The Rolling Stones have a history of playing impromptu shows in smaller venues.
As recently as Oct. 25, the Stones played the 700-capacity La Trabendo in Paris, where tickets were just $20 if you were one of the lucky few to get in.
The practice of the greatest rock ’n’ roll band in the world playing less than arena-sized venues goes back decades. The 1977 Stones gig at the El Mocambo in Toronto is immortalized on side three of their double album, Love You Live. Toad’s Place in New Haven, Conn., hosted 700 fans for a 1989 Stones gig. It was the band’s way of saying thank you to the community, where they rehearsed for six weeks prior to their Steel Wheels tour. Once again in Toronto in 1994, a club date for 1,000 fans was announced the day of the show. Proceeds from that performance went to support Covenant House, a charity for youth at risk.
There are lots of sloppy bootleg recordings of these impromptu shows floating around, so the prospect of one of them surfacing, with well shot video and properly mixed audio, is windfall for Stones fans. That’s why the CD/ DVD set of a historic November night in 1981, titled Muddy Waters and The Rolling Stones – Checkerboard Lounge Live, Chicago 1981, released in July of this year by Eagle Rock Entertainment, is so momentous.
On Nov. 22, 1981, Buddy Guy flew home to Chicago after playing a gig in Vancouver with Junior Wells. He headed directly from the airport to the club he owned, Checkerboard Lounge, on the windy city’s south side. The street in front of the club was blocked off, and it was only after a police officer recognized Guy that he was allowed to pass. It was on that night that the Rolling Stones, on a North American tour, decided to drop in on Muddy Waters, who was playing the tiny club just down the street from his house.
I spoke with Buddy Guy on the phone in late September, as he was crossing the country on his current tour. He fondly recalls the night the Stones played his south side Chicago club.
The historic DVD footage captures the funky ambiance. The evening starts with Muddy Waters' band. You see several empty tables pressed up against the tiny stage. After a few tunes, the Stones’ entourage arrives, whiskey bottles in hand. After a few more tunes, Muddy Waters brings up Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for “Champagne and Reefer.” The place is so packed that Richards has to crawl over his table to get to the stage. Ronnie Wood joins in the fun, and the party is on. It turns into a loose, fun-filled set of classic Chicago blues. Guy and Wells are added to the mix for “Mannish Boy,” raising the energy level even higher. It was a historic jam session that, thankfully, was captured on tape.
If you missed the $20 Paris show last month, you can catch the band celebrating their 50 years in rock ’n’ roll at any of the four shows planned in London and New York. Tickets for those shows, however, are going for $150 to $1,200 a pop. Or, you can relive history on DVD in the comfort of your living room, where the beer is likely much cheaper as well.
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