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The Stones and the July 1966 ‘flag incident’ in Syracuse
From the Onondaga Historical Association page: In July 1966, the Rolling Stones visited Syracuse during their Aftermath North American tour. A Syracuse Post Standard article the following day described Mick Jagger as “a slim British singer with a style as taut as his trousers.” The author also said the band gave the audience a “bad case of the screams.” According to the article, the crowd “was well-behaved until slung to action by Satisfaction,” leading to a boy hopping the barricade and rushing the stage. He was later detained by the 12 of the 45 guards on duty that night.
This was the second of two shows the Rolling Stones had in Syracuse in the 1960s, the first coming in 1965. However, the band almost found themselves in some trouble on this summer night in 1966. According to the St. Joseph Gazette, one of the band members attempted to take an American flag hanging on a chair as a souvenir, accidentally dragging it across the floor. After a county employee took the flag back and reported the incident to a number of officers, the Deputy Police Chief, Samuel Nappi, said “police were satisfied the action was accidental.” The band member later apologized.
