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Topi

Just an honest question: why did you book your flights before the tour was officially announced?

He described it briefly here: [iorr.org] , [iorr.org] , [iorr.org] .

of course everyone is grateful to BV but maybe we can start a separate thread and thank the administrator... Guys....

It’s known as passion Topi

I feel sad for all the fans who were planning on going. Last year's shows in Chicago were tremendous.

Let's hope it's just a delay, with no health issues, and they regroup for a tour sooner than later.

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MickDaseway
of course everyone is grateful to BV but maybe we can start a separate thread and thank the administrator... Guys....

I'm grateful to you for that comment!

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stargroover
It’s known as passion Topi

-Wow!

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thecitadel

My suspicion is that the reason for no Tour is the wish to finish the next album. A similar reason in 2023 - and who could ask the Band to spend 4 months on a Tour (prep, rehearsals, gigs, time away from home - ie work!) AND some weeks recording, finalising and launching another album.

The PR people, if asked, will give off-the-record reasons - a smoke screen. Like everyone I'm hoping its nothing more serious.

Unlikely. The plans were already in an advanced stage. Stadiums were booked, Chuck and Chanel were hyping on their socials.. If they wanted to finish an album, then they would have made that decision much earlier.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025-01-31 12:46 by Jalfstra.

My take from far away in Australia waiting for another Stones tour here since 2014 .....is that Mick & Keith have sniffed the economic breeze and decided there's not enough money to be made this year in Europe. Many economies are struggling so maybe better to wait it out.

Maybe they should come down to Australia & NZ for a holiday and tour!

pool's in but the patio ain't dry

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thecitadel

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grzegorz67
The Times of London now carrying the 'story'! It's behind a paywall so can't see if they've taken it from here or not.


[www.thetimes.com]

For a Tour that was never announced to make the front page of The Times website is very, very unusual. Shows the comms power of IORR, Shidoobee and social media. But it also says something about the Stones fame and the touring era coming to an end.
(…)

whatever the reasons are. The Times seem to have a source (or at least implicitly claims to have one) as the write 'The Rolling Stones have ruled out a return to touring this year' while all other reports and rumors just said that the tour is off.

A source said: “Promoters had been locked in discussions with The Stones about coming to the UK and Europe.

"There had been hope the gigs would take place this summer but it’s not worked out.

“And now it’s been shelved. But Mick, Keith and Ronnie love to perform live shows so there’s a hope that the promoters can lock in dates for next year.”( The SUN magazine)
[www.thesun.co.uk]

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grzegorz67
The Times of London now carrying the 'story'! It's behind a paywall so can't see if they've taken it from here or not.


[www.thetimes.com]

Rolling Stones rule out European tour in 2025
Band has rejected proposals for concerts, giving fans hoping to see Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood on stage this year no satisfaction
_{David Sanderson, Arts Correspondent
Friday January 31 2025, 12.01am GMT, The Times}

The Rolling Stones have ruled out a return to touring this year after a proposed multimillion-pound visit to Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium was rejected.

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood have opted against a major European tour this year, although several multiple-date options were presented to the band’s members.

Complications with venues and travel as well as existing commitments prevented the much-anticipated reunion of the band, which remain one of the world’s most popular acts more than 60 years after they formed.

It is understood, however, that the veteran rockers still hope to perform in Britain and elsewhere in 2026. Jagger, 81, Richards, also 81, and Wood, 77, last played in Britain in 2022, the year after the band’s drummer Charlie Watts died, aged 80.

The group, formed in 1962, is still one of the biggest cultural draws in the world. Twenty concerts in North America last year, for which 880,000 tickets were sold, generated $235 million.

The tour in support of 2023’s critically lauded Hackney Diamonds album, the Stones’ first new material since 2005, marking the first concerts without Watts, raised hopes that a return to Europe was on the cards this year.

Various options from rival tour promoters — encompassing visits to Paris, Barcelona, Rome and four gigs at Tottenham Hotspur’s London stadium — were explored by the band but ultimately rejected.

Hopes remain high that Wood will appear with Rod Stewart in his Legends slot at the Glastonbury festival in June. The Rolling Stones guitarist was pictured with Stewart at the singer’s 80th birthday celebrations earlier this month.

Richards has frequently been pictured on social media in recent weeks, as has Jagger, who most recently posted a new year message.

A Rolling Stones summer tour of Britain, with its enormous commercial potential, would have inevitably drawn further attention to high ticket prices. The “dynamic pricing” model used by ticketing companies, whereby prices rise in line with demand, are the subject of parliamentary and regulatory inquiries after public outcry over sales for this year’s Oasis concerts by Ticketmaster.

