The Rolling Stones in New Zealand, 1965 + 1966

I came across these photos at the National Library of New Zealand. For more about the Rolling Stones and me, click here.

The Rolling Stones in New Zealand
Mick Jagger is grabbed by a fan at the Wellington Town Hall on Feb. 28, 1966. Bill Wyman carries on playing. Brian Jones, celebrating his 24th birthday is in the background.

According to Bill Wyman’s memoir, Stone Alone, “The concert was predictably hysterical … One girl jumped from the rear balcony to throw her arms around Mick, who kept on singing as they tried to drag her away; the girl, still clinging to him, pulled him with her for several yards.” The Stones’ overall impression of New Zealand: “a bit quiet” (nothing has changed). But at least Bill got to take three girls to bed with him after this show

Mick Jagger on stage during one of two Rolling Stones concerts at the Wellington Town Hall, Feb. 8 1965
Mick Jagger on stage at the Wellington Town Hall, Feb. 8, 1965.

“‘Don’t stand up or you’ll get arrested,’ Mick shouted to the fans at the Wellington concert,” Wyman recounted in Stone Alone. “One girl (presumably the one pictured below) got within inches of the stage but was firmly ejected … New Zealand was a much quieter experience than Australia (again, nothing has changed), partly because radio featured little pop and the Stones’ sound had not saturated the country.”

A Rolling Stones fan is restrained at the Wellington Town Hall, Feb. 8, 1965 (Not my mother, mercifully, who was probably focused on her wedding 2 days later)
A Rolling Stones fan is restrained at the Wellington Town Hall, Feb. 8, 1965 (Not my mother, mercifully, who was probably focused on her wedding two days later)


NOTE: My book, Strange Days: The Adventures of a Grumpy Rock ‘n’ Roll Journalist in Los Angeles, is available here. For more info, go to strangedaysbook.com

Copyright © 2013 by Dean Goodman.

Dean Goodman