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The Rolling Stones are a British
rock and roll band who rose to prominence
during the mid-1960s. The Rolling Stones
were original in weaving together various
strands of American composition into a new
form of popular music. Early in their career
they played covers of blues, rhythm and
blues, country, and rock and roll music.
Their first recordings were covers of Chuck
Berry, Robert Johnson, Screamin' Jay Hawkins,
Waters, and Hank Williams songs, among others.
Although founding members Mick Jagger and
Keith Richards are regarded as one of the
greatest songwriting teams in the history
of popular music, the band never stopped
being inspired by other genres. Reggae,
Punk, and Dance have leaked into their recordings.
Guitarist (and original frontman)
Brian Jones, although popular and charismatic,
was forced out of the band in 1969 and died
an enigmatic death later that year, presumed
accidental at the time, although accusations
have surfaced that he was murdered. Jagger
and Richards took over songwriting and performance
leadership. Jones had favored sticking close
to the blues base, although he had also
experimented with the sitar, but Jagger
and Richards broadened their approach.
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Rolling Stones News
05.10.05 Rolling Stones Official Tour
Press Release
THE ROLLING STONES ONSTAGE
WORLD TOUR
To Launch August 21st at Boston's Fenway Park
Stones Redefine the Concert Experience Giving Fans the
Chance to Be ONSTAGE
NEW YORK, NY -- (May 10, 2005) - The Rolling Stones announced
today the kick off of the Rolling Stones World Tour at Boston's
legendary Fenway Park on August 21st. With 35 dates already
confirmed in the U.S and Canada, the band will then tour
Mexico, South America, the Far East and finally Europe in
the summer of 2006.
Fans, along with hundreds of members of the U.S. and international
media gathered at Lincoln Center, were treated to the ultimate
surprise performance by the Rolling Stones. As the famous
opening notes of "Start Me Up" blared across the
plaza, a giant banner with eye-popping signature tongue
logos dropped revealing the band performing on the balcony-turned-stage
of the 100 year old conservatory, Juilliard. Mick Jagger,
Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood played three
songs for an ecstatic crowd, including "Oh No Not You
Again," a new track off their upcoming CD along with
their classic hit "Brown Sugar." This marks the
first time the Rolling Stones performed at a press event
since 1975 when they sang "Brown Sugar" on top
of a flatbed truck as they rode down 5th Avenue.
The Rolling Stones Onstage will once again showcase their
diversity as musicians and performers by playing three dramatically
different venues from the grand scale excitement of a stadium,
to the thrill of an arena to the intimate setting of a theatre
and club with special set lists. This year's tour takes
the concert experience to the next level by bringing together
the advantages of an up-close club experience with their
electric stadium show. The band will fulfill the ultimate
dream of music lovers across the globe, offering the unimaginable-the
opportunity to be onstage with the Rolling Stones. Several
hundred seats are built directly into the stadium set, offering
fans the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share the excitement
and adrenaline rush of being onstage as the Rolling Stones
perform to an audience of 50,000 plus.
"The band is redefining the concert experience - there
is nothing even comparable to the thrill of being onstage
with the Rolling Stones and seeing a stadium show from the
band's perspective," said Michael Cohl, tour promoter.
"For fans this will be the greatest tour yet."
Rolling Stones Onstage will combine the spectacular production
and charismatic performances that fans have come to expect.
The band will be working closely with the design team responsible
for the sensational sets, dramatic effects and state-of-the
art technology on previous tours from "Steel Wheels"
to "Licks."
The Rolling Stones hold the record for the top 2 most attended
North American tours of all time.
Fans are able to enjoy special access to tickets, exclusive
merchandise and can also follow the tour online at www.rollingstones.com.
For the first time ever, concert goers will be able to see
the exact seat locations and choose the price level of tickets
before purchasing a platinum membership to the fan club.
