The Hall-of-Fame band is expected to perform once again during the fall of 2012, playing four shows throughout the month of November to commemorate the band’s 50th anniversary. These events will mark the first time the Rolling Stones have been on tour together since their 2005-2007 Bigger Bang. Their last tour played to 4.5 million people in 32 countries over the course of its two-year period, and now holds the record for second highest-grossing tour of all time under U2’s 360 tour at #1.
Billboard first reported on the upcoming event on August 30. According to Billboard’s unnamed source, the Rolling Stones will play four shows together before the end of the year. Two performances will be held at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, while the other two will be at The O2 in South East London. The mini-tour has reportedly been sponsored by Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin, and Australian producer Paul Dainty, with the duo paying the Rolling Stones $25 million for the four shows.
Earlier in the year, the band denied that they were planning a tour, but legendary guitarist Keith Richards dropped a hint of the upcoming shows at a London photography exhibit in July. Richards told reporters then that the band had been “playing around with the idea [of performing in public] and had a couple of rehearsals.” So far the year has been a busy one for the Rolling Stones, and the remaining months are shaping up to be even more action-packed.
In April, the band met in New York to rehearse songs from their full catalog, the final day being recorded for a new documentary, Crossfire Hurricane. The film, directed by Brett Morgen, spans the entire career of the renowned rock band, and features over 50 hours of interviews. Morgen told reporters from Rolling Stone magazine that “nobody has put the story together as a narrative,” and “80 percent of the footage has never been seen before.”
According to the director, the film invites “the audience to experience firsthand the Stones’ nearly mythical journey from outsiders to rock and roll royalty.” Crossfire Hurricane seems to be the perfect way to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary, and HBO plans to debut the film on November 15.
The Rolling Stones also gathered in France earlier in August at the Guillaume Tell Studios near Paris, the studio where they recorded several tracks back in 2002 for their “40 Licks” compilation. This time, the Stone recorded two brand new songs that are set to be included in an upcoming box set.
Current members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and Charlie Watts will play the shows to commemorate their 50th golden anniversary since the band was founded in 1962. The Rolling Stones have sold an estimated 200 million albums worldwide, and are considered one of the longest-performing rock bands in music history. Specific dates and ticket information for the events have yet to be announced, but will likely be confirmed in the coming weeks.
