The Rolling Stones gigs that ended in riots
For a decade, The Rolling Stones were the most dangerous band on the planet. Naturally, that danger followed them everywhere they went. Although it sounds like the dramatic drawl of a tabloid newspaper, attending one of their concerts did have a risk attached to it, and there was always the potential for a riot.
Their reputation as troublemakers caught mainstream attraction with a tabloid scandal in 1967 when The Rolling Stones were at the centre of a drugs bust. Although their concerts were already chaotic before then, they went up a level after the News of the World targeted them. The Rolling Stones were painted as villains, and it was an image that they used to their advantage. However, it would lead to chaotic consequences too.
“There’s a knock on the door, I look out the window, and there’s this whole lot of dwarves outside,” Richards later recalled about the bust. “I’d never been busted before, and I’m still on acid”. Although they didn’t find an astonishing amount of drugs, it was still enough for criminal proceedings to begin.
They were seen as a band that railed against the establishment. For this reason, they attracted people to their concerts who came with the sole aim of causing trouble. It wasn’t The Stones’ fault their shows were like catnip to rabble-rousers, but they did revel in being the most notorious band on the planet.
Shows by The Rolling Stones that ended in a riot
Blackpool
In 1964, The Rolling Stones came to Blackpool during Glaswegian Fair, when factory workers came down from the Scottish city to the seaside for their summer holidays. Understandably, as they were on holiday, the audience were in a feral mood, and The Stones found themselves on the receiving end of a Glaswegian riot.
Peter Fielding was a member of The Executives, who supported the Rolling Stones that night, and he later recalled to the Blackpool Gazette: “The crowd were throwing old pennies at us and shouting ‘we want the Stones! We want the Stones!’ The Stones came on and did the Bo Diddley number ‘Mona’ and started another song. One of the audience spat at Keith Richards, who tried to push him off the front of the stage with his foot.
He added: “There was a bit of a fracas and it erupted into the crowd throwing bottles and all sorts. We ran on to get our gear off and it just went bananas. The crowd got on the stage and pulled all the Stones gear off and kicked it to pieces. The band ran off for their lives.”
Holland
During the same summer as the infamous Blackpool concert, The Rolling Stones also made their mark on Dutch pop music history when they debuted at the Kurhaus theatre. The crowd erupted instantly after the show started and began swarming the stage, clambering over the theatre and causing damage to the ancient building.
Soon enough, security guards swarmed the stage to protect the band from the feisty Dutch crowd who wanted a piece of the group’s flesh. Although they likely didn’t set out with any intentions to cause malice, the police escorted the group off stage and to safety while the angry mob trashed the Kurhaus.
Dublin
When The Rolling Stones visited Dublin in 1965, anticipation was rife with their latest single ‘Out of Our Heads’ perched at the top of the charts. Although they’d only been popular for a couple of years, they were already superstars, and the red carpet was rolled out for their visit to Ireland.
On the first night of their shows at the Adelphi Theater, it only took fans 12 minutes to raid the stage after they began playing, and the concert was duly brought to a premature close. It was an eye-opening evening for the group as they realised how vastly their popularity had soared and provided a glimpse into their future. Fans worshipped them like they walked on water and were willing to put their bodies at risk to get closer to the band. Thankfully, there were no serious injuries or fatalities.
London
Following the Dublin fiasco, The Rolling Stones had to be careful with their live shows. However, there’s no way to prepare for thousands of rowdy fans ready to cause carnage. In 1966, they topped the bill at London’s Royal Albert Hall following a bill which included The Yardbirds, but The Stones were the main event for good reason.
It didn’t take long for fans to find a way past security and onto the hallowed stage of the Albert Hall, which was a frightening experience for the group that could have caused injuries. In a review of the concert for the NME, Norrie Drummond wrote: “Keith Richard was knocked to the ground, Mick was almost strangled, while Brian Jones and Bill Wyman took to their heels, followed closely by dozens of determined fans. Charlie Watts sat quietly behind his drums, watching the scene.”
Altamont
This concert in 1969 was disastrous from the beginning. When Mick Jagger arrived at the venue, he was punched by a fan who said, “I hate you”. The free concert featured The Rolling Stones as headliner, with Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and The Grateful Dead also on the bill. Still, even the mighty Grateful Dead left the stage early because of the distressing violent scenes.
As it was a free concert, it attracted people who had no interest in the music and just attended with mischief on their minds. The Stones attempted to calm the crowd throughout the show, but it fell on deaf ears, and the unthinkable heartbreakingly occurred. Tragically, Stones fan Meredith Hunter was stabbed to death by the Hell’s Angels, who were recruited as last-minute security, after he climbed to the top of the speakers and pulled out a revolver.
San Diego
After the Altamont disaster, The Rolling Stones didn’t return to America for three years, and when they did make their comeback to the States, there was trouble at almost every show. Police knew they had to be cautious when The Stones came to town, and understandably there was a significant presence at their San Diego show in 1972 which only aggravated their fanbase.
The main problem for their concert at the Sports Arena was counterfeit tickets, and fans were furious when they were denied entrance to the show. However, letting them in would have caused a stampede inside as it would have been overpopulated. Therefore, they were caught in a lose-lose situation. Outside the venue, 500 fans fought with the police, leading to 15 people suffering injuries and 60 arrests. It was a sorry scenario but an all-too-common problem faced by The Stones in 1972.