Hundreds of complaints were made after some tickets for the Oasis tour — their first since an acrimonious split in 2009 — were sold for £200 more than advertised due to the deployment of “in-demand pricing”.

Liam Byrne, the chair of the business and trade committee, revealed on Thursday that Ticketmaster was refusing to appear before its MPs, who are investigating the use of dynamic pricing.

Andrew Parsons, Ticketmaster’s UK managing director, told Byrne its representatives could not appear because the company was already under investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority “into whether dynamic pricing was used in the sale of Oasis tickets”, which would be an issue “central” to the MPs’ probe.

Byrne urged Ticketmaster to reconsider, given the “high degree of public and parliamentary interest, as well as active government consultation”.

The Rolling Stones, unlike most contemporary music ensembles, have no obvious financial pressures pushing them to agree to tours subject to conditions set by, for example, Ticketmaster and its corporate partner, Live Nation. According to the latest Sunday Times Rich List, Jagger and Richards, the principal songwriters over the band’s history, each boast an estimated fortune of £415 million.

Sounds like an excuse to me.

More likely it's a physical injury but that doesn't fill promoters with confidence so better to blame logistics.

2026 is a long time away especially at their age. They should try and push it to autumn time...

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keefriffhards
Sounds like an excuse to me.

More likely it's a physical injury but that doesn't fill promoters with confidence so better to blame logistics.

This seems like dooming to me

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winos
My take from far away in Australia waiting for another Stones tour here since 2014 .....is that Mick & Keith have sniffed the economic breeze and decided there's not enough money to be made this year in Europe. Many economies are struggling so maybe better to wait it out.

Maybe they should come down to Australia & NZ for a holiday and tour!

There is not much time left to wait it out.

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thecitadel

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grzegorz67
The Times of London now carrying the 'story'! It's behind a paywall so can't see if they've taken it from here or not.


[www.thetimes.com]

For a Tour that was never announced to make the front page of The Times website is very, very unusual. Shows the comms power of IORR, Shidoobee and social media. But it also says something about the Stones fame and the touring era coming to an end.

My suspicion is that the reason for no Tour is the wish to finish the next album. A similar reason in 2023 - and who could ask the Band to spend 4 months on a Tour (prep, rehearsals, gigs, time away from home - ie work!) AND some weeks recording, finalising and launching another album.

The PR people, if asked, will give off-the-record reasons - a smoke screen. Like everyone I'm hoping its nothing more serious.

This doesn't seem plausible to me. They spend all the time planning this tour and then pull the plug themselves because they haven't finished the next album?

Even if they had wanted to tour on the strength of a new release, surely they know themselves how long at this point it will take to complete. It was 3/4s finished, according to Mick, September 2023.

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thecitadel

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grzegorz67
The Times of London now carrying the 'story'! It's behind a paywall so can't see if they've taken it from here or not.


[www.thetimes.com]

For a Tour that was never announced to make the front page of The Times website is very, very unusual. Shows the comms power of IORR, Shidoobee and social media. But it also says something about the Stones fame and the touring era coming to an end.

My suspicion is that the reason for no Tour is the wish to finish the next album. A similar reason in 2023 -

Do you realize that your interpretation doesn't hold water at all? Why would they work on a tour then? It's like 2023 (Mick's leg problem that caused the cancellation) Same thing this year. Even a minor health problem for Mick or Keith meant that the insurance companies did not take any risks. I absolutely don't believe it's a layout problem.

What are the odds of scraping together a fall US tour like 2021

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Glimmerest

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keefriffhards
Sounds like an excuse to me.

More likely it's a physical injury but that doesn't fill promoters with confidence so better to blame logistics.

This seems like dooming to me

no its typical BS from this poster with no facts,pushing a false narrative....no one knows why they didn't sign a contract to tour but the reasons I'm sure are vindicated...as it said above these guys write their rules on touring...they are worth $1B pounds collectively and they don't care what promoters say or think..they do what they want to do when it suits and benefits them. They'll tour when the right deal comes across their desk.

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Glimmerest

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keefriffhards
Sounds like an excuse to me.

More likely it's a physical injury but that doesn't fill promoters with confidence so better to blame logistics.

This seems like dooming to me

It's not dooming, it's common sense, imagine Mick has arthritis or a knee injury for instance, far better to say the Stones have a problem with logistics, doesn't make it sound as though you are physically unable to tour stadiums.

The Stones might have more success booking smaller venues if they wish to continue, covering a huge stadium stage becomes high risk in your 80's, it goes without saying, the odds stack up against you, it's a no brainer.

Thanks for all the info BV

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winos
My take from far away in Australia waiting for another Stones tour here since 2014 .....is that Mick & Keith have sniffed the economic breeze and decided there's not enough money to be made this year in Europe. Many economies are struggling so maybe better to wait it out.

