In the post-pandemic world, streamed concerts have become something of a standard. It made sense during periods of lockdown: If the audience can’t come to the band, the internet can bring the band to them.
There was a time when this was not common practice, of course, with the most obvious reason being that the internet did not exist. Once it arrived, the Rolling Stones were there to explore the new possibilities.
The World Wide Web first became available to the general public in 1993 and within just months, tens of thousands of servers came into being. In a few years, MP3 formatting and digital file-sharing would effectively revolutionize the way fans listened to their favorite music as bands began distributing their work via the internet, reaching larger and larger audiences.
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The Rolling Stones, then some 30 years into one of rock’s most successful careers, did not need to prove themselves. But into the ’90s, they’d become middle-aged men and the Stones simply weren’t as relevant as they once were. Some referred to them as the Dinosaurs of Rock, while their worldwide Voodoo Lounge Tour was dubbed the Geritol Tour.
Keith Richards pushed back: “On any given night, we’re still a damn good band,” he told Rolling Stone in 1994. “And on some nights, maybe even the best band in the world. So screw the press and their slagging about the Geritol Tour. You assholes – wait until you get our age and see how you run. I got news for you, we’re still a bunch of tough bastards. String us up and we still won’t die.”
Always up for a challenge, the Rolling Stones recognized that new technological avenues could work to their advantage. They constructed a next-generation set for the tour with stage designer Mark Fisher, who also worked with Pink Floyd, U2 and others. The inventive – and enormous – display featured 1,200 lightbulbs.
“With the Voodoo Lounge tour, we wanted to change the way people see the rock show,” Fisher told Rolling Stone. “We wanted to get some ideas across – ideas about the 21st century, about the future as clean and cool and technologically upbeat. A place filled with computers, where information is something you traffic in.”
The Rolling Stones also paired with Mbone. Short for multicast backbone, the service made audiovisual broadcasting over the internet possible. They then became the first major rock act to utilize the practice, streaming five songs from their concert at the Cotton Bowl on Nov. 18, 1994, in Dallas. Other smaller bands had launched similar projects, but the Stones took things to a different level. (A complete set list from that show is available below, with the five streamed songs in italics at the top.)
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The event was arranged by a company called Thinking Pictures, who made clear to the Rolling Stones that this was an incredibly innovative opportunity.
“The only way I could sell this idea to the Stones,” Stephan Fitch, president of Thinking Pictures, told The New York Times, “was to say to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards: ‘Look, this is really cool, and it’s never been done before. And if you don’t do it, I’ll do it with Aerosmith.'”
At the show, Jagger said: “I want to say a special welcome to everyone that’s climbed into the internet tonight. I hope it doesn’t all collapse.”
Of course, not all that many people saw the stream since only a few hundred servers in the entire world had the capability of hosting it. The images themselves – not to mention the sound – left something to be desired. “People say, ‘Gee, that’s all I get?'” Fitch’s Thinking Pictures partner Olivier Pfeiffer admitted. “I say: ‘Yes, and that’s one of the limitations of the superinformation highway. Maybe now there can be discussion about expanding it.'”
Still, it was unlike anything a major musical act had tried before. Decades later, Jagger continued to express an appreciation for keeping up with the technological times – and not just within the music industry.
“I’m not saying I’m slavishly trying to be at the cutting edge of everything, but you have to understand how things work, you know, in the current world,” he told CBC radio in 2023. “And that doesn’t just apply to the music industry; it applies to lots of things. I mean, you know, driving a car is a different experience than driving a car in 1960. And the record business, like all businesses, it changes a lot. I mean, the record business being a business of technology, it never stays the same. It never stayed the same ever.”
The Rolling Stones, Nov. 18, 1994, Cotton Bowl, Dallas Set List
1. “Not Fade Away” (The Crickets cover)
2. “Tumbling Dice”
3. “You Got Me Rocking”
4. “Shattered”
5. “Rocks Off”
6. “Sparks Will Fly”
7. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
8. “Beast of Burden”
9. “Far Away Eyes”
10. “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)”
11. “Love Is Strong”
12. “It’s All Over Now” (The Valentinos cover)
13. “I Go Wild”
14. “Miss You”
15. “Honky Tonk Women”
16. “Before They Make Me Run” (Keith Richards on lead vocals)
17. “The Worst” (Keith Richards on lead vocals)
18. “Sympathy for the Devil”
19. “Monkey Man”
20. “Street Fighting Man”
21. “Start Me Up”
22. “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)”
23. “Brown Sugar”
Encore:
24. “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
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Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
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