Ian Gavan, Getty Images
You can add the Rolling Stones to the list of first-class rockers who are lending a hand in support of victims of Hurricane Sandy.
The Stones join an already impressive list of rockers performing at the
12.12.12 Benefit concert being held at Madison Square Garden on Wed.
Dec. 12.
The announcement regarding the Stones was made this morning at a press conference at the Garden. According to the New York Times,
concert producers John Sykes of Clear Channel Media and movie mogul
Harvey Weinstein visited the Stones in Brooklyn, where the rock legends
are rehearsing for their concert tomorrow (Dec. 8), and made an appeal. As Weinstein put it, “Mick [Jagger] said ‘The Rolling Stones pop group is in.’”
As of today, the official benefit’s website lists the complete lineup as being comprised of the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Roger Waters, Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, the Who, Bon Jovi, Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Dave Grohl, Chris Martin of Coldplay and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam.
In addition to tomorrow night’s show in Brooklyn, the Stones’ will perform in Newark, N.J. on Dec. 13 and 15.
Ronnie Wood's Fiancee Dismisses Secret Wedding Rumours
Ronnie Wood's fiancee Sally Humphreys has dismissed rumours she recently wed the Rolling Stones veteran in secret, revealing they plan to exchange vows early next year (13).
The
rocker, 65, announced his engagement to the 34-year-old theatre
producer in October (12), and they filed for a marriage licence last
month (Nov12).
They subsequently sparked speculation they had
married in secret when they were seen sporting what looked like wedding
rings on their fingers, but Humphreys insists the reports are not true.
She tells Britain's Evening Standard newspaper that they will walk down the aisle "earlier rather than later" in 2013.
Humphreys also confirms long-running speculation suggesting Wood has
chosen his former Faces bandmate Rod Stewart as his best man.
She goes on to open up about their romance, revealing she has known Wood
for nearly a decade but was only recently able to strike up a
relationship. She says, "Ronnie was married and then Ronnie wasn't
married. I have had boyfriends, then I didn't have a boyfriend. It had
to wait until everyone was clear. But I definitely feel like I have
ended up in the right place."
Wood has been married twice before
- he split from Jo, his wife of 23 years, in 2008 after having an
affair with waitress Ekaterina Ivanova, and he was previously wed to
Krissy Findlay from 1971 to 1978.
The Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones to go back to basics on new album
The Rolling Stones to go back to basics on new album
The Rolling Stones will go back to the ''basic essence''
of singer Sir Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards' songwriting on
their next record. The Rolling Stones will go back to the ''basic essence'' of songwriting on their next record.
The band recently cut two tracks - 'Doom and Gloom' and 'One More Shot' - for new compilation 'GRRR!', and guitarist Ronnie Wood says they enjoyed working their ideas out quickly in the studio.
He
said: ''It was really focused, really nose to the grindstone. And we
kept everything very simple, basic. [When we make another album] I think
we should go to the basic essence of the songwriting of [Sir] Mick
[Jagger, singer] and Keith [Richards, guitar]. They seem to be thriving
at the moment, very creative.''
When asked if there would be a new
album - which would be their first since 2005's 'A Bigger Bang' -
Ronnie added: ''Well, not planned, but no doubt there will be.''
Ronnie - who completes the band with Mick, Keith and drummer Charlie Watts
- also said recording the songs was much easier than in the group's
earlier days when some members were on drugs or drinking heavily.
He
told Classic Rock magazine: ''We recorded 'One More Shot' on the
Tuesday, 'Doom and Gloom' on the Wednesday, overdubbed on Thursday. In
the old drug days, it would have taken us six months to do that. We had a
new angle on it this time.''
43 Years Ago: Rolling Stones Altamont Speedway Concert Ends in Homicide
The Rolling Stones
were trying to prove their critics wrong by booking a free festival to
wrap up their 1969 tour at Altamont Speedway on Dec. 6, 1969. But what
they intended as a way for their fans to come together for a day of
music and celebration turned into a tragic debacle that ended with a
homicide — effectively bring the peace-and-love ethos of the ’60s to a
jarring end.
During the Stones’ American tour in 1969, they faced repeated
criticism from fans and journalists who accused the band of being
mercenary, claiming that ticket prices were far too high. In response,
the band decided to end the tour with a free concert in San Francisco.
But the event was plagued with errors from the start, with the venue
being moved multiple times before settling on Altamont Speedway on Dec. 4
— just two days before the concert.
With such little time to prepare, the site was sorely lacking in such
basic needs as portable toilets and medical tents. In addition, the lay
of the land meant the stage — which had been designed to be at the top
of a rise — would be situated at the bottom of a slope, creating serious
security and logistical problems.
