Hint at future plans for Stones ...

Inside the Rolling Stones' New Stadium Tour: Hot Rocks and Deep Cuts
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood talk about playing 'Sticky Fingers' rarities on the road – and hint at future plans

Mick Jagger says retirement isn't in the cards for the Rolling Stones anytime soon. Theonepointeight
"Thank you very much, San Diego, you were bloody wonderful!" Mick Jagger shouted from the stage at Petco Park on May 24th. The Rolling Stones had just finished the first night of their 15-date Zip Code stadium tour, delivering well over two hours of rock & roll – from the raucous "Jumpin' Jack Flash" that opened the show through the encore of "You Can't Always Get What You Want" (assisted by a California choir) and "Satisfaction," with a handful of deep cuts unearthed along the way – and it had all gone off without a hitch. "I was enjoying myself," Jagger says when he calls two days later. "It's hard to fake it if I wasn't." Keith Richards agrees. "Usually, the first two or three shows, the band feels they're not quite on," he says. "And sometimes it's the truth. But this one, right out the gate, it sounds great."

The Rolling Stones 100 Greatest Rolling Stones Songs »
Four nights before the San Diego show, the Stones faced a different test: playing every song from 1971's Sticky Fingers, some of which they haven't touched in a decade or more, during a last-minute club gig at Los Angeles' 1,200-capacity Fonda Theatre. "We're all high on the fact that we actually did it," says Ronnie Wood. (The Stones have also reissued the classic LP in a deluxe new edition.) Tickets for the L.A. show, which went on sale that day for just $10, sold out in minutes; when fans arrived at the venue, they were refunded their money in another surprise. Jagger says the band put in extra effort in rehearsals, knowing that the gig was being filmed for potential release. "We had to revisit tunes that we don't do very often, and we had to make sure they worked really well," he says. "We worked quite hard on 'Sister Morphine' and 'I Got the Blues.' They're not actually that easy to do – it's not simple 12-bar stuff." In the end, though, the club date was a piece of cake. "Small gigs in the beginning are almost a tradition to the Stones," says Richards. "We go, 'Well, we started in places this size. If we can do this, the rest of it is just magnification.'"

Charlie Watts and Keith Richards
Charlie Watts and Keith Richards perform in San Diego, California. Theonepointeight
Next came San Diego, the Stones' first U.S. stadium gig since 2006. With Petco Park in constant use thanks to baseball season, the band was unable to rehearse there until a brief soundcheck the day of the show. "Baseball stadiums can be a little bit tricky, because they're so wide," Jagger says. "It can be difficult to get the feeling of whether we're reaching the audience or not. You just have to do the best you can." He says he knew the show was going well about 20 minutes in, during "Tumblin' Dice," when he walked out into the middle of the floor-section crowd on a long, thin catwalk. "Every time you get onstage in a stadium, you go, 'I forgot how big it was,'" adds Richards. "You can't not be excited when you have that many people in the audience. It's an exchange of adrenaline."

The set peaked with a show-stopping "Moonlight Mile," which the Stones last played in 1999 before the L.A run-through. "You don't really know if that's right for a stadium, because it's a bit intimate," Jagger says. "But it seemed to work. I felt really good about it. I make mistakes when I get carried away, but I didn't screw it up!"

Richards says the Stones will rotate in other Sticky Fingers rarities as the tour goes on. "We'll cycle in maybe three or four a night," says the guitarist, mentioning "You Gotta Move," where he plays a 12-string slide guitar, as a likely candidate. "It was very, very interesting in a theater," he says. "Maybe I'll give it a bash. Now that the band has felt its way in and got its feet wet, anything's possible." In San Diego, opening act Gary Clark Jr. added a blazing solo to "Bitch," and Jagger says they plan to collaborate with some of their other openers on this tour, who range from the Avett Brothers to Buddy Guy: "I'm sure we'll do some good duets on the road."

One notable absence was former guitarist Mick Taylor, a key collaborator at the original Sticky Fingers sessions. In 2012, nearly 40 years after quitting the Stones, Taylor returned as a guest on their 50 and Counting Tour, but he won't be appearing on this run. "Mick Taylor is a shadow, man – he comes and he goes," says Richards. Adds Wood, "I play the Taylor-made parts, as I call them. In a way, it's less complicated to play with just Keith."

Wood's chemistry with Richards was obvious in San Diego, where they made each other laugh almost as often as they traded licks. Both guitarists ran up to the front of the stage during Jagger's band introductions, soaking up the crowd's love. Charlie Watts, meanwhile, looked as if he practically had to be dragged up to take his bow. "I kid with him because he's a bit reticent," says Jagger. "I mess around and push him, and he doesn't really mind."

