News

The Rolling Stones Return To Live Action

• 15th Oct 2012

Ladies and Gentlemen they are back! The most eagerly anticipated concerts of 2012 are announced today as the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band, The Rolling Stones, confirm their long awaited return to the stage with four spectacular arena shows in London and New York. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood at last revealed their return to live work via a video message today at link.

As the crowning glory of their on-going 50th anniversary celebrations, the rock icons will play to thousands of fans at London’s O2 Arena on November 25 and 29, and then across the ocean to perform at the Prudential Center, Newark, near New York, on December 13 and 15.

All ticketing information is available at link.

These sensational live shows will be the first opportunity for audiences to see the Rolling Stones perform on stage for more than five years. They will treat their generations of fans in a must-see, heart-pumping celebration of era-defining tracks such as Gimme Shelter, Paint It Black, Jumping Jack Flash, Tumbling Dice, It’s Only Rock and Roll, plus a few surprises and countless other classics from GRRR!, the multi-format compilation RS50 album coming out in November marking the Stones’ astonishing five decades at the top.

Mick Jagger commented, “Everybody loves a celebration, and London and New York are two good places to do it in!”

Keith Richards said, ”Sorry to keep you all hanging around but the waiting is over. I’ve always said the best place for rock and roll is on the stage and the same is true for the Stones. I’m here with Mick, Charlie and Ronnie and everything is rocking. See you very soon!”

The Rolling Stones have always been at the forefront of technical innovation in their live appearances, and these dates will reaffirm their place on the cutting edge of concert technology. These 50th anniversary performances will see the band working once again with their acclaimed, long time collaborators, set designer Mark Fisher and lighting director Patrick Woodroffe.

The new shows will be another groundbreaking visual landmark in Stones history. Fans can look forward to an all-new, custom-built set design, with a stage based on the band’s ubiquitous and celebrated tongue and lips logo, which will reach out into the crowd and become a truly must see and hear experience, with integral video screens and effects enhancing the sort of high-octane adventure for which the band’s concerts have been famous for decades. The 2012 concerts will mark the first time that Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood have performed together as a band since three acclaimed nights at London’s O2 Arena, in 2007.

The Rolling Stones live shows will also mark the launch of a new venture in global touring – Virgin Live. Virgin Live sees the coming together of two globally respected brands – Dainty Group and Virgin Group – and promises to shake up live touring by putting the fan’s experience right at the heart of every show they promote. Richard Branson and Paul Dainty’s history with the Rolling Stones spans five decades – so it is apt that these shows, which celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary – marks them joining forces for the first time as Virgin Live to promote the greatest band there has ever been.

Paul Dainty said “I’ve worked with the Rolling Stones for many years and I still get a buzz every time I see them live, these four shows are without doubt a must-see event. I am extremely excited about this collaboration with Virgin. There will be a lot more to say about Virgin Live soon but, for now, it’s all about the Stones…”

Richard Branson added: “Today marks the beginning of Virgin Live and what a beginning! In the future Virgin Live plans to make a real difference to how fans experience, interact and enjoy live events – Virgin Live gigs will be truly people driven. It’s great to join forces with Dainty Group to launch Virgin Live with the Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary shows. Who would have believed, that a relationship with the band that started in the Sixties, would still be going strong five decades later with us working together again on these amazing shows.”
In celebration of five decades, The Rolling Stones will release the GRRR! album on 12 / 13 November, a Greatest Hits collection which includes two new songs ‘Doom and Gloom’ and ‘One More Shot’, recorded recently in Paris, marking the first new recordings from the band since their 2005 album A Bigger Bang. A new film, ‘Crossfire Hurricane’, directed by Brett Morgen, chronicling the key periods of the Stones’ career, will receive its worldwide premiere on 18 October at the London Film Festival and will be simultaneously screened in 250 cinemas across UK and Ireland. Crossfire Hurricane will premiere in the U.S. at the HBO Premiere at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York on 13 November. Crossfire Hurricane will air on HBO in the U.S on 15 November, and broadcast on BBC Two in the UK the same month. Additionally, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City will host “The Rolling Stones: 50 Years on Film”, a comprehensive film retrospective that chronicles the band from the mid-1960s until today. This exhibition will be open 15 November through 2 December.
Also partnering with Dainty Group is global production company Endemol who will co-manage the international digital rights to the Rolling Stones “50 and Counting” shows.

Tim Hincks, President of Endemol Group said: “We are extremely proud to be partnering with the world’s greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll band and with the Dainty Group. “50 and Counting” is set to be a phenomenal global celebration of the Rolling Stones and we’ll soon be announcing further plans to make it an interactive experience for fans like no other.”
This partnership between Endemol and Dainty Group will see the final Stones show, staged at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on December 15, telecast live via pay-per-view at 9pm ET. The pay-per-view entitled “One More Shot” will be distributed by WWE, the world’s pre-eminent provider of pay-per-view programming. Further details of the partnership will be revealed shortly.

WWE Chairman/CEO Vince McMahon said: “WWE is ecstatic to bring The Rolling Stones into your living room, live on Pay-Per-View for “One More Shot,” the last date of their 50th anniversary shows.”

50 AND COUNTING …THE ROLLING STONES LIVE
Sunday 25 November The O2 Arena, London – UK
Thursday 29 November The O2 Arena, London – UK