Rolling+stones

Toronto has long played a sizable role in the myth-making of The Rolling Stones. It’s been a home away from home for the group for decades, a place where they’ve set up shop to prep before hitting the road since at least as far back as 1989’s Steel Wheels tour. And during those months-long rehearsal stays, they’ve regularly held secret shows around town at small venues, such as the Horseshoe Tavern, RPM, and The Phoenix Concert Theatre. But the Stones’ Toronto club stint that started it all was a pair of shows at Spadina Avenue’s El Mocambo Tavern that took place March 4-5, 1977.

Having not hit the road for most of the 80s, The Steel Wheels Tour was an astounding return for the Rolling Stones, not least as it was the longest tour they had by that point undertaken. It was also to be their last with Bill Wyman. Steel Wheels Live was recorded towards the end of the band’s 60-date run through the stadiums of North America, in the second half of 1989.

To celebrate their 40th anniversary, The Rolling Stones embarked on a worldwide tour in 2002 and 2003 that would cover 117 shows in a variety of theatres, arenas and stadiums. This show captures their January 2003 performance at Madison Square Garden in New York City and features a guest appearance from Sheryl Crow on “Honky Tonk Women”. Licked Live In NYC includes previously unreleased performances of “Start Me Up”, “Tumbling Dice”, “Gimme Shelter” & “Sympathy For The Devil”, along with 3 bonus performances from Amsterdam and rehearsal footage.

Step outside the sanitised world of official releases and take a long hard analytical look at the rolling Stones legend. This hard hitting film critique pulls no punches and deals frankly with the thorny issue of Jones versus Taylor, re-opens the debate surrounding the removal of Jones from the band; did the Stones lose their way in the seventies? In order to ensure editorial freedom the film has not been censored, viewed or approved by past or present management or members of the Rolling Stones. This is the long awaited critical review of the music, featuring rare live performances alongside analysis from a leading team of rock journalists and critics…