Over The Years, Stones' Seattle Shows Went From Half Full To Packed - But All Were Great

Patrick MacDonald, The Seattle Times' rock critic since 1973, has attended all of the Rolling Stones' concerts here, from 1965's to 1994's. Here are his thumbnail sketches of the previous shows.

Dec. 2, 1965, Coliseum

The place was only about half full, and the Stones' set lasted only about a half-hour. But it was great. The amps went out for a few minutes, so Charlie Watts and Brian Jones played a drums-and-harmonica duet. Mick was great on "Get Off of My Cloud," but the highlight was the closing song, "Satisfaction." The set also included "Have Mercy," "That's How Strong My Love Is" and "This Could Be the Last Time." The legendary Northwest band The Wailers opened and were at their wildest, but the showy Paul Revere & the Raiders got a better reception. Also on the bill were Ian Whitcomb, the Liverpool Five, Patti LaBelle & the Bluebells, the Ramrods and the Vibrations. The show was in the round, with a revolving stage.

July 20, 1966, Coliseum

Longer and better than the previous show, highlighted by a great new song, "19th Nervous Breakdown." Also did "Paint It Black" and "Mother's Little Helper." Jagger wanted to go into the audience but the police wouldn't let him. Only two opening acts, the Standells ("Dirty Water") and the McCoys ("Hang On Sloopy") with Rick Derringer. The place was less than half full.

June 4, 1972, Coliseum (two shows)

The first show was at 4 p.m., the second at 10:30 p.m., with the Stones arriving on stage around midnight. A pot-smoke haze hovered over the second show. While the band seemed tired, Jagger was a bundle of energy, especially during "Brown Sugar" and "Tumbling Dice." He ended the set by draping a Union Jack over himself while shouting out "Street Fighting Man." Mick Taylor was in the band. Stevie Wonder opened. Both shows sold out. Tickets were $6.

July 18, 1975, Coliseum

Cadged a pit pass from a photographer and watched part of the show from the edge of the raked, star-shaped stage. Jagger was in fine form, donning a leather jacket for "Midnight Rambler," riding an 11-foot inflatable phallus during "Star Star," and curling up on the floor in a fetal position after "Fingerprint File." The show rocked hard for two hours, highlighted by "Honky Tonk Women," "If You Can't Rock Me," "Get Off of My Cloud," "Gimme Shelter," "You Can't Always Get What You Want," "Happy," "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll," "Brown Sugar" and "Street Fighting Man." Ron Wood was on guitar, and Billy Preston played keyboards. The Meters opened with a short set. The place was packed.

Oct. 14-15, 1981, Kingdome

An evening and an afternoon show. The second was longer and better, with improved sound and a couple of added songs, including "Star Star." Jagger rode a cherry picker high over the crowd, blowing kisses. Some of the newer songs, like "Neighbors" and "Black Limousine," paled in comparison to gems like "Under My Thumb" (with the "girl" references changed to "woman"), "Let's Spend the Night Together," "Jumpin' Jack Flash," "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love," "Tumbling Dice" and "Start Me Up." A surprise was a cover of Eddie Cochran's "20 Flight Rock." A 16-year-old girl died at the second show, after falling 50 feet from an outside ramp.

Dec. 15, 1994, Kingdome

The Stones rolled back the years and seemed as young as ever. The 23-song set was heavy with high-powered classics, most of them clustered in the last half-hour of the two-hour, 15-minute show. Highlights included "Satisfaction," "Honky Tonk Women," "Sympathy for the Devil," "Monkey Man," "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash." The spectacular, fire-breathing stage included a great video system and remarkable, huge inflatables of a skeleton in a top hat, a multi-armed Hindu goddess, a cobra and Elvis Presley, complete with guitar. The show was opened by the Spin Doctors.