Keith Richards says The Rolling Stones were considered ‘the most dangerous rock band in the world’

The Rolling Stones were once considered “the most dangerous rock band in the world” according to Keith Richards.

The Mick Jagger-fronted group would deal with bomb scares, bust-ups with police and booze binges which stretched for days at a time. While The Rolling Stones would garner quite the reputation, it would be Richards, writing in his autobiography, who suggested the band were one of the most “dangerous” around. One particular moment while the band were on tour highlighted this for Richards, with a stop-off in 1975 seeing the band pursued by the police and targeted by the government. President Richard Nixon seemingly had it in for the band, with Richards worried the president would use his “dirty tricks” against the band.

The veteran guitarist also cited what had happened to John Lennon, who had been slapped with a deportation order that was eventually rescinded by a judge, as an example of the administration having it out for musicians.

Writing in his autobiography, Life, Richards wrote: “It was 1975, a time of brutality and confrontation. Open season on the Stones had been declared since our last tour, the tour of ’72, known as the STP. The State Department had noted riots (true), civil disobedience (also true), illicit sex (whatever that is), and violence across the United States. All the fault of us, mere minstrels.

“We had been inciting youth to rebellion, we were corrupting America, and they had ruled never to let us travel in the United States again. It had become, in the time of Nixon, a serious political matter. He had personally deployed his dogs and dirty tricks against John Lennon, who he thought might cost him an election. We, in turn, they told our lawyer officially, were the most dangerous rock-and-roll band in the world.”

It did little to dampen the excitement of the tour though, with The Rolling Stones releasing a live album, Love You Live and continuing to tour in the years to follow. Richards and Jagger would find themselves targeted by a botched bomb scare on their 1972 show, the tour before the 1975 shows.

Jagger and the band were nearly blown up in the lead-up to their Montreal show, though the press agent for the band would dub them the “world’s dumbest bomber”. Clearly unimpressed by the attempt on The Rolling Stones’ lives, the press agent would slam the individual behind the damage.

While none of the band members were hurt, a van full of tour equipment was destroyed before the July 17 gig at the Montreal Forum. Replacement parts and gear were flown in, but that was only the start of the trouble for this particular show. Nobody was hurt in the blast, though it did mark a worrying attack on Jagger and The Rolling Stones.

Jagger would jokingly ask: “Why didn’t the cat leave a note?” The Stones’ press agent would then call the unnamed person who left the bag the “world’s dumbest bomber,” according to Ultimate Rock Magazine.

After their gear was blown up by a bag of dynamite stuffed under a loading ramp in the middle of the night, the band and venue then had to contend with a surplus of ticket holders. It was later found that three thousand forged tickets had been sold, and rioting fans delayed the start of the show.