Regardless of how many more years of touring the band realistically has left in them, the indefatigable Rolling Stones say they will not be coming back to Levi's Stadium after the bullshit they had to deal with during their August 18 appearance there. And there could be a ripple effect with other concert tours as well.
As the Mercury News is reporting, the strict 10 p.m. curfew in Santa Clara was annoying enough (the Stones ignored it anyway and played until 11), but the treatment the band and their team received at the hands of the city and the stadium was unforgivable, according to a letter from their concert promoter John Morrison.
The band's security coordinator, Michael Wozniak, tells the paper that the city "micro-managed" the concert and forced a bunch of last-minute changes, including the cancellation of a fireworks show — which came with a threat to the band's pyrotechnics guy if he went ahead with it anyway.
Says Morrison, in a letter to Levi's management dated August 23, "Do you not want touring shows anymore? The impression I and many others in the industry have, is your facility is getting so restrictive and dysfunctional, it’s no longer worth the effort to play there due to the myriad and random rule changes." He added regarding the "no pyro at the last minute," that their "pyrotechnician has done countless shows in the stadium as well as across America for numerous artists, without incident," and that he was "told if he disobeys the demand from the fire department he would be subject to black listing from the state."
Santa Clara City Manager Deanna Santana tells the Mercury News in a statement that the city, "has a responsibility to ensure that events comply with building and fire codes," and "it is unfortunate that the Forty Niners and Promoters view this regulatory function as excessive or micromanaging."
Wozniak said in his email to the city, "The touring industry has made note of the difficulties and uncertainties presented by the City and eventually will just skip your market."
Or, they could just do two shows at the Chase Center...