Classic Concert: The Rolling Stones Hampton 1981

rolling stones hampton 1981

.. The tour was winding down — only one other show remained — and it was the day guitarist Keith Richards turned 38, so perhaps that’s the reason why the band seemed to be in a celebratory mood. No matter the reason, the Stones are on fire here, charging through their 1981 set, a set that was heavy on oldies (there’s a three-song sequence of “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me),” “Twenty Flight Rock,” and “Going to A Go Go”) and nasty rockers (it opens with “Under My Thumb” and “When the Whip Comes Down,” effectively setting up the slide into Undercover in the next year). Perhaps it was this palpable sense of sleaze that possessed a fan to bum rush the stage during “Satisfaction,” a move that required Keith to weaponize his Telecaster and attack the invader, providing an appropriate capper to a night when the old pros could still seem dangerous.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine (allmusic.com)

Great concert from Dec 18, 1981 – released on DVD/Blu-ray Nov 3, 2014 entitled, From the Vault: Hampton Coliseum (DVD/2CD).
It was also released as a “digital download only” album Jan 31, 2012.

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Personnel:

  • Mick Jagger – vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica
  • Keith Richards – guitars, vocals
  • Ron Wood – guitars, vocals
  • Bill Wyman – bass
  • Charlie Watts – drums
  • Ian McLagen – keyboards, vocals
  • Ian Stewart – keyboards
  • Ernie Watts – saxophone
  • Bobby Keyes – saxophone

Two items of note from this performance:

  • While introducing the band, Mick Jagger leads the audience in an impromptu version of “Happy Birthday,” in honor of Keith Richards turning 38 on this day.
  • Just over a minute into the final song “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” Richards had a memorable confrontation with a fan who jumped on stage. Without losing his composure, Richards moved in front of the charging fan, wielding his guitar like a baseball bat, then shoved the fan away from Jagger with his guitar until security guards could escort the intruder away.

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Setlist:

0:00:00 – Backstage
0:12:36 – Under My Thumb
0:17:49 – When The Whip Comes Down
0:23:10 – Let’s Spend The Night Together
0:27:51 – Shattered
0:32:30 – Neighbours
0:37:04 – Black Limousine
0:41:16 – Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) (Incomplete)
0:46:34 – Let Me Go (Incomplete)
0:50:45 – Time Is On My Side
0:54:58 – Beast Of Burden
1:03:02 – Waiting On A Friend
1:09:01 – Let It Bleed
1:16:23 – You Can’t Always Get What You Want
1:27:41 – Little T & A
1:31:52 – Tumbling Dice
1:36:47 – She’s So Cold
1:41:07 – Hang Fire
1:43:51 – Miss You
1:51:51 – Honky Tonk Woman
1:55:40 – Brown Sugar
1:59:17 – Start Me Up
2:04:07 – Jumpin’ Jack Flash
2:12:47 – (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

Check out:

-Egil