Stevie Wonder’s Higher Ground on ’72 Stones Tour
by Best Classic Bands Staff
Wonder’s album, Music of My Mind, had been out for three months when the tour began
Longtime music industry writer, editor and executive Adam White authored the 2016 book, Motown: The Sound of Young America (via Thames and Hudson), with Barney Ales, who for years the influential label’s #2 to its founder Berry Gordy Jr.
White has since started a blog and he has allowed Best Classic Bands to publish this exclusive excerpt, “Stevie Reaches Higher Ground,” about Stevie Wonder’s opening slot on the Rolling Stones’ 1972 U.S. tour:
In music, careers can turn on a dime. In 1972, Stevie Wonder’s career turned on a tour.
For $6.50, you got to see the Stones, Stevie Wonder and… free parking?
The Rolling Stones’ fifth American tour, to be precise, and their first such excursion in three years: a summertime itinerary of rock ‘n’ roll, exhibitionism and excess, with a top ticket price of $6.50 and a new album by the band, Exile On Main Street, in tow.
That the Stones were interested in having Stevie join their caravan was no surprise. In their early years, they were under the thumb of American blues and R&B. Like the Beatles, they tackled Motown songs, “Can I Get A Witness” and “Hitch Hike” among them.
On June 3, 1972, Stevie Wonder joined the Rolling Stones’ roadshow, opening at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver. On July 26, he played his final date with the Britons at New York’s Madison Square Garden. In between, the 22-year-old from Saginaw, Michigan, was seen and heard across North America by more than half a million people. Nothing for him would ever be the same again.
At the New York Times, Don Heckman reported, “Spectacular as the Stones were…my most vivid memories are of the charged-up playing and singing of the blind soul singer/musician Stevie Wonder and his crisp little band, Wonderlove.” [MSG] was host to the tour for three dates, July 24-26, with a total of 60,000 tickets sold.
Stevie’s 55-minute set featured early hits such as “For Once In My Life,” “I Was Made to Love Her” and “If You Really Love Me,” some oldies associated with others (“Rockin’ Robin,” “I Need Your Loving”) and material from Music Of My Mind. His finale gave audiences the opportunity to hear a show-stopping “Superstition” in concert–three months before it was released by Motown on record. Wonder had already been in the studio with the song: the week before the tour’s first show in Vancouver, he was adding parts to it with saxophone player Trevor Lawrence and trumpeter Steve Madaio at New York’s Electric Lady Studios.
“Superstition” exploded in October and [on January 27, 1973] became Wonder’s first #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 since 1963, and the accompanying Talking Book graduated into his first-ever Top 3 pop album, spending more than two years on the charts.
Stevie and Mick Jagger made music on the road, sharing the microphone for renditions of “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” In fact, these were to be a highlight of the “live” album of the tour, according to trade press reports of the time. Many of the performances were recorded; the Stones’ own label was due to release a double LP in November. It never materialized.
[Tickets to see the Stones tour are available here and here.]
Watch Wonder and the Stones perform “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” during the tour
No matter. As far as Stevie was concerned, those 40 shows in 30 cities during the summer of ’72 sealed a future of abundance and of a creative stature almost beyond measure. Talking Book sold 1.6 million copies in the U.S. on release – three times more than [its predecessor] Music Of My Mind – and its successors, Innervisions and Fulfillingness’ First Finale, claimed domestic sales of 2.1 million and 1.5 million, respectively. In the 1970s, these were impressive numbers. Moreover, two of the albums netted a total of 10 Grammy awards.
Watch the concert here
Read White’s complete account of the tour here.
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I took my (16) year old brother to this show. It was his first big concert and my first time seeing the Stones. There would be several more.
It was such a great time; the doors were open at 4PM for an 8PM show so we plenty of time to kill. It was a very mellow atmosphere.
I always liked what music I’d heard of Stevie Wonder but I had no idea of the depths of his talent. He performed a great sampling of his music but more than that was on display. He played every instrument on the stage. Just fantastic.
And then we had the “world’s greatest rock ‘n roll band; the Rolling Stones” to entertain. This was when they used a giant inflatable penis for Mick to ride.
I saw this tour at RFK Stadium, Washington, DC July 4, 1972
Me too! My first Stones show. Amazing, right?
Me too. Stevie rocked it big time. The last Stones tour with Mick Taylor who absolutely played a bigger guitar roll than Keith did that day. Keith looked drunk. Taylor’s solo on Street Fighting Man was unreal, incendiary. The only downer was the idiots in the crowd shooting bottle rockets into the mass crowd.
The Stones’ entourage got into a fight with a photographer in Providence R.I. Jagger and Richards landed in jail. The mayor of Boston fearing a riot bailed them out that night the show went on about one a.m.
Thank you for reporting that the great Stevie Wonder is from right here in Saginaw,Mi…….most anything written about him always says hes from Detroit…..they do the same with other michigan artists also…..must sound better…….im 64,so i grew up on Stevies music
I remember this show in San Diego although to young to attend. There were 1000s of BOOTLEG TICKETS. The arena was already full when authorities stop letting ANYBODY IN! Valid ticket or not. The riot afterwards was not pretty.
Still got my ripped ticket from Madison Square Garden. Lot of excitement in Manhattan that night.
Lets not forget that Martha and The Vandellas were on the tour !!!
Not on any of the shows we know of. Can you verify that?
I’ve seen the Stones three times. They played well each time. The anomaly of it was each time I saw them, the opening act was better, often times way better than the Stones. Stevie Wonder, The Doobie Brothers, and Bryan Adams cooked them, especially Adams, he and his band absolutely blew them off the stage. From the opening cover of Dion’s “The Wanderer” to the closing of “It Cuts Like A Knife” Adams owned that dome. Having to follow him that night was a bad call.
I saw Stevie open for the Stones in that summer of ’72 tour in Denver, at the Denver Coliseum. Stevie played for 45 minutes and he played keyboards, Bass and Drums. He got three standing ovations from the crowd, estimated by the Denver Post at over 13,000 fans. He was so incredible that the Stones kept the audience waiting nearly an hour to cool down before they came out on stage. After Stevie, they were good, but not as good as Stevie had been. Mick did all of his schtick, crawling around on his hands and knees and whacking the stage floor with his gold lame’ belt during Midnight Rambler, etc., etc. Mick Taylor was great, Keith kept things moving, Charlie and Bill were excellent. Ian Stewart was great, too.