ROCK veterans THE ROLLING STONES are set to finally bow out after 50 years in music - with a giant farewell tour.

The foursome will have a combined age of 268 when the world tour kicks off next year.

The band - formed way back in 1962 - will reach its half-century during the jaunt, which is set to last into 2012.

Drummer CHARLIE WATTS will celebrate his 70th birthday on the tour, and bandmates RONNIE WOOD, 63, KEITH RICHARDS and MICK JAGGER, both 66, agreed the milestones make it the right moment to call it a day.

They are in talks with promoters Live Nation about the tour, and a source said: "They're likely to perform in stadiums. It's almost certainly the last full-scale world tour.

"The band realise that age is creeping up on them. They want to bow out on top of their game, and not short-change their fans."

The Stones first did a farewell tour of Britain in 1971, then left the country to avoid high taxes. They gave up touring again for eight years from 1982 until the Steel Wheels tour in 1990.

The Stones have sold more than 200 million albums and recorded a string of classic hits including Satisfaction, Paint It Black and Brown Sugar.

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http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/3067095/Rolling-Stones-to-s...

"They want to bow out on top of their game, and not short-change their fans."

This is the part that made me chuckle...With a (pretty much) worthless fan club fee and
a ticket price of $250.00 plus...I would say
MANY have been and will be short changed!!

STADIUMS...NO MAS!!!

This is what I have been predicting.
Go out with the 50th, health permitting.
Makes the most sense; it's a feat that has never been achieved by a Rock n Roll Band. Am I wrong?
I'll feel VERY blessed just to get one more tour. It will be phenomenal.

LJ.

LadyJane wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2010 at 9:33pm:



A few bands have lasted longer (The Blind Boys of Alabama have been going since 1939) and while some bands in the rock n roll era have lasted longer with a few 'splits' , certainly no band of that genre has existed continuously for as long.

Please NO stadiums. I have doubts they could fill them. Unless they use a U2 gimmick like using the stage to sell tickets. Everybody realizes the way they do things. They really only have 1 big tour left in them. They just won't try a different style. But please don't go out with the same old crap again. Try SOMETHING different.

sweetcharmedlife wrote on Jul 24^th, 2010 at 2:16pm:



They tried that last time. Although in a classic case of "lets call shite chocolate so that we can sell it above what its worth", they marketed "above stage standing with a restricted view" as "onstage seating"

PT Barnum would have been proud of that.

I want to add that it really hits me, because I've been there from the beginning. I remember 1963/64 so well. I was 12/13 at that time and without the Stones my life wouldn't have been the same. If they stop because of their age, it means I'm getting old too. I'm gonna grab me a couple of beers extra!

Wouldn't it be great, keep on making (blues orientated) records, going back to their roots, do small acoustic (club)gigs with the songs from the beginning (early sixties), no more hits or warhorses, no more jumping around the stage. Just acoustic/unplugged versions of songs from "Aftermath" or "Out of our Heads", that kind of stuff. Aaahh, wishfull thinking!!!

Tumbling Dijs wrote on Jul 24^th, 2010 at 5:56pm:

Yes I think it is wishful thinking. That's why I'm afraid they'll try and do one more super mega tour with some kind of outrageous stage...As opposed to just playing well.

More of the same, with a mention about Glastonbury...  

Ronnie Wood: We'll never stop rocking

Jul 25 2010 by Caroline Waterston, The People

ROLLING Stone Ronnie Wood yesterday denied reports that the band are quitting after 50 years, vowing: “We’ll rock till we drop.”

The Stones, who have a combined age of 268, were said to have been gearing up for a final world tour to say farewell to fans.

Guitarist Ron confirmed that he, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts ARE planning a tour – but it will NOT mean the end.

The 63-year-old said: “We have all agreed this won’t be the last time. Everyone’s rocking.”

Ron also revealed that the Stones are keen to headline at the Glastonbury festival and thrilled their 1970s album, Exile On Main Street, recently went to No. 1 in the charts.

people.co.uk

Gazza wrote on Jul 25^th, 2010 at 4:40pm:


Sounds like you don't want to be anywhere near Glastonbury.

For those of us who have never been, care to elaborate on why?

