Bridges to Babylon Tour
Bridges to Babylon Tour 1997/1998 | ||
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Tour by Rolling Stones | ||
Dates | September 4, 1997 - September 19, 1998 |
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Legs | 3 | |
Shows | 56 in North America 37 in Europe 6 in Japan 2 in Brazil 2 in Mexico 5 in Argentina 108 in total |
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Rolling Stones tour chronology | ||
Voodoo Lounge Tour (1994-1995) |
Bridges to Babylon Tour (1997-1998) |
No Security Tour (1999) |
The Bridges to Babylon Tour was a 1997-1998 concert tour by The Rolling Stones, in support of their album Bridges to Babylon.
Contents |
History
The tour was announced in a press conference held underneath the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. The motto used was "Proves the World's Best Band is just that."
The tour began on September 9, 1997 in Toronto, Canada, and played across 56 shows in North America, 9 shows in South America, 6 shows in Japan and 37 shows in Europe. It concluded on September 19, 1998 in Istanbul, Turkey.
After rehearsing 19 shows in Toronto, there were 34 autumn shows, 21 winter ones, 15 during spring and 37 during summer. Five in total were cancelled in Marseilles, Paris, Lyon, Bilbao and Gijón, and five more were postponed in Italy, Ireland and Great Britain.
The stage was a new age development with impressive special effects and lights. Most shows ran from 9:00pm to 11:00pm. The signature opening was when the circular screen in the centre exploded with fireworks to give way to the image of guitarist Keith Richards playing the classic riff from "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", the perennial opener for the tour. It was also the first time the band adopted the B stage, which U2 made famous, years earlier, at the Zoo TV tour.
The Bridges to Babylon Tour was the largest Rolling Stones tour at the time, exceeding sales of their record-breaking 1994-1995 Voodoo Lounge Tour. It was believed 4,577,000 people attended the tour over the 108 shows - 2,020,000 in Europe, 2,009,000 in North America, 348,000 in Argentina/Brazil and 200,000 in Japan. The tour reached 25 countries and is the second largest North American tour of all time - second to the Rolling Stones' subsequent A Bigger Bang Tour. Many critics considered Bridges to Babylon one of the band's weaker albums in recent times, so perhaps it is remarkable that the supporting tour was one of the largest in history.
The best recordings of the tour were sold a year later on a live album called No Security. As a result, the band commenced another tour in support of this album called the No Security Tour. It played to much smaller venues and fewer destinations. The Bridges to Babylon Tour show in St. Louis, Missouri was later sold on DVD and became a fast seller.
Opening acts
Opening acts included: Bob Dylan, Foo Fighters, Sheryl Crow, The Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews, Matchbox 20, Fiona Apple, The Corrs, Third Eye Blind, The Wallflowers, Simple Minds and Big Country.
At the Brazilian leg of the tour, Bob Dylan was the main opening act and joined the band for the performance of "Like a Rolling Stone" on both concerts.
Personnel
- Band members: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ron Wood.
- Other musicians: Blondie Chaplin, Lisa Fischer, Bernard Fowler, Darryl Jones, Bobby Keys, Chuck Leavell.
- Tour director: Michael Cohl
- Musical director: Chuck Leavell
- Costume design: -
- Worldwide promoter: Concert Productions International
- Worldwide presentation: WPC Piecemeal Inc.
Tour dates
The following are the dates where the Rolling Stones played on the Bridges to Babylon Tour. Dates and destinations are included and event centre in a select few.
