By Brian Ives
On Minimation, we comb through the CBS Radio interview archives and animate interviews with legendary artists. In this interview from 1977, Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones discuss the spectacle of their stadium and arena concerts.
The Rolling Stones recently announced their latest U.S. trek, the ZIP CODE Tour. The press release informed us that the stage design for the tour will include “a thrust that extends deep into the audience allowing the Stones to interact directly with their fans.” In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Mick Jagger said that they will bring a “video-based stage with lots of screens,” and he also noted that he picks the design of their stages, describing this one by saying, “It’s a video-based stage with lots of screens, so it’s important what goes on them. We’ve got some new pieces for the video. I’m pretty involved in all that.”
Their stage design is something that he’s been involved with for decades. Over the years, the Stones have sported stages in the shape of their logo (with fans buying high-priced general admission tickets to be inside the lips-shaped runway), stages with towers with limited seating (also high-priced), stages that move through the crowd, and stages with elevators that put Jagger on the top of whatever stadium they’re in.
The Stones have been raising the game on arena and stadium rock since the art form began. In this 1977 interview, drummer Charlie Watts, always a no-nonsense guy with not much use for spectacle, and bassist Bill Wyman discuss the band’s new stage, which included a (gasp) big ramp. “[Jagger] wanted to be able to jump 60 feet in the air,” Watts mused. “The thing that’s a drag about all those things… is all you’re interested in is playing the drums.” And by that, Watt obviously meant that all he is interested in are the drums.
“You’ve got this whole other thing going,” he chuckles. “And a fortune being spent!” Of course, then as now, Mick Jagger knew what he was doing: if a fortune is being spent, a considerably larger one is being made.
Not to say that it’s not worth the money (if you’ve got it) to see them. Radio.com reviewed their most recent U.S. concert in June of 2013, and it was mind blowing. Read our review here.