Edith Grove wrote on Jul 25^th, 2010 at 5:01pm:



Its in the middle of nowhere, is too big (about 140,000) and I just hate festivals in general, and always have done. The vast majority of the tickets are sold before the bill is announced (and you have to buy a ticket for the whole event, not just one day), so the bands are playing to a festival audience, and not the sort of audience who'd normally go and watch them at their own gig. If you think Stones audiences now largely consist of blow-ins and box-tickers, this would be even worse.

Skipped Bruce's appearance there last year too. Whilst its a great experience for those who like that kind of thing (and I know several people who go almost every year and absolutely love it), personally I wouldnt take a ticket to Glastonbury if I was given one for nothing.

It gets blanket coverage on BBC for three days anyway, so sitting at home and choosing to watch who I want and when is a much easier option.

It's a good coup for the band if they headline it and put on a great show (plus for a change they're playing to what is largely a younger audience), but its just not my sort of gig.

Poplar wrote on Jul 26^th, 2010 at 3:39am:

Sup P?

Sup SG?  Ready for a weird season of NFC South football ... and best stones ever?

corgi37 wrote on Jul 26^th, 2010 at 5:51am:


Abso-fucking-lutely, Corgi.

Rolling Stones rumor control: They're not retiring (but should they be?)

by Simon Vozick-Levinson
July 26, 2010




The Rolling Stones are not retiring. The Web was abuzz this weekend with rumors that the rock legends are about to pack it in, all based on an anonymously sourced story in The Sun claiming that their next world tour will be their last. “Stones to stop Rolling,” the U.K. tabloid observed. “Time no longer on their side.”

Only one problem: Despite those witty captions, the report is bogus. “Not true,” said the Stones’ rep when asked by EW if the band is planning to retire.

Stones fans can rest easy for now. Still, this rumor got the traction it did for a reason. These guys have been performing for decades. Personally, I think they should keep rocking until it becomes a physical impossibility. As long as there are people out there who want to see them in concert, why shouldn’t they? But perhaps you’ll disagree. Are you glad the Stones aren’t retiring yet? If they don’t call it a day now, when should they?


Entertainment Weekly

No this article is pure bullshit. There will never be a farewell tour. The band will never retire, it will just 'end' once someone kicks the bucket, right on the stage. I seriously think KEEF wants to go out this way. I've heard MICK and KEEF say they will never have a formal ending, but the end will happen natrually in its own good time, due to death of one of them. KEEF is very spiritual, in his own way. I dread the day we get this sad news.

This is an article from RONNIE which backs this up:
Ronnie Wood has dismissed reports the Rolling Stones are planning to retire, insisting the veteran musicians are determined to "rock till we drop".
British tabloids reported that the Brown Sugar hitmakers had agreed to conclude the band's 50-year career with a farewell tour next year.
But guitarist Wood insists he and his bandmates have no intention of quitting.
He says, "We have all agreed this won't be the last time. Everyone's rocking."

By Kristen Schweizer - Jul 27, 2010 7:01 PM EDT

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/datapid=avimage&iid=iDk3dxrcFBIw


The Rolling Stones, whose hits include “Satisfaction” and “Sympathy for the Devil,” are in talks with promoters AEG Live and Live Nation Entertainment Inc. for a tour, according to a person who declined to be identified because talks are private.

The Stones are planning concerts in the next few years and haven’t yet signed a contract, said the person. An auction for the tour has been under way for about a month and a group of independent promoters is also bidding, the person said.

A spokesman for the band declined to comment on the auction and said The Rolling Stones have no plans to retire. The U.K.’s Sun newspaper reported last weekend that the group’s 50th anniversary shows would be its last. Spokespeople for Live Nation and AEG Live couldn’t be immediately be reached for comment.

The band, which turns 50 in two years, holds the record for the most profitable tour with the 2005-2006 “A Bigger Bang,” which took in $558.3 million, according to music news website Spinner. With record sales plunging 30 percent in the past decade and illegal downloads of music accounting for almost all music heard online, live performance has become the industry’s most lucrative and fastest-growing segment.

Fans are paying twice the price for tickets to top concerts compared with a decade ago. Artists who once performed live to promote record sales are now churning out albums to boost attendance at shows.

Bloomberg


The wheels are turning.

Be very surprising if Live Nation didn't land the bid, imo.
They control a lot more venues than their competitors.  

Mick can't fucking wait to sing PMS.

gimmekeef wrote on Jul 28^th, 2010 at 9:58am:

and then depression set in...