Fall/Winter 1997
- Canada 04/09/97 - Toronto, Ontario - Horseshoe Tavern
- USA 18/09/97 - Chicago, Illinois - Double Door
- USA 23/09/97 - Chicago, Illinois - Soldier Field
- USA 25/09/97 - Chicago, Illinois - Soldier Field
- USA 27/09/97 - Columbus, Ohio - Ohio Stadium
- Canada 30/09/97 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - Winnipeg Stadium
- Canada 02/10/97 - Edmonton, Alberta - Commonwealth Stadium
- USA 06/10/97 - Madison, Wisconsin - Camp Randall Stadium
- USA 08/10/97 - Orchard Park, New York - Rich Stadium
- USA 10/10/97 - Charlotte, North Carolina - Ericsson Stadium
- USA 12/10/97 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Veterans Stadium
- USA 16/10/97 - East Rutherford, New Jersey - Giants Stadium
- USA 17/10/97 - East Rutherford, New Jersey - Giants Stadium
- USA 20/10/97 - Foxborough, Massachusetts - Foxboro Stadium
- USA 21/10/97 - Foxborough, Massachusetts - Foxboro Stadium
- USA 23/10/97 - Landover, Maryland - Jack Kent Cooke Stadium
- USA 25/10/97 - Port Chester, New York - Capitol Theater
- USA 26/10/97 - Nashville, Tennessee - Vanderbilt Stadium
- USA 28/10/97 - Norman, Oklahoma - Owen Field
- USA 30/10/97 - Albuquerque, New Mexico - University Stadium
- USA 01/11/97 - Fort Worth, Texas - Texas Motor Speedway
- USA 07/11/97 - Tempe, Arizona - Sun Devil Stadium
- USA 09/11/97 - Los Angeles, California - Dodger Stadium
- USA 10/11/97 - Los Angeles, California - Dodger Stadium
- USA 14/11/97 - Oakland, California - Oakland Alameda County Coliseum
- USA 15/11/97 - Oakland, California - Oakland Alameda County Coliseum
- USA 18/11/97 - Oakland, California - Oakland Alameda County Coliseum
- USA 19/11/97 - Oakland, California - Oakland Alameda County Coliseum
- USA 22/11/97 - Las Vegas, Nevada - MGM Grand Garden Arena
- USA 25/11/97 - Minneapolis, Minnesota - Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
- USA 28/11/97 - Seattle, Washington - Kingdome
- USA 02/12/97 - Pontiac, Michigan - Pontiac Silverdome
- USA 05/12/97 - Miami, Florida - Orange Bowl
- USA 07/12/97 - Orlando, Florida - Citrus Bowl
- USA 09/12/97 - Atlanta, Georgia - Georgia Dome
- USA 12/12/97 - St. Louis, Missouri - TWA Dome (concert was recorded and shown on television as a Pay-per-view special, then later relased on DVD)
Winter 1998
- Canada 05/01/98 - Quebec City, Quebec - Colisée de Quebec
- USA 14/01/98 - New York, New York - Madison Square Garden
- USA 16/01/98 - New York, New York - Madison Square Garden
- USA 17/01/98 - New York, New York - Madison Square Garden
- USA 21/01/98 - Hawaii, Hawaii -
- USA 23/01/98 - Honolulu, Hawaii - Aloha Stadium
- USA 24/01/98 - Honolulu, Hawaii - Aloha Stadium
- Canada 28/01/98 - Vancouver, British Columbia - BC Place Stadium
- USA 30/01/98 - Portland, Oregon - Rose Garden
- USA 31/01/98 - Portland, Oregon - Rose Garden
- USA 03/02/98 - San Diego, California - Qualcomm Stadium
- Mexico 07/02/98 - Mexico City, Mexico - Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez
- Mexico 09/02/98 - Mexico City, Mexico - Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez
- USA 12/02/98 - Houston, Texas - The Summit
- USA 13/02/98 - Houston, Texas - The Summit
- USA 15/02/98 - Las Vegas, Nevada - The Joint
Spring 1998
- Japan 12/03/98 - Tokyo, Japan - Tokyo Dome
- Japan 14/03/98 - Tokyo, Japan - Tokyo Dome
- Japan 16/03/98 - Tokyo, Japan - Tokyo Dome
- Japan 17/03/98 - Tokyo, Japan - Tokyo Dome
- Japan 20/03/98 - Osaka, Japan - Osaka Dome
- Japan 21/03/98 - Osaka, Japan - Osaka Dome
- Argentina 29/03/98 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Estadio Monumental
- Argentina 30/03/98 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Estadio Monumental
- Argentina 02/04/98 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Estadio Monumental
- Argentina 04/04/98 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Estadio Monumental
- Argentina 05/04/98 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Estadio Monumental
- Brazil 11/04/98 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Praça da Apoteose
- Brazil 13/04/98 - São Paulo, Brazil - Estádio do Morumbi
- USA 17/04/98 - Syracuse, New York - Carrier Dome
- Canada 19/04/98 - Montreal, Quebec - Centre Molson
- Canada 20/04/98 - Montreal, Quebec - Centre Molson
- USA 23/04/98 - Chicago, Illinois - United Center
- Canada 26/04/98 - Toronto, Canada - SkyDome
Summer 1998
- Germany 13/06/98 - Nuremberg, Germany - Zeppelinfeld