Richards and Wood agree that the state of the Stones is strong in 2015. "I think it's the best vibe ever within the band," says Wood. "We've never been closer." Richards alludes to the tragic death last year of Jagger's longtime girlfriend, designer L'Wren Scott: "Mick went through that terrible thing, and the band has become even more important to him because of that," says the guitarist.

Ron Wood performs in San Diego, California. Theonepointeight
While the Stones haven't released a new album since 2005, Richards says that could change sooner rather than later. "Funny you should mention that," he says. "Just last week, the word 'studio' popped up while we were rehearsing. I said, 'Well, let's find a time. I'm ready!'"

But first, the band is mulling a possible South American tour this fall. "I'm looking at what the options are," says Jagger. "We haven't etched it in stone." One thing's for sure: Retirement is still firmly off the table. "I feel pretty good, actually," he says. "Sometimes at the beginning of these tours, you feel a bit achy. But I'm in good shape. It's all about avoiding being injured. You've just got to watch it and not overdo it, and you should be able to do it for a little bit longer." Jagger laughs. "It's like being on some dreadful football team!"



[www.rollingstone.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-06-05 05:20 by bv.

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mtaylor
Richards says the Stones will rotate in other Sticky Fingers rarities as the tour goes on. "We'll cycle in maybe three or four a night," says the guitarist, mentioning "You Gotta Move," where he plays a 12-string slide guitar, as a likely candidate. "It was very, very interesting in a theater," he says. "Maybe I'll give it a bash. Now that the band has felt its way in and got its feet wet, anything's possible."

YES! Let Keef take care of You Gotta Move!

I've gotta stop reading interviews from them. Cause everything they say just makes me angry that none of it is gonna get delivered. Studio, Mick Taylor "comes and goes like a ghost", we gotta cycle through Sticky Fingers. Ugh, just tour and stop hyping it with something its not gonna be.

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RollingFreak
I've gotta stop reading interviews from them. Cause everything they say just makes me angry that none of it is gonna get delivered. Studio, Mick Taylor "comes and goes like a ghost", we gotta cycle through Sticky Fingers. Ugh, just tour and stop hyping it with something its not gonna be.

MT haunts the like a ghost as they make slop of his contributions.

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DoomandGloom

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RollingFreak
I've gotta stop reading interviews from them. Cause everything they say just makes me angry that none of it is gonna get delivered. Studio, Mick Taylor "comes and goes like a ghost", we gotta cycle through Sticky Fingers. Ugh, just tour and stop hyping it with something its not gonna be.

MT haunts the like a ghost as they make slop of his contributions.

Slop.
Love the sarcasm on these boards.


Great article!
Thanks for posting.

I wonder if they intentionally mislead, or reality intervenes. As for Taylor, did he ever come out and say why he's not with the Stones this time around? Did he want to be? Or does he do an interview in 20 years where he says he doesn't really know why he didn't continue?

Keith says the word 'studio' came up in rehearsal, most likely in the context, "We're never going to go studio again, right mates?"

I'm kidding, but since the very next line says they're mulling a tour of South America first, I'm guessing they'll touring in perpetuity while not recording new material.

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24FPS
I wonder if they intentionally mislead, or reality intervenes. As for Taylor, did he ever come out and say why he's not with the Stones this time around? Did he want to be? Or does he do an interview in 20 years where he says he doesn't really know why he didn't continue?

lol. I'm sure at this point you know as much as anybody. No doubt when and if he is next interviewed the question will be asked. I think Taylor is becoming more straightforward on interviews as he gets older and we'll probably all get what we need on this one.

peace

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24FPS
I wonder if they intentionally mislead, or reality intervenes. As for Taylor, did he ever come out and say why he's not with the Stones this time around? Did he want to be? Or does he do an interview in 20 years where he says he doesn't really know why he didn't continue?

they are intentionally obfuscating. for whatever reason - possibly including respect for mick taylor - they're not saying why, and so they are giving answers that sound meaningful but in reality are content free.

keith's answer here was masterful. he's answered the question, but he hasn't told you anything. they are great at PR. clearly they don't feel they owe us further explanation. i happen to agree.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-06-04 22:42 by Turner68.

hope so

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Turner68
they are intentionally obfuscating. for whatever reason - possibly including respect for mick taylor - they're not saying why, and so they are giving answers that sound meaningful but in reality are content free.

keith's answer here was masterful. he's answered the question, but he hasn't told you anything. they are great at PR. clearly they don't feel they owe us further explanation. i happen to agree.

So the Stones have turned into politicians?

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HearMeKnockin

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Turner68
they are intentionally obfuscating. for whatever reason - possibly including respect for mick taylor - they're not saying why, and so they are giving answers that sound meaningful but in reality are content free.

keith's answer here was masterful. he's answered the question, but he hasn't told you anything. they are great at PR. clearly they don't feel they owe us further explanation. i happen to agree.

