I met Rob Barnett, the current CEO of MyDamnChannel, when he was running CBS radio about six or seven years ago. He was one of the people that interviewed me for the job of executive producer for the David Lee Roth show (a story in itself). I didn't realize it at the time, but Rob had a great Rolling Stones story from his early days in radio. The RAMP newsletter told that story on the 30th anniversary...
"It was Sept. 14, 1981 when Barnett, a baby MD at WAAF (then based in beautiful Worcester, MA) at the time, pulled off what he describes as "the most psychotic rock and roll radio promotion of all time" -- he engineered a secret, free Rolling Stones concert for 300 listeners at a local nightclub, a feat that would be impossible today thanks to cell phones and social media. The enormity of The Rolling Stones playing a local club at that time is like the modern-day equivalent of convincing U2 to play a local VFW hall... without being able to tell anybody! Thanks to a loose-lipped employee at Longview Farm, a nearby recording complex, Barnett discovered that the Stones were camped out there rehearsing for a tour to support their then-just-released album Tattoo You. Employing a potent mix of overconfidence and B.S., Barnett wrangled an interview with Mick Jagger, during which he suggested that the Stones should do a secret, live, free gig for his station within the intimate confines of a Worcester nightclub, the nautically named Sir Morgan's Cove. Completing the subterfuge, the Stones were billed as "The Cockroaches." The rest, as they say, is rock and roll history. Per the band's instructions, no audio or video of the event exists."
That would have been pretty damn cool. About ten or fifteen years ago I had the chance to attend something similar. The Stones performed a few "secret" club dates at the Double Door (a small club in Chicago). Unfortunately, I was working on a morning show in those days, and the idea of seeing anyone at 11:30 at night knowing my alarm would go off at 2:30 in the morning was completely unthinkable. Believe it or not, I said no to the ticket.
