music The Rolling Stones - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 2003

Keith Richards: solo and rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, vocalsOn 17 September 1965, the Rolling Stones in front of 12,500 spectators and 600 police officers gave their first concert in Austria - already with "Satisfaction" in the program. On April 2, 1967 followed by two more appearances in the Vienna Stadthalle. For the band, these are the last Austrian concerts with Brian Jones, later he left the Stones and died on July 4, 1969. Already three years later - on September 26, 1970 and again in the Wiener Stadthalle - played the Stones in front of 12000 enthusiastic Fans in a new formation. With Mick Taylor on the second guitar, the Stones earned frenetic applause for their music. On September 1, 1973, the Rolling Stones opened their European tour in the Wiener Stadthalle, which experienced the largest rock concert to date with 15,700 visitors. A few days later, the band played on September 23, 1973 in front of 8,000 fans in the Innsbruck Olympiahalle. On June 23, 1976, the Rolling Stones in front of 12,000 fans storm the Stadthallebühne in Vienna and the hearts of the critics as well. The album "Black and Blue" was for weeks "Number 1" in Austria, Ron Wood had replaced Mick Taylor as the band's second guitarist. On July 3, 1982 60,000 fans in the Vienna Prater Stadium expected the Rolling Stones. Technical innovations, some developed on behalf of the rock group, brought well-audible music to all seats in the stadium and freedom of movement for the musicians on a 80 meter wide stage. On 31 July 1990 Vienna trembled the Vienna Prater Stadium by a huge performance of the "Urban Jungle Tour", the stadium was sold out with 54,051 viewers. It was the last Rolling Stones concert with Bill Wyman in Austria. On 1 August 1995 Zeltweg experienced in Styria, with almost 90,000 viewers, one of the biggest concerts in Austria, "Voodoo Lounge" is now superimposed with multimedia elements. A 73 meter wide stage is framed by a 28 meter high, fire-breathing, metal cobra. "Bridges To Babylon" was the tour experience that stopped on July 11, 1998 in the Civitas Nova Wiener-Neustadt. The Stones experienced 68,000 spectators on two stages for the first time, the second stage in the middle of the audience is reached via a 52-meter-long bridge. More than 49,000 visitors cheered the Rolling Stones on May 31, 1999 in Imst / Tyrol, a finely arranged "Bridges To Babylon" -Show was again cheered. On June 18, 2003, the Rolling Stones play as part of their "Forty Licks Tour 2003" in the Sold out Viennese Ernst Happel Stadium (Praterstadion) .Text: Wolfgang Morscher, Photos: Philip Bajo, Helmuth Schöpf