Stones Touring Party

COMIN' HOME TO AFRICA ... If James Brown Don't Kill Us All!

The music festival promoters hustle hard to secure a plane to Zaire. Finally on board, all the artists are nearly killed by James Brown and his oversized ego. Despite the

SILENCE vs. NOISE

Ali and Foreman continue to train for their upcoming title fight and the great writers of the day document the progress.  Across the Atlantic, Don King and Hank Schwartz

CASH IS KING AND KING IS CASH

Fight promoter Don King and his business partner Hank Schwartz join forces with African strong man, President Mobutu of Zaire to put on an epic boxing event. To up the st

ENTER DON KING

Don King swans into the boxing world and manages to get both Ali and Foreman to trust him completely. By working their egos and their dreams of a huge payday –– Don King’

BLUES BEHIND BARS

In the wake of the Attica Prison Uprising, BB King performs for the prisoners at Sing Sing Prison in 1972. The Thanksgiving Day concert sparks a new conversation about pr

UNDISPUTED CHAMPION

 In their epic showdown, “The Fight of the Century,” Muhammad Ali takes on the Champ, Smokin’ Joe Frazier. It’s a stunning exhibition of strength, pain, and violence. The

SMOKIN' JOE FRAZIER: THE HELLRAISER

Ali’s time in exile only strengthens his position as a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. James Brown plays his first show in Paris, and his dancer, Lola Love!, recalls

SAY IT LOUD

A season of assassinations sparks a loud cry for change. Young Cassius Clay befriends Malcolm X,  joins the nation of Islam, changes his name to Muhammad Ali, and refuses

RUMBLE YOUNG MAN RUMBLE

Muhammad Ali and George Foreman’s heavyweight title fight is considered one of the greatest sporting events of all time. What’s less well known is that five weeks earlier

Introducing: Rumble: Ali/Foreman and The Soul of '74

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TWELVE: The End of the Road in New York City

After a wild two-month tear through North America, the Stones play the last gig of the STP tour at NYC's Madison Square Garden. Their entourage work overtime to ensure th

ELEVEN: Bombings, Busts, and Boston Burning

The Stones organization is rocked to its core when terrorists bomb one of the band's equipment vans in Montreal. The STP squad are relieved to make it out of Canada alive

TEN: Sex, Drugs and Motel Mayhem in the Midwest

The STP tour has hit the midway point, and the Stones & Co struggle to stave off boredom and madness as a result of the destabilizing daily grind. Some blow off steam by

PIT STOP: The Reach and Raunch of 'Exile on Main Street' with Producer David Barbe

So far over the course of this series, we've examined the madness and socio-political movements that made the Rolling Stones' 1972 North American tour a singular moment i

NINE: Culture Clash in the South

The Rolling Stones' gigs in Texas are hampered by the arrival of Truman Capote, who makes it clear that covering a rock 'n' roll road tour as a mere journalist is beneath

EIGHT: Up All Night in Chicago's Playboy Mansion

The Stones accept Hugh Hefner's offer to stay at his palatial pleasure dome, delighting some members of the STP squad and offending others. It's a counter-culture clash b

SEVEN: Madness and Manson in the Hollywood Hills

The Stones return to LA, the rockbiz capital where illusion is an industry and nothing is quite what it seems. Immediately prior to the Stones' gig at the Palladium, an u

MID-TOUR PITSTOP: Chris O'Dell Recalls Life on the Road as the Rolling Stones' Right Hand Woman

Chris O'Dell has been called the Zelig of rock 'n' roll. After getting her start working at the Beatles' London offices in 1968, she became a trusted confidant of practic

SIX: Ghosts of Altamont in San Francisco (Part 2)

The Stones enjoy a night on the town to distract themselves from fears that the Hell's Angels are plotting to assassinate Mick Jagger as revenge for the disaster at Altam

FIVE: Ghosts of Altamont in San Francisco (Part I)

The Rolling Stones touch down in San Francisco to play their first gig in the Bay Area since their disastrous concert at the Altamont Speedway three years earlier — when