Every ticket sold for the tour will include a free Virtual
Ticket membership in the Rolling Stones fan club. Updated
daily, users will be given an exclusive insider's look at
every aspect of the tour. From rehearsals and preparations
to on-going coverage via audio and videos streams, downloads,
set lists and news and much more.
The U.S. leg of the Rolling Stones Onstage World Tour is
presented by Ameriquest. "With music that appeals to
a wide spectrum of the American public, the Rolling Stones
offer Ameriquest a broad platform to strategically communicate
our brand, our services and our positioning as, 'Proud Sponsor
of the American Dream'" said Brian Woods, Chief Marketing
Officer, Ameriquest Mortgage Company. "In today's saturated
marketplace, the Rolling Stones break through the clutter
to reach fans in a way that few iconic brands can. Being
the presenting sponsor of this tour allows Ameriquest the
opportunity to reach those fans by fulfilling their Dream
to see the Stones on stage live."
American Express has a long history of providing special
access and meaningful experiences to Cardmembers. As part
of this ongoing commitment, American Express has partnered
with the Rolling Stones to secure a special opportunity
for Cardmembers to purchase their tickets (in select markets
and venues) to what promises to be an incredible tour prior
to the general public on-sale. All tickets available during
the American Express on-sale can be purchased via Ticketmaster
as follows: in Boston, from 3:00 p.m. ET on May 10 through
9:00 p.m. ET on May 13; in Chicago, from 9:00 a.m. CT on
May 11 through 5 p.m. CT on May 20; in New York from 9 a.m.
ET on May 11 through 5 p.m. ET on May 22; and in Anaheim
and San Francisco from 9 a.m. PST on May 11 through 5 p.m.
PST on May 21.
Tickets will go on sale May 14th for Boston, Washington
DC, Atlanta, Miami, Charlotte, and Calgary, with additional
markets and dates to follow.
In keeping with the band's philosophy of making their shows
accessible to all fans, tickets for the stadiums, arenas
and theatres/clubs will be available in a broad range of
price categories. There will be a limited number of Gold
Circle seats while the remaining 95% of the house will average
$99 for stadium shows, $110 for arenas and all tickets for
theatre/club shows will be $50. Buys will be limited to
6-12 tickets per person for stadium and arena shows depending
on the venue. There is a 2 ticket limit for theatre/club
shows. Tickets can be purchased through all usual ticket
outlets.
Continuing their historic creative partnership, Mick and
Keith began writing together last autumn and have since
recorded with Charlie and Ronnie. Their highly anticipated
full length studio CD with all new material will be released
by Virgin Records in conjunction with the tour.
Rolling Stones World Tour 2005/2006 will be presented by
Concert Productions International and The Next Adventure
and produced by WPC Piecemeal Inc.
Rolling Stones Tickets
Early history: 1961-1967
The band came into being in 1961 when former school friends
Jagger and Richards met Jones, who named the band after a
Muddy Waters song; at least two other bands (and one circus
tumbling act) are believed to have called themselves The Rolling
Stones before the Jagger/Richards/Jones band was formed. The
original lineup included Jagger (vocals), Jones (guitar),
Richards (guitar), Ian Stewart (piano), Charlie Watts (drums)
and Dick Taylor (bass). Taylor left shortly after to form
The Pretty Things, and was replaced by Bill Wyman. By the
time of their first album release Stewart was, at their manager's
insistence, "officially" not part of the band, though
he continued to record and perform with them. United by their
shared interest in rhythm and blues music, the group rehearsed
extensively, playing in public only occasionally at Crawdaddy
Club in London, where Alexis Korner's blues band was resident.
At first, Jones, a guitarist who also toyed with numerous
other instruments, was their creative leader. The band rapidly
gained a reputation in London for their frantic, highly energetic
covers of the rhythm and blues songs of their idols and, through
manager Andrew Loog Oldham, were signed to Decca Records (who
had passed when offered The Beatles). At this time their music
was fairly primitive: Richards had learned much of his guitar
playing from the recordings of Chuck Berry, and had not yet
developed a style of his own, and Jagger was not as in control
of the idioms as he would soon become. By this time, however,
the rhythmic interplay between Watts and Richards was clearly
the heart of their music.