So the Stones have turned into politicians?

partly... but you see sports figures doing the same thing. anyone who talks to the press a lot learns to talk about what he/she want to talk about, and not talk about what he/she doesn't want to talk about. the amateurs will say no comment, the pros will say something like "mick taylor is like a shadow - he comes and he goes".

OK for South America, but it should be very difficult next year coming back in Europe with the same concept, the same stage and the same setlist of the last two years...

Taylor is not on the tour because he was "difficult" last time. That's over and done with. He quit!

i'm doubting they will tour again for maybe another 2 or 3 years after zipcode unless they come back next year with a different set and setlist then there's not much more they can do and i still haven't ever seen them live and i really really want to but they really need to give that setlist abit of a change

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RollingFreak
I've gotta stop reading interviews from them. Cause everything they say just makes me angry that none of it is gonna get delivered. Studio, Mick Taylor "comes and goes like a ghost", we gotta cycle through Sticky Fingers. Ugh, just tour and stop hyping it with something its not gonna be.

They really are quite masterful at this nonsense.

The Rolling Stones: No longer master musicians, but masters at speaking while saying nothing.

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JackHampshire
Taylor is not on the tour because he was "difficult" last time. That's over and done with. He quit!

Has his being "difficult" been established anywhere reputable as a reason for his not being on the Zip Code tour?

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Nikkei

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mtaylor
Richards says the Stones will rotate in other Sticky Fingers rarities as the tour goes on. "We'll cycle in maybe three or four a night," says the guitarist, mentioning "You Gotta Move," where he plays a 12-string slide guitar, as a likely candidate. "It was very, very interesting in a theater," he says. "Maybe I'll give it a bash. Now that the band has felt its way in and got its feet wet, anything's possible."

YES! Let Keef take care of You Gotta Move!

speaking of hints... a little hint/tease of you gotta move at 7:48 mark in columbus....or maybe I was just high

You might as well have been high, you still got it right. The whole song should logically follow.

i'm waiting for someone to redo "she's like a rainbow" as "he's like a shadow"

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Turner68
i'm waiting for someone to redo "she's like a rainbow" as "he's like a shadow"

Careful what you wish for Turner...

He's Like A Shadow

He comes and goes anywhere
Oh, who knows where?
He's like a shadow
Coming and going anywhere,
Oh, who knows where?
He comes and goes (oh la la la la...)

He comes and goes anywhere
Oh, who knows where?
He's like a shadow
Coming and going anywhere,
Oh, who knows where?
He comes and goes (oh la la la la...)

Have you seen him play guitar?
It's like he's an ex-rock star
Bending notes and rockin' chords
But the Stones have closed the door
Right in his faaa-aaa-aa-aaace

He comes and goes anywhere
Oh, who knows where?
He's like a shadow
Coming and going anywhere,
Oh, who knows where?
He comes and goes (oh la la la la...)

Have you seen him up on stage?
He looks better than Page
With his precision and his skill
And Ron lookin' pretty ill
He's a maaa-aa-aa-aaster

He comes and goes anywhere
Oh, who knows where?
He's like a shadow
Coming and going anywhere,
Oh, who knows where?
He comes and goes (oh la la la la...)

nice :-)

Glad you like it Turner

Yes clever HearMeKnockin!

How about "Have You Seen Mick Taylor, Baby, Standing in the Shadow"?

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

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Hairball
Yes clever HearMeKnockin!

How about "Have You Seen Mick Taylor, Baby, Standing in the Shadow"?

Sorry, hairball, I'm done ripping off Stones songs for the day...

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HearMeKnockin

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Hairball
Yes clever HearMeKnockin!

How about "Have You Seen Mick Taylor, Baby, Standing in the Shadow"?

Sorry, hairball, I'm done ripping off Stones songs for the day...

Maybe it should be left as an instrumental with some MT style guitar jam at the end!

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

I think it's a good sign that they're not playing NYC, Chicago, SF, etc. this year - if they expected to end things, I think they would hit the big markets again.

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Send It To Me
I think it's a good sign that they're not playing NYC, Chicago, SF, etc. this year - if they expected to end things, I think they would hit the big markets again.

If the Stones ever go on one last tour before hanging it up, they'll announce some humungous worldwide tour across the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia and finish their tour in London.
But personally, I'll think they'll end things when Mick or Keith drops dead on stage...

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HearMeKnockin

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Send It To Me
I think it's a good sign that they're not playing NYC, Chicago, SF, etc. this year - if they expected to end things, I think they would hit the big markets again.

If the Stones ever go on one last tour before hanging it up, they'll announce some humungous worldwide tour across the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia and finish their tour in London.
But personally, I'll think they'll end things when Mick or Keith drops dead on stage...

yeah, there is no plan, they find the best deal and hit the stage. The only reason to avoid big markets is to stay away from big city reviews. The press rode the MT comeback