Before I get yelled at , flamed, or fed to the sharks, I have to say, I really don't know where I am going with this thread...

I have questions, comments, opinions, about many things, but they are all related to The Stones (directly and indirectly).

Ticketmaster is now under fire because the have removed the "postponed" from their refund policy...I bought my tickets with the old policy, and while I understand "subject to change", it's just bullshit that I (we) are now held responsible to keep TM liquid by having them hold our monies UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE...aka cancelled.

Many of us are out of work and that hard earned scratch can help many of us...

I am not a conspiratorially suggesting anything , but why not cancel the tour outright? I mean, the Stones have socially distanced themselves out to their Caribbean palaces...I dont see them coming back to tour anytime before late 2021...by then, they could prolly lease the stadiums for a dime...assuming that capacities have not been reduced and that life is restored to 80% of normalcy again...

So...do you think that they are NOT allowed (contractually) to cancel for the time being? Does anyone have that insurance binder that was leaked after L'Wren died? I recall some awesome wording in that document citing social unrest, war, and possibly pestilence...I also recall wording that reminded me of the summer of 86 when all sorts of cancellation due to radioactive fallout from Chernobyl occurred all over northern Europe (I summered in Europe that year...luckily I saw Queen twice).

So...Do you think the Stones should call it quits for touring at this point in time? They have basically been mailing it in since <insert your date here> ...They have played well, that is for certain, but sometimes it seems too automatic...

Is this a good time to just hit the studio and just crank out 2 more albums and release them over the next 2 years? Or the newer model of 2 or 3 singles every few months? They are NOT going to make money from these releases, that is obvious...but to have them bow out gracefully and call it at the start of 2022 ( or the anniversary of when Charlie played with them ) to make it an honest 60 years ...what a way to go...

After 58 years, aside from an apology for one or two albums,  The Stones don't owe us anything. I don't want to see the band end because of a death, a fall from a tree, or incontinence. I want Mick to play with his great grand child...I want Ronny to enjoy his twins, Charlie, his horses, and Keef, his love of life and guitar.

Personally, I would love to have the recording of the last album filmed as a documentary, like Let It Be, but with the the band honestly acting as if  that that is it...


I said at the start that I didn't know where I was going with this, and I don't know where I ended up.

Keep posting people...you ain't going anywhere anytime soon...I enjoy hearing from you.

Thanks for reading...hope all is swell in all of y'all's worlds...

Say what?

I think in addition to the $$$ factor, they're obviously enjoying all this, otherwise what would the point be in continuing to do it?

I mean, with all the music rights, and Blu-Ray releases and reissues and collectors' versions etc. (or even without them at this point!) they could easily just chill all day and they'd have enough money to support their great-grandchildren.

I keep reminding myself this is the only kind of life they're used in living - they've never had to actually "work" like in an office or store, so this kind of lifestyle, though I'm sure has its own ways of making you feel tired, is a rather good one, no? I mean playing music and travelling around the world and getting paid for it, might sound a simplistic way to see it, but I don't think it's too bad now, is it?

On the other hand, since they've made it this far, I actually do think, God forbid, only the Grim Reaper would be a fitting end to the journey. Unstoppable until a force of nature actually stops it. It seems glorious enough to me.

Ticketbastard Should be forced to refund anyone that wants their money back NOW. If they don't then the band should do the right thing and announce a cancellation. Let's be honest...concerts and large sports events will be the last things allowed back to normal when this virus is finally at least controlled if not broken. Realistically that is months if not a year or more away. (sorry but imho I think that is the case). Do you also think the band will want to risk the chance they get the virus by touring while any risks are still here? What about the crew? I went to Miami last year hoping that that show would not be my and our last one. Now I have to think that it may have been.

gimmekeef wrote on Apr 14^th, 2020 at 8:54am:

Ticketbastard Should be forced to refund anyone that wants their money back NOW. If they don't then the band should do the right thing and announce a cancellation. Let's be honest...concerts and large sports events will be the last things allowed back to normal when this virus is finally at least controlled if not broken. Realistically that is months if not a year or more away. (sorry but imho I think that is the case). Do you also think the band will want to risk the chance they get the virus by touring while any risks are still here? What about the crew? I went to Miami last year hoping that that show would not be my and our last one. Now I have to think that it may have been.