The choice of material on their first record, a self-titled
EP, reflected their live shows. Similarly, the album The
Rolling Stones (England's Newest Hitmakers) which appeared
in April 1964 featured versions of such classics as "Route
66" (originally recorded by Nat King Cole), "Mona"
(Bo Diddley) and "Carol" (Chuck Berry). The performances
were pivotal in introducing a generation of white British
youth to rhythm and blues music, and helped to fuel the
"British Invasion". More importantly perhaps,
while The Beatles were still suited, clean-cut boys with
mop-top haircuts, The Stones cultivated the opposite image:
decidedly unkempt, and posing for publicity photographs
like a gang sulking at cameras because they were afraid
of showing bad dentistry if they smiled. This made many
girls go crazy for their bad boy image, and soon made them
a teen idol group. The follow-up album, The Rolling Stones
#2 (Now in the U.S), was also composed mainly of cover tunes,
only now augmented by a couple of songs written by the fledgling
partnership of Jagger and Richards having been locked in
a room by their manager who refused to let them out until
they had produced something they could release that was
self-written. Encouraged by Oldham, the band toured Europe
and America continuously in their support, playing to packed
crowds of screaming teenagers in scenes reminiscent of the
height of Beatlemania. While on tour they took time to visit
important locations in the history of the music that inspired
them, recording the EP Five By Five at the studios of Chess
Records in Chicago.
Back at home these early years of success represented a
rare period of stability in the personal relationship between
the band members. Jagger, Richards and Jones were sharing
a house and Jones had begun to see Anita Pallenberg, an
actress and model who introduced them to the circle of society
in which she moved: a group of young artists, musicians
and filmmakers. Prompted by Oldham, who possessed sufficient
business acumen to see where money was to be made, Jagger
and Richards became more prolific songwriters and 1965's
Out Of Our Heads contained much self-penned material, including
the classic "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," and
saw the dynamic of the band begin to change, with Jagger
and Richards starting to emerge as the perceived leaders
of the band. Jones, not unaware of his reduced importance,
retreated into drug abuse, alienating both Richards and
Pallenberg, who began a liaison that would last over ten
years. During this period Pallenberg's opinions about the
music, as one of the few people the band trusted, should
not be underestimated. With the main songwriters maintaining
their rate of production, Aftermath (1966) continued the
progression, consisting entirely of Jagger/Richards compositions
including "Mother's Little Helper," about pill
abuse, and the misogynistic "Under My Thumb,"
whereas on Between The Buttons (1967) they wore the influences
of their many contemporaries, including The Who and The
Kinks.
The Rolling Stones 1967-1971
By now the band had become almost synonymous with part
of the rebellious spirit of the 1960s, and in particular
a more relaxed attitude towards drug use. As a reaction
the police obtained warrants to search Richards' country
home, Redlands. The February 1967 raid, now legendary in
the band's mythology, occurred during one of the regular
parties, where police discovered a moderate quantity of
cannabis. The raid also served as a source of apocryphal
stories, mainly concerning the appearance and demeanor of
their friend Marianne Faithfull, which only served to augment
their reputation for debauchery. Richards was charged and
a few months later stood trial for allowing drug use in
his home. Jagger was charged with possessing amphetamine
tablets without a prescription. Amidst intense press interest
they were convicted. Richards was sentenced to a year's
imprisonment, Jagger to four months, prompting The Times
newspaper to run an editorial criticising the verdict. Beneath
the title "Who Breaks A Butterfly On A Wheel"
editor William Rees-Mogg wrote:
"If we are going to make any case a symbol of the
conflict between the sound traditional values of Britain
and the new hedonism, then we must be sure that the sound
traditional values include those of tolerance and equity."
