New York, NY (Top40 Charts) On Saturday, May 14th, Universal Music, The El Mocambo and MusicCounts are commemorating the release of The Rolling Stones' legendary 1977 recordings that were captured Live at the El Mocambo by inviting fans back to where the secret shows took place 45 years ago!
The
Rolling Stones Revisited - Live at the El Mocambo will celebrate the legendary Canadian moment in the 60-year history of The
Rolling Stones when, under the guise of The Cockroaches, the Stones returned to the club incarnation of their early years and produced two nights of exhilarating music. Now for the first time, these live recordings of the group's two famous secret concerts at the 300-capacity Toronto club in March of 1977 are making their first official appearance. The 23 tracks, newly mixed by Bob Clearmountain, will be released on Friday May, 13 via Universal Music. Pre-order Live At The El Mocambo on 4 LP Neon Vinyl, 4 LP
Black Vinyl, double CD and digitally.
On Saturday, May 14th, the doors of The El Mocambo will open at 1:30pm and attendees will be admitted on a first come, first served basis with each guest receiving a replica backstage pass and 11x17 poster from the original concert. From 2pm-5pm, guests will be treated to an expert
Rolling Stones panel of special guests, the premiere of the brand-new album Live at The El Mocambo, a
Rolling Stones exhibit, and a silent auction of
Rolling Stones box sets and collectables with all proceeds going to MusiCounts. For those unable to attend in person, The
Rolling Stones Revisited - Live at The El Mocambo will be livestreamed and will also be available to watch on demand following the event.
Hosted by radio personality Jeff Woods, the
Rolling Stones expert panel will feature the following special guests:
Duff Roman - Former Program
Director of CHUM FM, Duff Roman was instrumental in pulling off the pair of secret
Rolling Stones shows at the El Mocambo back in 1977.
Rob Bowman - Rob Bowman is a GRAMMY-winning musicologist who managed to get into one of the shows without a pass. Bowman also had possession of many of the much sought-after tracks that are being released for the first time on the new album Live at the El Mocambo.
David Marskell -
David Marskell is the CEO TheMuseum in Kitchener-Waterloo which recently hosted The
Rolling Stones Unzipped Exhibit. Back in 1977
David was one of the fans who lined up for the Elmo shows but did not get in!
David Bluestein - Former booker for the El Mocambo during the era of the
Rolling Stones secret shows,
David Bluestein was present for both concerts and has many great stories to tell about the historic nights.
Michael Wekerle - Michael Wekerle is the owner of the current El Mocambo. An avid
Rolling Stones fan, he has spent years collecting
Rolling Stones memorabilia and has many stories to share.
As the Stones took to the stage of the "El Mo," a fixture of the Toronto music scene since the 1940s, punk and disco were both rearing into full view, supposedly ready to see off a band who had already been at the top of their game for 15 years. Over two nights, in an intimate space in one of their favourite cities, they were about to make that prognosis look foolish indeed.
The gigs became reality after The El Mocambo was identified as the potential home for a secret booking. A radio contest was organised in which the prize was tickets to see Canadian rock heroes April Wine, supported by an unknown band called the Cockroaches. Guess who they turned out to be...
On the nights, naturally, April Wine were themselves the opening act, and so it was that the Stones rolled back the years to the exhilarating club incarnation of their early years. Against all the odds, the band produced two nights of exhilarating music that they still talk about in Toronto, and in
Rolling Stones legend, to this day.
It was a setlist for all seasons, from Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy" and Bo Diddley's "Crackin' Up" to staples such as "Let's Spend The Night Together" and "Tumbling Dice", and back to the blues with Big Maceo's "Worried Life Blues" and Willie Dixon's "Little Red Rooster". There was the live debut of "Worried About You", not heard in studio form until 1981's Tattoo You, and more highlights from "Honky Tonk Women" to "
Hot Stuff". Forty-five years on, this is a trip back to the intensity of the Crawdaddy Club in the Stones' earliest days, as revisited by the greatest rock 'n' roll band in the world.
One of North America's longest running and most iconic music venues, The El Mocambo was founded as a fine dining and dancing establishment in 1948, but since then evolved into something of a rock 'n' roll mecca, hosting many of the biggest names in music including: The Rolling Stones, Elvis Costello, Blondie, The Ramones, Meatloaf, Stevie Ray Vaughan, U2 and many more. Following an extensive 5+ year renovation and rebuild, The El Mocambo officially celebrated its Grand Re-opening in the Fall of 2021 and placed itself in a position to revolutionize the live music and entertainment business by blending cutting-edge technology with unparalleled access - offering audiences, fans and music/entertainment lovers the ultimate live experience across two separate venues all under the same roof in addition to delivering supreme virtual content to audiences globally. This dynamic venue boasts two acoustically tuned performance areas, state of the art video, audio, lighting, and production capabilities in addition to some of the highest safety standards in terms of building construction. New additions include a third storey soaring mezzanine, and mobility friendly access, along with the largest studio floor on the eastern seaboard. The legendary El Mocambo is not only a state-of-the-art concert space but also plays host to a colourful array of distinctive private events and is available for hosting corporate events, product launches, fundraisers, private concerts, social gatherings and more.
MusiCounts is Canada's music education charity associated with CARAS and the JUNO Awards. MusiCounts' vision is to ensure that all youth in Canada have access to music education through their schools and communities. This vision is realized through grant programs that invest directly into schools and communities across Canada that put musical instruments into the hands of kids who need them the most. Additionally, MusiCounts creates educational resources for teachers and students; empowers young people to pursue music as a career; and celebrates teachers, artists, and philanthropists who champion music education. Since 1997 MusiCounts has awarded over $15,000,000 in support of music education in Canada.