Maybe they should come down to Australia & NZ for a holiday and tour!

Nah, concerts are still massive business. They could have found 14 stadiums in Europe to be profitable or they could have just toured North America again.

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Topi

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StonesBuenosAires
It is very sad to hear this news, with the air tickets already purchased to cross the ocean from Buenos Aires in June and see the tour with 5 friends

Unfortunately a postponement would not work for me (because I already have the flights booked), but I hope so because it would mean that they are fine

Just an honest question: why did you book your flights before the tour was officially announced?

because a 4-day trip from one European country to another (1-2 hour flight) is not the same as a flight from here the end of the world to Europe that requires at least 20 days to make it worth it, and it takes other planning and prices
For example: the air ticket costs 600 u$d more today than the day I bought it

In any case, it is still a vacation trip with friends and we had other destinations in mind besides going to some concerts, we are going to have a good time either way, but it is a shame not to be able to crown it with the Stones

I'm on this board long enough to read "we've seen the last Stones show" posts on numerous occasions, including:

2006 Keith head injury
several times between 2008-2012 when rumoured tours did not materialize
2017 tour postponement
2019 Mick's heart surgery and following tour postponement
2020 covid
2021 Charlie's death
2023 unnanouced tour "cancellation"

and now 2025 tour. This could be the last time. Maybe the last time. I don't know. But I hope it is not.

It seems that the issue was the Barcelona Olympic Stadium.
The tour debut was scheduled at this place on may 11th.

Same day as the huge football event of the year in Barcelona, FCB - Real Madrid.
FCB was hoping to play in his renovated stadium, but work has fallen behind schedule and it is no longer certain that the Camp Nou stadium will be completed on May 11.

So FCB risked having no stadium in Barcelona for this prestigious match. The Olympic stadium belongs to the city of Barcelona, so obviously priority was given to the FCB for May 11.


[en.as.com]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2025-01-31 18:33 by Massimo68.

Sad they won’t be touring this summer.

My main hope is that all the band are in good health.You can’t help but worry at their age when something seemingly so far advanced in planning doesn’t go ahead.

I am not expert on how this would work. But reading the articles and connecting some dots this is a theory of what might have happend, if it's a business thing:

- A band sells their touring services to a Promotor for a fixed amount of money. The Stones are garantueed of it. They also set the rules (how many concerts, how many off days etc)
- This promotor needs to organize the tour. To make money they need to find the optimum pricepoint, sell loads of tickets and also arrange everything from a planning point of view based on bids from local promotors.
- We know that in this case there were troubles with the planning. We also saw there where lots of gaps at the end with bv saying it could be for replanning of cancelled shows. We also know the concept of 2 shows in a saturated market is a risk.
- This can mean that the margins for the promotors where very thin, and therefore the risks very big.
- Ofcourse then you try to work things out. Like doing extra shows etc to get the business case done. But you need the band for this to work. Also the Barca situation.. With all due respect. But Barcelona FC is one of the few things bigger than the Stones. Politics would be in play for sure since Barca has a big advantage to play in barca, not in London.
- With the final go no/go moment they could not make the decision to go on. After all, it's a business decision.

In case of the Stones I am not sure there is one big promotor working with local ones, or it's just the Stones themself working with the local ones. In both scenario's this is what could have been the case.

I always was fascinated by the statement that on a world tour like ABB they only reached the break even point after 40 gigs or so. Imagine today with fewer shows, and inflated costs everywhere.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025-01-31 18:21 by PaintMonkeyManBlack.

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JDSAM1994
What are the odds of scraping together a fall US tour like 2021

NIL. It's Europe's turn next. They just finished North America 6 months ago.

Hi everyone, I'm a discreet fan but I've been following the various topics for a long time. A few decades ago, I received the IORR magazine by postmail and I have always appreciated BV's work."

"Like you, I'm quite sad that there's no tour this summer, and if we set aside any potential health concerns, I think it's becoming complicated for the Stones to plan a tour.

On the one hand, many younger artists plan tours far in advance, while the Stones, probably because of insurances and their ages, can only announce a tour 3 months in advance at most.

This results in a complication in establishing a correct and profitable itinerary since they have to fit in where there is space left.

I also think that insurance companies and promoters in Europe take less risk than in the United States.That's the old habits of Europe unfortunatly.

All of this put together can explain the difficulty of setting up a tour.

Some also suggest concerts in Arenas. I'm not opposed to it, but you have to expect to empty your wallet, which I can't afford. If other artists charge more for tickets in Arenas, the Stones certainly can't do the opposite.They must be in the wave whatever they want or not.