@fotiniD...I agree, I do think they are enjoying it. Especially with the new model of 14 shows at a time...2 per week...with a 8 or 9 month break...its a pace a healthy 75 year old man can do, they made that clear since 2014. It worked for them, and happily for us too. I miss those arena shows, but if that's what they want to give, I will happily take it.

And as far as the Grim Reaper being a fitting end to this journey, isn't that what we are seeing? I know what you meant, but, one's mortality being realized everyday in the headlines and outside one's own window  cant be pleasant for any of them...

@gimmekeef, you pretty much summed up what my ramblings said...the touring biz is not going to be the same...so call it cancelled, and hope for a better, shinier tomorrow...the thought of being in a pit right now makes me want to wretch...not sure what or when anyone's tour will look like, and whatever happens, it wont be anytime soon...so...why not just sit back, write, jam, record, release...thats all I am saying...for the love of it...do it for the love of it...and it will be organic, genuine and GREAT!

In the state of the music industry for an act this size, it's the tours that make money, not the albums. The albums promote the tours, and keep the artists from becoming strictly legacy acts. 

If they stopped touring, we wouldn't get two more albums, we'd get one last one from them at best.  Because the albums won't sell, and without a tour might not make back production, distribution and advertising costs, so that a profit would be turned in the same fiscal year as the release.

Look how relatively insignificant it's been to them to crank out the one they claim they want to do the best possible job on, and how many tours have gone by while they're doing their best to produce only fifteen songs...

My feeling is that we won't see a new album until it's time to promote their next tour, which may be their last.  That won't happen until Corona is deader than Enoch Powell, so 2021.  They won't be making any albums to entertain the troops sitting at home and not buying seats.  Notice that Burnt Orange Heresy isn't streaming yet?

Well, I honestly do think that touring is over...this is the force of nature. By 2022, Charlie will be 81 years old.

They should release the album and do a two or three day Last Waltz style farewell festival in Hyde Park...bring Bill and Mick T out, and have a lot of acts that have been inspired or played with them (Bonnie Raitt, Tom Waits, John Mayer, Gary Clark Jr., Dave Grohl, Buddy Guy is he's still around, etc.). The core four members sit in at various times, and then each night ends with a 10-12 song set from the band. The final night opens with No Expectations and closes with Ruby Tuesday.

Alternatively, each month in 2022 for the 60th they do small 3-5 show residencies in hot spots like NYC, Chicago, Boston, etc. like the Licks tour and at smaller, intimate venues they play one of the 1968-72 albums (and maybe Some Girls) in full.

It would be nice if they took their show cues from fans, but that only comes out in limited ways, such as when they started playing CYHMK.

I think they're dopes for not using Mick Taylor right, such as structuring the show around s six-song block of Taylor classics ahead of Keith's set.  The band and Taylor would have gotten so much more out of that, as would have the fans.

Notice how the Eagle Rock classic shows releases have dried up?

Keep on Rolling, thanks!

Right now, I would be surprised if the Stones would be able to tour in 2021.  You can forget about them playing live in 2020 - I doubt any of us will be attending concerts anywhere for the rest of this year.

I take it that once they announce new dates, then the option to get refunds would be available. If thats the case, they should do so as soon as possible. These tickets are expensive enough as it is and a large amount of people who have bought them are going to need every penny they can get in the coming months.

Plenty of other acts have already tentatively rescheduled shows from this summer to next year.

If they reschedule and then have to cancel outright in 2021 for reasons beyond their control, then no one could blame them

I’m confused. I decided on Monday that I would cancel and get a refund. Upon clicking ‘refund’ I got the following message

“ Due to the unprecedented volume of cancelations, please note that you should expect to receive your refund in as soon as 30 days if your event was impacted by the COVID-19 situation.”

Is this option no longer showing as available?  Did I just beat the lockout?