Memorial Coliseum

June 28, 1972

The world’s greatest rock and roll band’s lone performance in Tuscaloosa was part of a historic tour. It represented the group’s first leg of their U.S. performances since the tragedy at the Altamont Speedway concert in 1969. “Exile on Main Street” was released in May, and The Rolling Stones were playing music from the album. The band also drew heavily from previous albums like “Sticky Fingers” and “Let It Bleed.” The tour was reportedly plagued with fights, arrests, crowd control issues, counterfeit tickets, and the brand of mayhem that seemed to follow the group wherever they performed. But the show in Tuscaloosa was neat and orderly. The band was robust, with guitarist Mick Taylor, who had replaced the late Brian Jones a few years earlier. For the tour The Stones added pianists Nicky Hopkins and Ian Stewart, plus the small horn section, including musicians Jim Price and Bobby Keys. Multi-instrumentalist Stevie Wonder opened the show playing songs from his recently released album Music of My Mind (“Superwoman”) and the soon-to-be-released Talking Book (“You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” “Superstition”). The Motown artist sang brilliantly, played drums, and harmonica, and added a range of synthesizers, and keyboards to his act. The Stones jumpstarted the evening with “Brown Sugar” then segued into “Bitch,” “Rocks,” and “Gimme Shelter.” Mick Jagger, performing in his prime, mugged, strutted, and sashayed across the stage, teasing fans with his manic movements. There was a large mirror above the screen which contributed to the flexibility of the concert’s lighting package, a creative innovation designed for the tour.