During the furor, Decca shrewdly released Flowers in the
United States. Despite being a quickly cobbled-together
collection of hits and studio outtakes, it was nevertheless
a hit.
With Richards and Jagger out on bail within a day, and
shortly to be acquitted on appeal, work commenced on a new
"psychedelic" album, which Jagger envisioned as
the group's response to the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper. The record,
which would eventually be released as Their Satanic Majesties'
Request, received lukewarm reviews —the songs and
arrangements did not lend themselves to their natural style
and the increasingly-strung-out Jones contributed little—but,
despite Richards later pronouncing it "crap",
still produced a small number of songs which showcased the
improving songwriting of Jagger and Richards. Within the
band the dynamic was changing with the two principal writers
steadily assuming power from the former leader, Jones.
After the excesses of Satanic Majesties, and with personal
relations between Jones and Richards increasingly frayed,
the band returned to the black music that had originally
inspired them on 1968's Beggars Banquet. Despite the tension,
and aided by an excellent sound from an up-and-coming producer
named Jimmy Miller, Jagger and Richards produced some of
their most memorable work —including the distorted
acoustic guitar-driven "Street Fighting Man" and
the anthemic "Sympathy for the Devil"—and
the Stones entered the phase that would see them billed
as "The World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band".
The songs themselves were firmly rooted in the blues, but
tempered by the changes that occurred in 1960s music and
assimilating the imagery of Dylan and the emergent heavy
rock of Cream and Jimi Hendrix. In contrast to its predecessor,
however, it was a clear rejection of the hippie ethos, replacing
the platitudes of "free love" with a layer of
sleaze. Two other events contributed to the change in The
Stones' sound. Firstly, Richards played extensively with
Ry Cooder, and was taught his open-G guitar tuning (as used
by John Lee Hooker), later admitting "I took Ry Cooder
for all I could get." Secondly, both Jagger and Richards
befriended Gram Parsons, who helped educate them about the
country music with which he had grown up. Music was not
all the Stones and the independently wealthy Parsons had
in common: "We liked drugs," Richards said later,
"and we liked the finest quality."
Drugs were, however, making Jones increasingly unreliable;
he was either absent from recording sessions by choice,
or locked out of them. After his minimal contribution to
Beggar's Banquet he found himself forced out in May 1969,
replaced by the young, jazz-influenced guitarist, Mick Taylor,
then of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Within two months,
and a matter of days before the new-look band were due to
play a free concert in London's Hyde Park, Jones was found
dead in his swimming pool. His cause of death remains a
mystery to this day (all of the reports collected from the
many people there at the time contradicted each other),
but drowning seems to be the most feasible. Despite this,
the concert went ahead, with an audience of hundreds of
thousands of fans, with Jagger reading from Shelley's "Adonais"
and releasing a flock of butterflies by way of tribute to
the late guitarist. The band's performance, under-rehearsed
and suffering from the remaining members narcotic intake,
was somewhat shambolic. Shortly after, the band released
their highly successful single, "Honky Tonk Women,"
recorded without Jones but too early for Taylor to contribute.
Their studio work was another matter. Let It Bleed (1969)
followed a short time later and was rapidly hailed as another
classic, featuring the slow and brooding "Gimme Shelter,"
"You Can't Always Get What You Want" (featuring
a boys choir) and a further nod to their roots with a cover
of Robert Johnson's "Love In Vain". Immediately,
the band set off on another US tour, characterised by the
hedonism that their position in rock's aristocracy afforded
them.
In an attempt to recreate the atmosphere of Hyde Park,
and as a reaction to the Woodstock festival, the tour culminated
in a free concert given at Altamont, a disused racetrack
located about 40 miles east of San Francisco. Poorly organised,
and with on-site security provided by the Hells Angels (at
the suggestion of the Grateful Dead), the concert was a
disaster, featuring running battles between fans and security
which reached a head when Meredith Hunter, a young black
fan who had unwisely brought a pistol (and a white girlfriend)
to the show, was stabbed and beaten to death by the Angels
during the band's performance of "Under My Thumb".