The Stones and their management made their key mistake of a day
filled with mistakes when they hired the San Francisco chapter of the
Hells Angels motorcycle gang to provide event security — reportedly
paying them with $500 worth of free beer. The move was reportedly made
at the suggestion of the Grateful Dead, who were also scheduled to play on a show that included Santana, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Crosby, Stills and Nash before the Stones were to take the stage at the end of the night.
The day of the show turned into an unmitigated disaster almost from
the start, as 300,000 fans swarmed the area, straining the unprepared
resources well past their breaking point. The Hells Angels got
progressively drunker on free beer as the day went on, and as the crowd
was also fueled by a combination of alcohol, LSD and amphetamines, the
mood turned ugly early on and got worse throughout the day. There were
fights and general chaos most of the day, and after the crowd tipped
over one of the bikers’ motorcycles, the Angels turned even more
aggressive, to the point where Jefferson Airplane singer Marty Balin was punched and knocked unconscious by one of the bikers during the group’s set.
Seeing the situation rapidly degenerating, the Grateful Dead refused
to perform and left the scene, leaving the crowd even more restless
until the Stones took the stage after dusk. Their set was plagued by
turmoil from the very start; Mick Jagger had been punched by a fan upon
disembarking from the band’s helicopter, and in the documentary ‘Gimme
Shelter’ he is visibly shaken and nervous, repeatedly pleading with the
crowd, “Just be cool down in the front there, don’t push around.” The
Stones stopped their set during the third song, ‘Sympathy for the Devil,’
while Jagger admonished the crowd again, then re-started the song and
plowed ahead despite numerous fights and distractions in the audience.
It was during the band’s performance of ‘Under My Thumb‘
that an 18-year-old concertgoer named Meredith Hunter tried to get
onstage with a group of other fans, and having been punched and pushed
back into the crowd by the Hells Angels, he reacted with violence.
Reportedly so intoxicated from drugs that he could barely keep on his
feet, Hunter drew a long-barreled revolver from his jacket, apparently
intending to aim it either at one of the Angels, or the band onstage. A
Hells Angel member named Alan Passaro surged forward, pushed the gun
aside and stabbed Hunter repeatedly, killing him. The band played on,
unaware of the homicide and hoping to avoid a full-on riot by completing
their set.
The incident was inadvertently caught on film by both a photographer
who was shooting the event, and a camera man for the documentary crew.
It subsequently aired as part of the ‘Gimme Shelter’ footage. Passaro
was tried in court on charges of murder in 1971, but after jurors viewed
the footage of Hunter drawing his gun, he was acquitted in
self-defense. Hunter’s autopsy showed that he was under the influence of
methamphetamine at the time of his death.
In sharp contrast to the vibe at Woodstock a few months earlier,
Altamont ultimately came to be seen as a watershed event symbolizing the
death of the hippie ideal that people could come together in peace and
love through music. “Writers focus on Altamont not because it brought on
the end of an era but because it provided such a complex metaphor for
the way an era ended,” rock scribe Robert Christgau wrote.
But as Mick Jagger observed, “Of course some people wanted to say
Altamont was the end of an era. People like that are fashion writers.
Perhaps it was the end of their era, the end of their naïveté. I would have thought it ended long before Altamont.”
WWE AND E! TEAM UP TO BROADCAST THE STONES’ LIVE PRE-SHOW: LEADING TO THE FINAL 50 & COUNTING SHOW
WWE and E! today announced Live From the Rolling Stones – a one-hour
special event covering all the pre-show action and excitement from the
Prudential Center the hour leading up to the Rolling Stones’ final
performance of their 50th anniversary shows. The special airs at 8pm
ET/5pm PT, prior to the pay-per-view event on Saturday, December 15 only
on E!
E! will give fans behind-the-scenes access and exclusive interviews
with rock ‘n’ roll icons Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and
Ronnie Wood. With Terrence Jenkins anchoring the pre-show, Ross Mathews
backstage and Alicia Quarles capturing all the arrival excitement,
E!’scoverage will catch all the buzz and anticipation leading up to this
huge concert event. Plus, Terrence will be joined by Viacom Music
Group’s Bill Flanagan, who has produced countless music television
specials, interviewed most every major rock-n-roll figure that has hit
the scene, and is an expert on the Rolling Stones. He’ll bring his
expertise to the pre-show with extensive information about the band,
their history, and more.