Jagger is also a businessman; he knows very well that at their age, postponing a tour by a year is risky, even unacceptable. At 30 or 50, you can afford it, not at 80 and beyond. The risk is also that where it is complicated today, it will be even more so later.

So there had to be a good reason to give up this summer tour. Officially, we can't say "cancel" forthis kind of huge events. We start by "postponing" or "rescheduling" while waiting to get more concrete elements to the decision to formalize the cancellation.

We will all note the silence of the group which, although not having communicated on the tour, could at least in the time of social networks make a small effort of communication. It is good to fill social networks with things of the past or promotions, it is also good to communicate on the present and the very near future.

As fans, we also think that the last American and European concerts before that were complete. Certainly, there were people, there was demand, but not to the point of displaying sold out.

What about in 2025?

The album "Hackney Diamonds" was a success, certainly, but not at the same level in all countries and not for months, and when I ask people, they are still at "Start Me Up" or "Paint It Black." "Angry" is already far away, and even more so "Mess It Up" or "World Wide World."

To count on a Belgian public, for example, to fill a stadium, we can forget it; it fills up because quite a few people come from abroad.

In Europe, there remains a hard core in the Netherlands, in England, and to a certain extent in France. For the rest, I wonder a lot.

I have lived with the Stones since I was 15 years old, 60 years later I don't get tired of it, it's like a beautiful love story with good and less good times, but in the end, I want to see you again, baby ;-).

So, I take things as they come without planning anything, hoping that the story doesn't end like this. You imagine a group that closes its career as we wish, it is almost unthinkable, but with the Stones, anything is possible!!!!"

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cool43
Hi everyone, I'm a discreet fan but I've been following the various topics for a long time. A few decades ago, I received the IORR magazine by postmail and I have always appreciated BV's work."

"Like you, I'm quite sad that there's no tour this summer, and if we set aside any potential health concerns, I think it's becoming complicated for the Stones to plan a tour.

On the one hand, many younger artists plan tours far in advance, while the Stones, probably because of insurances and their ages, can only announce a tour 3 months in advance at most.

This results in a complication in establishing a correct and profitable itinerary since they have to fit in where there is space left.

I also think that insurance companies and promoters in Europe take less risk than in the United States.That's the old habits of Europe unfortunatly.

All of this put together can explain the difficulty of setting up a tour.

Some also suggest concerts in Arenas. I'm not opposed to it, but you have to expect to empty your wallet, which I can't afford. If other artists charge more for tickets in Arenas, the Stones certainly can't do the opposite.They must be in the wave whatever they want or not.

Jagger is also a businessman; he knows very well that at their age, postponing a tour by a year is risky, even unacceptable. At 30 or 50, you can afford it, not at 80 and beyond. The risk is also that where it is complicated today, it will be even more so later.

So there had to be a good reason to give up this summer tour. Officially, we can't say "cancel" forthis kind of huge events. We start by "postponing" or "rescheduling" while waiting to get more concrete elements to the decision to formalize the cancellation.

We will all note the silence of the group which, although not having communicated on the tour, could at least in the time of social networks make a small effort of communication. It is good to fill social networks with things of the past or promotions, it is also good to communicate on the present and the very near future.

As fans, we also think that the last American and European concerts before that were complete. Certainly, there were people, there was demand, but not to the point of displaying sold out.

What about in 2025?

The album "Hackney Diamonds" was a success, certainly, but not at the same level in all countries and not for months, and when I ask people, they are still at "Start Me Up" or "Paint It Black." "Angry" is already far away, and even more so "Mess It Up" or "World Wide World."

To count on a Belgian public, for example, to fill a stadium, we can forget it; it fills up because quite a few people come from abroad.

In Europe, there remains a hard core in the Netherlands, in England, and to a certain extent in France. For the rest, I wonder a lot.

I have lived with the Stones since I was 15 years old, 60 years later I don't get tired of it, it's like a beautiful love story with good and less good times, but in the end, I want to see you again, baby ;-).

So, I take things as they come without planning anything, hoping that the story doesn't end like this. You imagine a group that closes its career as we wish, it is almost unthinkable, but with the Stones, anything is possible!!!!"

Nice post. The only thing I would add, is that the only reason they don't sell out everywhere, is the high pricing. They have accountants that evaluate supply and demand and price to maximize the profit, something in economics called the elasticity of demand. So what they are doing is trying to maximize the revenue for each show, which may or may not result in a sellout, and so they do the Lucky Dips to try and manage audience gaps.

If they made $5 million per show, adjusting ticket prices downward, instead of $10 million they would certainly sell out every venue. But then they'd be out $5 million a show...the numerical example overly-simplified, but I think you may get the drift. Their aim is to leave as little money on the table as possible.