(The concert would be documented in Albert and David Maysles'
film Gimme Shelter). A recurring, morbid urban legend states
that "Sympathy for the Devil" was playing during
the killing, though this is not the case. This was originally
reported in Rolling Stone magazine, considered by some to
be the "journal of record" for 1960s music. The
aptness of this legend has ensured that no amount of subsequent
corrections (in that publication and elsewhere) has been
able to correct this impression. In fact, the murder occurred
during "Under My Thumb".
The murder, coming so soon after the death of Jones, had
a harrowing effect on Richards, and his reaction to the
events was to increase his usage of heroin. He would spend
the best part of next decade as an addict, taking occasional
cures in private clinics but always returning to the drug,
and each subsequent tour would become a logistical nightmare
to ensure a regular supply in the face of trouble from the
police and customs officers. Richards has always maintained
that the one facet of his life that was unaffected was his
live performance. (Concert tapes, including the time in
1976 when he fell asleep on stage, do not bear this out.)
Sticky Fingers (1971), the band's first record under their
own Rolling Stones Records label, continued where Let It
Bleed had left off, featuring the rocking "Brown Sugar"
(another big hit), the country-styled "Wild Horses"
(which caused a disagreement between Parsons and Jagger
over songwriting credits, although the faq on www.gramparsons.com
denies he contributed to the song), the moody "Moonlight
Mile" (featuring Paul Buckmaster's evocative string
arrangement), and a version of Faithfull's "Sister
Morphine," about her own ambiguous relationship with
heroin. Mick Taylor collaborated heavily on this album with
Jagger, most probably because Richards could not contribute
as constructively as usual due to his drug problems, and
the sprawling "Can't You Hear Me Knockin'" attests
to Taylor's influence. However, all the songs were credited
as usual to 'Jagger/Richards' which certainly frustrated
Taylor.
The Rolling Stones 1972-1981
As Richards removed himself from society, Jagger began
to move in more elevated social circles. He married the
pregnant Nicaraguan model Bianca Peacuterez Mora Maciacuteas,
and the couple's jet-set lifestyle put further distance
between himself and Jagger. Pressured by the UK Inland Revenue
service about several years of unpaid income tax, the band
left for the South of France, where Richards rented a chateau
and sublet rooms to the band members and assorted hangers-on.
Using the recently completed mobile studio, they set about
recording the double album Exile on Main Street (1972) in
the basement of their new home. Dismissed by some on its
release as sprawling and self-indulgent, the record is now
considered among the band's greatest. The film Cocksucker
Blues (never officially released) documents the subsequent
tour.
It would also be one of the last on which the band still
functioned as a unit. By the time Exile on Main Street had
been completed Jagger had made the other band members aware
that he was more interested in the celebrity lifestyle than
working on its follow-up, and increasingly their records
were made piecemeal, with tracks and parts laid down as,
and when, the band —Jagger and Richards in particular—could
get together and remain amicable sufficiently long enough
to do so. When it finally arrived, Goats Head Soup (1973)
was disappointing, with the Stones' unique sound diluted
by the influence of glam rock and memorable largely for
the hit single "Angie," popularly believed to
be about David Bowie's new wife, but in reality another
of Richards' odes to Pallenberg. The making of the record
was not helped by another legal battle over drugs, this
one dating back to their stay in France. But the tour of
Europe in fall 1973 showed the Rolling Stones in top form,
particularly Taylor, who played extensive solos on songs
like Midnight Rambler and You Can't Always Get What You
Want in an exciting interplay with Richards on rhythm guitar.
A live recording made in Brussels on 17 October was intended
for an official release, but due to legal problems it appeared
only on bootlegs (Nasty Music and Brussels Affair). Many
fans and critics regard these recordings as the best Rolling
Stones concert recordings ever.
