How the Rolling Stones’ 1972 'STP' Tour Became a Legend of Excess, Chaos, and a 12-Show MSG Run

The ‘72 tour supporting Exile on Main St. was nicknamed the “Stones Touring Party” — or STP, a cheeky nod to the street drug STP. That name wasn’t just marketing: it signaled the scale of the circus that followed the band. Between rented jets, a rotating cast of hangers-on, and backstage suites that looked like a Fellini set, the tour set the template for rock-star hedonism. The Hells Angels were hired as security (a decision that haunted them post-Altamont), and the band’s own drug use was, by all accounts, industrial strength.

The centerpiece was a historic 12-show stand at Madison Square Garden in July