The birth of arena rock

November 1969: Number 19 in our series of the 50 key events in the history of rock musicUntil the Rolling Stones' 1969 US tour, the loudest thing at big-capacity shows was often the crowd, as anyone who's heard the long-deleted Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl LP knows. In fact, a key reason for the Beatles' decision to stop touring in 1966 was their frustration at being unable to hear themselves on stage, because of the inadequate amplification. So when the Stones announced their first jaunt round...

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