By the time they came to Munich to record 1974's It's Only
Rock'N'Roll, however, there were even more problems. Regular
producer Jimmy Miller was not asked to participate in the
sessions because of his increasing unreliability, due to
drug use. Critics generally wrote the album off as uninspired
from a band perceived as stagnating, but both album and
single were huge hits, even without the customary tour to
promote them. Intra-band strife continued. Taylor's intricate
lead style and shy persona never quite matched Richards'
outspoken image and basic, Chuck Berry-inspired rhythm work.
By the time of It's Only Rock'N'Roll Richards was reportedly
berating Taylor during recording sessions, and Taylor contributed
little to the album. Irked by perceived mistreatment, and
a small share of the band's royalties, Taylor announced
he was leaving the band shortly before sessions commenced
for the next album, Black and Blue (1976). The band used
the album's recording sessions (again in Munich) to audition
possible replacements. Guitarists stylistically far-flung
as Humble Pie lead Peter Frampton and ex-Yardbirds impressario
Jeff Beck were auditioned. American session players Wayne
Perkins and Harvey Mandel appeared on much of the album,
but the band settled on Ron Wood, a long time friend of
Richards' and guitarist with The Faces, whose singer Rod
Stewart had recently gone solo. Wood had already contributed
to It's Only Rock'N'Roll, but his first public act with
the band would be the 1975 United States tour. The shows
featured a new format for the Stones with their usual act
replaced by increasingly theatrical stage props and gimmicks,
including a giant inflatable phallus and a cherry picker
on which Jagger would soar out over the audience. This represented
a further breakdown in Jagger and Richards' relationship
—the pragmatic Richards considering it entirely superfluous
and distracting from the music. Again, Jagger was, if nothing
else, shrewdly interpreting market trends —the mid-1970s
were the era of flashy stage acts such as Queen and Elton
John, and the band's tours were to become even more expensive
and elaborate in the years to come.
Although The Rolling Stones remained hugely popular through
the 1970s, music critics had grown increasingly dismissive
of the band's output. Keith Richards would have more serious
concerns in 1977: Despite having spent much of the previous
year undergoing a series of drug therapies to help withdraw
from heroin, including (allegedly) having his blood filtered,
Richards and Pallenberg were arrested in a Toronto hotel
room and charged with possession of heroin. The case would
drag on for a year, with Richards eventually receiving a
suspended sentence and ordered to play a concert for a local
charity. This motivated a final, concerted attempt to end
his drug habit, which proved largely successful. It also
coincided with the end of his relationship with Pallenberg,
which had become increasingly strained since the tragic
death of their third child (an infant son named Tara). While
Richards was settling his legal and personal problems, Jagger
continued his jet-set lifestyle. He was a regular at New
York's Studio 54 disco club, often in the company of model
Jerry Hall. His marriage would end in 1977. By this time
punk rock had become highly influential in pop circles,
and the Stones were increasingly criticized as being decadent,
ageing millionaires, with their music considered by many
to be either stagnant or irrelevant. The Clash vocalist
Joe Strummer even went so far as to declare "No Elvis,
Beatles or Rolling Stones in 1977."
Mixed emotions: The Rolling Stones
1981-1999
Throughout the early 1980s the Jagger/Richards partnership
continued to falter, and their records would suffer because
of it. 1983's Undercover was widely seen as Jagger's attempt
to make the Rolling Stones' sound more compatible with current
musical trends. The album's slick production and violent
political and sexual content were coolly received by both
critics and fans. To make matters worse, Ron Wood was now
suffering from his own growing drug habit. In 1982 Jagger
had signed a major solo deal with the band's new label,
CBS Records. This move angered Richards, who saw it as a
lack of commitment to the band. Indeed, Jagger was spending
a great deal of time on his solo recordings, and most of
the material on 1986's Dirty Work was authored solely by
Keith Richards (indeed, many would put later speculate that,
after years of making decisions in drug-addled Richards'
place, Jagger resented Richards reasserting creative control.
