Exactly 30 years ago one of the most important bands in the history of music – but the most important of all – received for the first time the love of its people. Because although they did not know until that moment, this was their people, the people who wait for them for years, for decades. The people who were finally seeing – and living – a dream come true.
The stones of Argentina included: 5 recitals, 300 thousand tickets sold, newspaper and magazine tapas, tens of thousands of records (CDs) sold, a meeting with then president Carlos Menem and be the issue of mandatory conversation during several weeks. All this within the framework of VOODOO Lounge Tour.
While the band would repeat the experience returning to the country in 1998, 2006 and 2016, nothing would be how the first time. Therefore, 30 years later, this is a fantastic and worth remembering story.
Rolling Stones in Argentina for the first time: previous history
On May 3, 1994, the band gave a press conference in London in which he announced his world tour, the Lounge Tour Voodoo. The main novelty was on the itinerary. For the first time, the English went down to Latin America with dates in Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Argentina.
The parity between the peso and the dollar (in the middle of the convertibility plan that the local economy was governed during the Menem government) made its arrival much simpler. Daniel Grinbankthe producer in charge of bringing them, had tried to convince them in previous tours of reaching South America, but the response of Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts It had been negative. Now -In 1995- income only related to the sale of tickets were higher than US $20 million.
But beyond the economic, there was another reason for the arrival of the band: The visit to the Argentina of Keith Richards and his band The X-Pepenive Winos in 1992. One of the creative geniuses behind the Rolling Stones witnessed first -hand witness of the Argentine public for his music and his band.
This is reflected by Richards himself in his autobiographical book “Life”: “With the Winos we made another libertine tour that included Argentina, where They received us with a pandemonium that was not seen since the early sixties. Stones had never been in the country, and We stumble upon a large -scale beatlemania, frozen over time and released with our arrival. We did the first concert in a stadium for forty thousand people, and the noise and energy were incredible. I convinced the stones that it was definitely a market with a lot of people that our music really liked“
Back to Argentina, already in October 1994, the time has come to the sale of tickets. People gathered in the boleterías of the Monumental stadium, it was all so massive that the sale was advanced from the 10hs of October 15 at the 00hs of that day.
Unfortunately there was an incident that ended with a dead: In the middle of the avalanche, a young man identified as Fabián Maldonado He suffered the theft of his backpack and slaughtered him when he lent herself to recover her. Justice found guilty Raúl Zarza and sentenced it to 9 and a half years in prison.
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The arrival of the Rolling Stones to Argentina
On February 5 at night the stones arrived in the country. In Ezeiza there were a hundred fans who failed to have contact with their idols. However, when they arrived at the place where they would stay, at the Hyatt hotel, hundreds of fans overflowed the confident and scarce security. The cantico “Oh vamo ‘the stones” It became the recurring ambient sound during those days.
According to Grinbank in his autobiography “I love you, I hate you give me more”, Mick Jagger and the rest of the band “They were surprised with the madness that had been generatedwith the impossibility of leaving when they were surrounded by fans that stalked them, and with the constant screaming that did not let them rest completely. They had not seen fans like those in Buenos Aires”
How was the first Rolling Stones show in Argentina
During the evening that was crowned with the presentation of the Rolling Stones, there was room for national artists who worked as support bands. First, it was Pappoafter 5:30 p.m. The balls He displayed a great recital that left the place to the most stone band of those years: Paranic micewith Juanse in the lead.
Rolling Stones in Argentina 1995.webp
After 9:30 p.m. on February 9, it was the turn of “its satanic majesties”, the show began with a cover of Buddy Holly, “Not Fade Away “. That was the beginning in each of the 5 shows. They touched 23 themes in total. Many of their classics reviewed while the public delirked for their idols. Jagger was very energetic as usual and Richards kept smiling.
Among the 23 themes are: “Tumbling says”, “(I Can’t get no) satisfaction”, “Miss You”, “Honky Tonk Women”, “Symploy for the devil”two songs sung by Richards (“Before they make me run” and “The Worst”), “Gimme Shelter”, “Street Fighting Man”, “Start me up”, “It’s only rock ‘n’ roll”, “Brown Sugar“And the grand finale with “Jumpin ‘Jack Flash”.
The scenery of this tour was something that had never been seen in these lands. In addition to the impressive lights, the stage crowned a gigantic metal button that moved and threw fire, generating a heat that felt from the middle of the field.
The 60,000 people were fascinated from the recitaleveryone felt that they had witnessed a historical moment. The vibrate was very similar during the five shows, with waves of incredulous people seeing one of the most important and influential groups in history.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
