Brussels, Belgium, on October 17th. In his autobiography, Life, Richards describes the scene: No sign of Bobby at the band assembly that day, and finally I was asked if I knew where my buddy was—there had been no reply from his hotel room. So I went to his room and said, Bob, we gotta go, we gotta go right now. He’s got a cigar, bathtub full of champagne and this French chick in [the tub] with him. And he said, fuck off. So be it. The Stones had booked the shows in Brussels due to its proximity to France, as they were banned from entering the country after behaving badly while recording Exile on Main St. in Villefranche-sur-Mer. The Brussels gigs took place at the Forest National arena. With a live album in mind, the Stones recorded both Brussels performances. Though the live LP idea was eventually scrapped, the public did eventually get to hear portions of the Belgian recordings via the syndicated radio program, The King Biscuit Flower Hour, in both stereo and FM quadraphonic 4-track. Naturally, the KBFH broadcast was subsequently bootlegged. On the Brussels recordings, the Stones—augmented by keyboardist Billy Preston, as well a horn section—are in fine form, for sure, but the absolute highlight of the tapes is the version of “Street Fighting Man,” the final song played during each of their sets that day. From the get-go, the energy of the band is palpable. Keith, especially, stands out, as he doesn’t seem to be playing his guitar as much as stabbing the thing, but it’s when Mick Taylor steps on his wah-wah pedal (in place of the shehnai) that this rendition starts to become spectacular. As the number continues, Bill Wyman’s bass swoops, the horns squeak and squawk, and the tempo increases and increases until the music ceases to be just that, morphing into a riotous, stunning wave of sound.