A speculation that originated with Richards himself). The
album again sold poorly, and sales were probably hurt by
Jagger's decision not to tour in support of the album.
To add to the band's woes in 1986, longtime collaborator
and unofficial band member Ian Stewart died of a heart attack.
The Rolling Stones' only live appearance during this time
was a tribute to Stewart. However, a bright spot that year
was when they were awarded a Grammy for lifetime achievement.
But by this point Jagger and Richards had begun openly criticizing
each other in the press, and many observers assumed the
band had broken up. Sales of Jagger's solo records (She's
the Boss (1985) and Primitive Cool (1987)) did not live
up to expectations. Ironically, Richards' first solo record,
Talk is Cheap (1988), which he had been reluctant to make
because of his loyalty to The Stones, was well received
by both fans and critics, prompting Jagger to shelve his
own solo career and reform the group for 1989's Steel Wheels
album and tour, widely heralded as a return to form. 1989
also saw Stones inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame.
In 1991 Bill Wyman left the band and had published Stone
Alone, a frank autobiography. (He would go on to write a
coffee table tome entitled "Rolling with the Stones"
in 2002) After his departure, the band continued as a foursome.
Watts was asked to choose a bass player, and he selected
the respected session musician and Miles Davis sideman Darryl
Jones, who played bass on Voodoo Lounge (1994) and Bridges
to Babylon (1997) —both highly praised—and toured
in support of both records.
The Stones' song "Start Me Up" was used by Microsoft
to launch their Windows 95 operating system. Some critics
noted that the group who epitomise the way that rock and
roll commercialised earlier rhythm and blues by delivering
it to a global audience provided the soundtrack for the
corporation who did the same with software. (Critics of
Windows also noted the song's lyric "You make a grown
man cry.") The Rolling Stones had previously never
licensed their music for commercial use. According to legend,
Microsoft founder Bill Gates asked Jagger how much the rights
to the song would cost; rather than refuse outright, Jagger
replied with $13 million — a sum that he thought would
be self-evidently outrageously high. Gates, however, immediately
agreed to the amount.
Don't stop: The Rolling Stones 2000-date
In 2002, Q magazine named The Rolling Stones as one of
the "50 Bands To See Before You Die". On July
30, 2003, the band headlined the Molson Canadian Rocks for
Toronto concert in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to help the
city recover financially and psychologically from the effects
of the 2003 SARS epidemic. It was attended by an estimated
450,000 people, the largest concert in Canadian history.
On November 9, 2003, the band played its first ever concert
in Hong Kong as part of the Harbour Fest celebration. In
November of 2003 the band exclusively licensed the right
to sell their new 4-DVD boxed set, Four Flicks, recorded
on their most recent world tour, to the U.S Best Buy chain
of stores. In response, other music retail chains (including
Tower Records, Virgin Megastore and HMV) pulled all Rolling
Stones CDs and related merchandise from their shelves and
replaced them with signs explaining the situation.
The Stones completed sessions with Don Was as producer
for a new studio album in Paris in December 2004, with Jagger
and Richards writing and recording new songs. Was stated
the Stones would reconvene after the Christmas holidays
and that the tracks recorded so far were significantly different
to anything he has worked on with The Stones before. Charlie
Watts also attended the Paris sessions and was reported
to be in excellent health after being treated for throat
cancer. The album is The Stones' first full studio album
since 1997's Bridges to Babylon, with a tentative release
date in Summer 2005, as reported on Billboard (http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000735012)
(external link). On May 10 2005 the Stones announced plans
for another world tour starting on August 21st at Fenway
Park in Boston. The tour is expected to include dates throughout
the USA and Canada before going to South America, Asia and
Europe. Launching the tour at the Julliard School of Music
in New York, Mick Jagger told reporters that it would not
necessarily be their last and declared that work on a new
album was "85 percent" complete.
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