The Rolling Stones' 1973 European Tour and the Giant Inflatable Phallus That Got Banned

The Rolling Stones’ 1973 European tour in support of Goats Head Soup is remembered less for the music and more for its infamous stage set. Designer John Pasche (who also created the band’s tongue-and-lips logo) built a 40-foot inflatable phallus that would rise from the stage during “Star Star” (formerly “Starfucker”). Alongside it, giant balloons shaped like female breasts were released into the audience.

Several venues, particularly in conservative cities across Germany and Italy, banned the set on