- Belgium 20/06/98 - Werchter, Belgium - Festival Site
- Belgium 21/06/98 - Werchter, Belgium - Festival Site
- Germany 24/06/98 - Dusseldorf, Germany - Rheinstadion
- Germany 26/06/98 - Hannover, Germany -
- Netherlands 29/06/98 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Amsterdam ArenA
- Netherlands 01/07/98 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Amsterdam ArenA
- Netherlands 02/07/98 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Amsterdam ArenA
- Netherlands 05/07/98 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Amsterdam ArenA
- Netherlands 06/07/98 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Amsterdam ArenA
- Switzerland 09/07/98 - Frauenfeld, Switzerland -
- Austria 11/07/98 - Wiener Neustadt, Austria -
- Germany 13/07/98 - Munich, Germany - Olympiastadion
- Spain 16/07/98 - Málaga, Spain -
- Spain 18/07/98 - Vigo, Spain - Estadio Balaidos
- Spain 20/07/98 - Barcelona, Spain - Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys
- France 25/07/98 - Paris, France - Stade de France
- Germany 27/07/98 - Gelsenkirchen, Germany - Parkstadion
- Denmark 29/07/98 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Parken Stadium
- Sweden 31/07/98 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Nya Ullevi
- Norway 02/08/98 - Oslo, Norway - Valle Hovin
- Finland 05/08/98 - Helsinki, Finland - Olympiastadion
- Estonia 08/08/98 - Tallinn, Estonia - Song Festival Grounds
- Russia 11/08/98 - Moscow, Russia - Luzhniki Stadium
- Poland 14/08/98 - Chorzow, Poland - Stadion Śląski
- Croatia 20/08/98 - Zagreb, Croatia -
- Czech Republic 22/08/98 - Prague, Czech Republic =
- Germany 26/08/98 - Berlin, Germany - Olympiastadion
- Germany 28/08/98 - Leipzig, Germany -
- Germany 30/08/98 - Hamburg, Germany -
- Germany 02/09/98 - Bremen, Germany - Weserstadion
- Netherlands 05/09/98 - The Hague, Netherlands -
- Sweden 08/09/98 - Stockholm, Sweden - Globen
- Germany 10/09/98 - Berlin, Germany -
- Germany 12/09/98 - Mannheim, Germany -
- Greece 16/09/98 - Athens, Greece - Olympic Stadium
- Turkey 19/09/98 - Istanbul, Turkey - Ali Sami Yen Stadium
Spring/Summer 1999
May:
June:
- Netherlands 02 Groningen, Holland, Drafbaan Stadspark
- United Kingdom 04 Edinburgh, Scotland, Murrayfield Stadium
- United Kingdom 06 Sheffield, England, Don Valley Stadium[citation needed]
- United Kingdom 08 London, England, Shepherds Bush Empire
- United Kingdom 11 London, England, Wembley Stadium
- United Kingdom 12 London, England, Wembley Stadium
- Spain 15 Santiago de Compostela, Spain, Monte Do Gozo
- Netherlands 18 Landgraaf, Holland, Megaland
- Germany 20 Cologne, Germany, Müngersdorfer Stadion
Set lists
The concerts featured older hits such as "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll", "Mixed Emotions" and "Brown Sugar" as well as new tracks including "Anybody Seen My Baby", "Saint Of Me", and "Out Of Control". The full track list played at the concerts changed at every destination and included new and old songs. A selection of new material seemed to be frequent as well as a song sung by guitarist Keith Richards called "I Wanna Hold You".
The set list of songs was adjusted for every destination, although "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" opened almost every concert and they always closed with "Brown Sugar". The list of songs played was quite long for a concert with 23 tracks - 5 more than being played on the later A Bigger Bang Tour. All songs were sung by Mick Jagger except for Keith Richards doing vocals on a few songs These songs included "All About You" and "You Don't Have To Mean It". The most used songs from Bridges to Babylon were "Anybody Seen My Baby?", "Saint Of Me" and "Out Of Control".
The following is the set list played at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on November 9, 1997:
- "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
- "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll"
- "Let's Spend the Night Together"
- "Flip the Switch"
- "Gimme Shelter"
- "Anybody Seen My Baby?"
- "Saint Of Me"
- "Bitch"
- "Out Of Control"
- "Under My Thumb" - Request from Audience
- "Miss You"
- - - Introduction - -
- "All About You" (Keith Richards)
- "I Wanna Hold You" (Keith Richards)
- "Little Queenie"
- "The Last Time"
- "You Got Me Rocking"
- "Sympathy for the Devil"
- "Tumbling Dice"
- "Honky Tonk Woman"
- "Start Me Up"
- "Jumpin' Jack Flash"
- "Brown Sugar"