Rolling Stones headlining Coachella 2011: rumor 'not true,' says the band's repNovember 16th, 2010 10:22 am ET
The Rolling Stones' publicist is denying a rumor that the band is close to signing a deal to headline the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in 2011. As previously reported, the rumor first appeared on the HitsDailyDouble website, which claimed that unnamed sources said that the Stones were in negotiations to perform at Coachella 2011 for a supposed $5 million fee. The 2011 Coachella Fest is set to take place April 15, April 16, and April 17 in Indio, California.
When I asked the Rolling Stones' publicist for a comment on this report, she told me, "To the best of my knowledge," the rumor is "not true."
It seems like every week there is a new report or rumor that the Rolling Stones will play somewhere in 2011. The Stones/Coachella rumor isn't new. A rumor started in 2009 that the Stones might be playing the 2010 edition of Coachella. (It never happened.)
In early November 2010, the band's press office issued a statement saying that there are "no concrete plans" for the band to have a new album and tour in 2011. The band's most recent studio album is 2005's Grammy-nominated "A Bigger Bang." The subsequent tour for the album lasted from 2005 to 2007.
At this point, what has been confirmed (according to what Rolling Stones guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood have said in interviews) is the Rolling Stones will hold a summit in December 2010 to discuss the band's future plans.
Given how much time and effort that the Stones put into preparing for their concerts, it would seem very rushed for them to perform at a major event like Coachella less than five months after that meeting. Wherever the Rolling Stones choose to perform their first concert since 2007, it will most likely be in a setting that is very much a Rolling Stones setting, not a festival where they are one of many acts on the bill.
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www.examiner.com]