The tenacious longevity of The Rolling Stones seemed unbreakable. They have even banished that slogan that encouraged people to spend money on a ticket: “You have to go see them, because maybe they won’t do any more concerts.” There came a time when it was known that it was not the last concert, that the machinery of the best rock and roll band in history would continue in motion. But something changed last week: the group’s plans for a tour European in 2026 were cancelled. Officially the reason was not specified, although some media assume that it was Keith Richards who got off the Stones’ pirate ship. There is talk of arthritis, although the guitarist has suffered from it for many years; He even points out in interviews that this pathology has forced him to play differently and he has even improved as an instrumentalist, in a certain sense. Maybe it’s just that the hassle of facing four months away from home, traveling (of course, with all the comforts covered and with physios and doctors available 24 hours a day) and playing a guitar for two hours a night is no longer worth it.
There is no reason to be alarmed about Richards’ health, as he has recently been seen in clubs and playing guitar. Of course: brief interpretations. The Rolling Stones performed for the last time in Spain on June 1, 2022. All the chronicles spoke of a good show, with the band, now without drummer Charlie Watts (who died in August 2021), in good shape, despite the fact that Jagger and Richards had already turned 78 and Ronnie Wood, 75. The opening group at the Atlético de Madrid stadium was Sidonie. Its singer, Marc Ros, remembers for this report that night: “They prohibited us from seeing the sound check, but we overruled the veto. It was a unique opportunity to see our idols in privacy, so we were not going to waste it. Then a limousine arrives at the foot of the stage and Ronnie Wood gets out; then another one appears with Mick Jagger, and finally that of Keith Richards, who has to be helped up the ramp. There you see an old man. But then he gets to rehearse Tumbling Dice and his guitar sounds brutal. Already at the concert and in front of 45,000 people, that elderly person transforms and gives a sensational concert. I saw Keith as perfect. Of course, if that turns out to be the Stones’ last concert in Spain, it seems like a great farewell to me.”
From now on, a series of scenarios open up, not all of them desired by fans. The big question is whether The Rolling Stones are finished as a live band, a circumstance, on the other hand, that is absolutely logical after tours that date back to the sixties of the last century. The group has more than paid for itself, also in Spain: they have performed 23 times since they premiered in 1976 in Barcelona. That concert in the Monumental Bullring was organized by Gay Mercader, the most relevant promoter in Spain. Mercader has managed the most Spanish tours of the British group and has a close relationship with Richards. “I think that the Stones live is probably over. Keith has had joint problems for a long time. I remember that 20 years ago I saw his deformed knuckles and I asked him: ‘Doesn’t it hurt when you play?’. He answered no. But the latest information I have tells me that he is not in physical condition to go on tour,” explains Mercader for this report. The promoter offers conclusive information: “It also happens that when musicians are 75 years old or older, you cannot find an insurance company that will take care of these concerts that generate so many millions. So if a date is canceled due to illness…”.
Javier Cosmen Concejo, specialist in the group and author of the books How Sticky Fingers was made y The Rolling Stones in Spainsees it as difficult to experience the British playing in a stadium again: “I think it is quite unlikely. The information coming from those around him indicates that Richards’ decision is firm.” Nothing has stopped the guitarist until today. He was hooked on heroin for a decade and the police were hot on his heels during that time to, as he reported, “set an example by putting a famous musician of the genre in jail.” degenerate rock and roll.” Then he had a famous accident in 2006 when he fell from a tree (and not from a coconut tree, as was said): he suffered a head injury that caused blood clots that could only be removed with a delicate surgery. Mick Jagger’s health mishaps also forced him to cancel several concerts in 2019, since he had to be treated for heart problems.
Some followers, with many concerts of the group behind them, even welcome the possibility that they will no longer perform with relief. They are the ones who have been thinking for a long time that perhaps there comes a time when you have to stop going to see your idols, since they are repetitive concerts and logically, as the years go by, the loss of faculties takes its toll. Cosmen is one of them: “When I saw them in 2007 I said: ‘No more’. But on the next tour there it was again. The decision to perform without Charlie Watts already seemed a little immoral to me. The Stones have been touring for a long time and have changed their repertoire very little. Their latest recitals are not very motivating, to be honest. On the positive side, there is an almost social issue, which is seeing someone older demonstrate tremendous vitality. In that sense they are an example.” The Sidonie singer, who has played before the Stones’ audience, points out those sensations, which are surely what the group seeks, beyond money, with the tours: “The Stones’ audience makes you feel young even if you are 80 years old.”
There are alternatives to see the authors of (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction in large stadiums that fans don’t even want to hear: a Stones without Keith Richards. Let us remember that during the six decades of life the group has been losing members and nothing has stopped them. Already in the first years the pianist Ian Stewart fell, “because he didn’t give the right image”; In 1969, they fired Brian Jones, who was already intractable at that time, and he died a few months after the dismissal; In 1974 Mick Taylor resigned, to cure his addiction to hard drugs and hurt because his contributions to the songs were not credited; In 1993 Bill Wyman quit, tired of long tours; and in 2023 they decided to continue after the death of the great Charlie Watts. However, it doesn’t seem like a real possibility that Mick Jagger would hit the road without his eternal colleague. And even less so now that the two leaders have learned to tolerate each other even when they sibilently throw daggers at each other, and not like in the eighties, when their disagreements almost destroyed the gang. What Jagger could do is act alone, without The Rolling Stones brand. It already worked that way in the eighties, but at that time there was a war between him and Richards, and the vocalist also had solo albums to present in concert. This time it’s not like that.
In a recent report in the magazine Rolling Stonespecialist Andy Greene contemplates the possibility of seeing the group at a residency in Las Vegas, an option that has worked recently in the cases of U2, Adele or the Eagles. “It would be a great cultural event that would attract fans from all over the world, regardless of the price of tickets. Many fans would take out a second mortgage on their homes to see the concert, especially if there were no other concerts by the group,” says Greene.
Mercader believes that the group only goes on the road if they are at 100%: “They set the bar very high for themselves. They don’t do concerts just to do them. They don’t perform for money, but because they enjoy it. Their demands are very high. I, who was their promoter in Spain, have seen them rehearse before playing. But they rehearse almost the entire concert. With this level of demand they cannot allow themselves to destroy their image if they are not in a position to play. Their personal pride is so high that they would not tolerate offering regular concerts.” Won’t Richards be seen more on stage then? “Keith will continue to collaborate live with other musicians, because music is not over for him, but touring may be,” says Mercader.
The author of How Sticky Fingers was made He bets on Stones being alive in another sense: “I find it much more interesting that they publish albums with new material than seeing them live play old songs.” Indeed, this possibility even seems close. Andrew Watt, the producer of the band’s latest and most worthy album, Hackney Diamonds (2023), has indicated that they have already recorded 15 new songs. Ronnie Wood has confirmed it. Possibly, the tour they were going to do in 2026 would be accompanied by the album already released or at least some song. One more lesson from the group: despite age and health setbacks, it seems certain that The Rolling Stones are not going to close for now.