The final chords of Brian Jones with the Stones
Jones played in front of a public live audience for the last time with the Rolling Stones in 1968
The final chords of Brian Jones with the Stones
Although not his last performance with The Rolling Stones, for Brian Jones, on May 12, 1968, this would mark the day he would play for a public live audience with his band for the last time. The performance took place at the Empire Pool in Wembley, London in the New Musical Express Pollwinners’ Concert and the band played a two songs set featuring “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and debuted live their new single, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”. During 1968, the Rolling Stones were somehow lost, having begun to experiment the year before with Psychedelic Rock, from which resulted in the 1967 album “Their Satanic Majesties Request”, the band wasn’t sure of which way to take, as the music industry and its trends were moving faster than three years before. Eventually, they went back to their blues roots and recorded the absolute classic “Beggars Banquet”. For Brian Jones, this was the end of the line for his time with the Stones. The band he created and helped rising to stardom, was now a fragmented group that featured on one side the Jagger/Richards team and on another Brian Jones, by then, losing his battle with drug addiction. The fact that he couldn’t travel to the United States to tour, for having entrance denied due to a drug bust, speed up the decision of the Rolling Stones split ways with the talented multi-instrumentalist that helped to shape the band’s 1960’s sound. In November 1968, Brian Jones made his final appearance with the Rolling Stones at their own show for friends, “The Rolling Stones Rock N’ Roll Circus”. A visibly stoned and exhausted Jones can be seen throughout the whole performance, but still, was able to pull one of the show’s highlights when he played the slide guitar on the ballad “No Expectations”. After partially recorded some of the songs for the 1969 album “Let It Bleed”, Jones left the band and on July 3, 1969, he was found dead at age 27, drowned on the pool of his mansion where he had become reclusive. Although still surrounded by a certain mystery, Jones untimely death was ultimately caused by a careless drug and alcohol use, that the split from the Stones made worst. His death at 27 began a two-year circle of Rock Stars passing at age 27 due to drug and alcohol-related problems, including Alan Wilson from Canned Heat, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and The Doors’ Jim Morrison that closed the weird circle also on July 3, in 1971, exactly two years after Jones.
Look back: Brian Jones performing with the Rolling Stones for the last time in November 1968 at their show The Rolling Stones Rock N’ Roll Circus, the song “Jumpin’ Jack Flash
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