The pay-per-view will be available on Saturday, December 15 at 9pm
ET/ 6pm PT through all cable, satellite and telco providers. WWE, the
world’s pre-eminent provider of pay-per-view programming, in partnership
with Dainty Group and Endemol, will be distributing and marketing the
pay-per-view event entitled One More Shot, the band’s final performance
of its 50th anniversary shows. For additional information, please visit www.rollingstones.com/watch/
Keith Richards - Keith Richards: Sometimes I despise Mick Jagger
Keith Richards: Sometimes I despise Mick Jagger
Keith Richards admits sometimes he ''despises'' Sir Mick Jagger, such is the nature of their love/hate relationship. Keith Richards admits sometimes he ''despises'' Sir Mick Jagger.
The
Rolling Stones guitarist has opened up about the love/hate relationship
he has with the band's singer, which was famously tested in 2010, when
he wrote in his autobiography his bandmate has a small penis.
Keith
told Esquire magazine: ''You've got two very volatile guys who've been
through a whole lot of stuff in their life and still somehow manage.
Sometimes I despise the man, others, I love that man so much. It's like
your brother. I never had one, so he's my brother. That's the way it is,
bless his heart.''
Mick is keen to point out while their
relationship may be brotherly, it is not like a marriage, saying:
''People say the stupidest things and that's one of the dumbest because
it's completely different from being married when you work with someone.
I work with Keith and I've known him for a long time.''
The band - which also includes Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts
- are playing their '50 and Counting' shows to commemorate 50 years of
being a band, and have recently released a new compilation, 'GRRR!',
which includes two new tracks, which Keith says are two of the quickest
they have ever got together.
He said: ''We banged out a couple of tracks in the autumn in Paris, 'Doom and Gloom' and 'One More Shot'.
''I
don't think the Stones have ever cut a track so fast. It was like three
takes and - boom! We were like looking at each other and going, 'Got
anything else?'''
By Duncan BartlettBusiness reporter, BBC World Service
The Rolling Stones latest tour
The first night of the Rolling Stones 50th anniversary tour at London's O2 Arena met with almost unanimously positive reviews.
Those who saw the show said the band has retained its raucous
energy and was given a boost by guest slots from former members, Mick
Taylor and Bill Wyman.
The Stones operate like a corporation, with a complex financial operation that handles hundreds of millions of dollars.
The last big Rolling Stones tour, called A Bigger Bang, sold 4.6 million tickets and earned $558m (£348m).
This year's outing is modest by comparison, comprising of just five gigs so far.
The first two of the five tour dates are at the O2 Arena in London
All the tickets sold out in minutes despite high prices. For
the London shows, tickets range from £90 to £375 and a hospitality
package costs nearly £1,000 per head.
The Stones have long sought to maximise the cash value of
their music and performances. Mick Jagger said to Billboard magazine:
"You might say 'the tickets are too expensive' - well, it's a very
expensive show to put on, because normally you do a hundred shows and
you'd have the same expenses." He also said he'd like to see the resale
of tickets made illegal.
The Telegraph's arts correspondent Bernadette McNulty says:
"I think they still enjoy playing but there's always been something
really competitive about the Rolling Stones.
"I think they really like the idea of maintaining themselves
as the biggest band in the world and proving that they can still do it.
And making as much as money as possible is a way of showing they are
really good at what they do. They are not ashamed of making money and
never have been." 'Corporate status quo'
But what of the Stones' rebellious image - songs about murder,
revolution and fighting in the streets? How does that square with their
status as multi-millionaires, sponsored by multinational companies?
Marc Hogan, music journalist for Spin magazine, says the apparent paradox has always been part of the Stones' identity.
"The cultural conservative view of the 1960s is that all
these radical rock'n'roll bands came along and corrupted the young with
their rebellion," he says.
"But looking all these years later, you can see that view was
wrong. The Stones have become part of the corporate status quo. Being
rebellious doesn't mean they're rebelling against the capitalist
system."
Hogan points out that Jagger attended the London School of
Economics for a year before dropping out. He describes him as "a
brilliant businessman".
There is no shortage of Rolling Stones merchandise
The ticket money is not the only way the Stones are cashing in
on their 50th anniversary. There's a new film, Crossfire Hurricane, and a
hits compilation called Grrr that includes new songs.
Then there's the merchandising: everything from Monopoly sets
to women's underwear. Products bearing the Stones' famous tongue logo
have a timeless appeal.
Ten years ago, Stones guitarist Keith Richards said to
Fortune Magazine: "You don't start to play your guitar thinking you're
going to be running an organisation that will maybe generate millions."
Since then, many millions more have been added to his
fortune. But for five decades, the priceless asset of the Stones has
been their passion for music. Those attending this tour are paying to
discover if that passion remains.
