The Rolling Stones

Steel Wheels Live – Atlantic City, New Jersey EAGLE ROCK

1989 TV special, restored and expanded.

After JaggerRichards ceased “world war three” solo hostilities, the Stones followed 1989’s Steel Wheels comeback album with the colossal tour that redefined modern touring and stadium spectacle, grossing a recordbreaking hundred million dollars.

The post-apocalyptic Blade Runner-inspired stage set was eight storeys high, its smoking pipes, girders and ramps harbouring video screens, pyro and inflatable hookers. With the Stones augmented by horns, keyboard players and backing singers, the career-straddling 180 minutes kick-started the Keith-described “second half” that continues today.

This writer witnessed the televised final night, in Atlantic City, including guest spots from John Lee Hooker and Eric Clapton, plus awkward-looking Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin joining Salt Of The Earth. If the stage’s stunning impact proves difficult to capture, it’s well-served by the Tokyo Dome set revisited in the box set, joined by a disc of lesser-performed tracks.

Still magnificently over-the-top. ■■■■■■■■■■