In Berlin, Rolling Stones end 'Sixty' tour with tribute to Charlie Watts

BERLIN — The Rolling Stones wrapped up their 60th-anniversary tour Wednesday in Germany with an emotional tribute to late drummer Charlie Watts.

The legendary British band had opened their European tour with a gig in Madrid on June 1 to mark six decades since they were formed.

The "Sixty" tour included 14 concerts across the continent and followed the band's "No Filter" tour, which began in 2017 but saw the North American leg postponed due to the pandemic.

They wrapped up that tour late last year despite the death of Watts last August at the age of 80.

Wednesday's concert was the band's 118th appearance in Germany, frontman Mick Jagger told the audience at the Waldbuhne, an open-air amphitheater in a forest west of the German capital, adding that they were still as hot as ever.

The group dedicated its last performance to Watts, with Jagger, 79, telling the 22,000 fans the band had had a few glasses of schnapps the night before in Watts' honor.

Over more than two uninterrupted hours, the Stones strung together their best-known hits and more recent works, while regularly engaging the crowd, including on a version of "Midnight Rambler" that lasted nearly 10 minutes.

Unsurprisingly, it was the classics "Start Me Up", "Paint it Black", "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and a climactic "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction" that really set the crowd on fire.

"It's crazy what they're still capable of doing, and the energy they give off at their age," concertgoer Philippe Georgi, 46, enthused to AFP after the show alongside his father Gunther, who is "the same age as Mick."

"Thirty years ago, it was him that invited me to their concert in Munich, and today it's me," he added.

As well as celebrating their 60th anniversary, the Stones have also been marking 50 years since the release of one of their most iconic albums, "Exile on Main Street." 

Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards, 78, were childhood friends who lost contact until a chance encounter as teenagers at Dartford station southeast of London. They would go on to form, along with Watts and guitarist Ronnie Wood, 75, what would become one of the world's best-known rock bands.

They did their first tour of the UK in 1963, and have released more than 50 albums, both studio and live, with millions of copies sold.

Agence France-Presse

Marking 60 years, Rolling Stones to go back on the road across Europe

LONDON, March 14 (Reuters) - The Rolling Stones will embark on a European tour this summer, playing stadiums and arenas, to mark their 60th anniversary as a band, the British rockers said on Monday.

Called "SIXTY", the 14-show tour will kick off in Madrid on June 1 and travel to 10 countries in total, including Britain.

The band will perform at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, their first show in the British city for more than 50 years, as well as two concerts at London's Hyde Park.

Frontman Mick Jagger, 78, and guitarists Keith Richards, 78, and Ronnie Wood, 74, will be joined by drummer Steve Jordan for the tour. The Stones' drummer Charlie Watts, who joined the band in 1963, died last year aged 80.

"Looking forward to seeing you all this summer!" Jagger wrote on Twitter, alongside a video of the band performing live across the decades.

The set list will include Stones classics such as "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction" and "Paint It Black" among others as well as "a selection of unexpected tracks" from their vast catalogue of music, according to a press release. The tour will also have a new stage production.

The Stones, who wrapped up the North American leg of their "No Filter" tour in November, will also play in Munich, Amsterdam, Bern, Milan, Brussels, Vienna, Paris and Stockholm.

Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian Editing by Mark Heinrich

-reuters-

Mick Jagger celebrates end of UK lockdown in new track 'Eazy Sleazy'

LONDON — Mick Jagger released a surprise new track on Tuesday, “Eazy Sleazy”, which celebrates the end of lockdown in England and takes a tongue-in-cheek look at some of the downsides of life cooped up at home during the pandemic.

Lyrics in the rocking, upbeat track include: “Trying to write a tune you better hook me up to Zoom” and “way too much TV it’s lobotomizing me.”

Jagger, who wrote the song a few weeks ago, teamed up with Foo Fighters guitarist Dave Grohl virtually, who added his part from Los Angeles.

“It’s a song that I wrote about coming out of lockdown, with some much needed optimism,” said 77-year-old Jagger.

“It was all about coming out of all the things that I mention in the verses. It’s coming out of that, hopefully, into, you know, a more optimistic frame of mind,” he added.

The chorus promises, “we’ll escape from these prison walls” and “it’s gonna be a garden of earthly delights.”

Pubs started selling pints for drinking outside on Monday and shops threw open their doors as England started to reopen after three months of lockdown.

Grohl said recording the song with Jagger was “beyond a dream come true.”

“Just when I thought life couldn’t get any crazier ... it’s the song of the summer, without a doubt!” he said.

(Reporting by Sarah Mills, Writing by Alexandra Hudson; Editing by Mike Collett-White)

-reuters-

Who's Who of pop culture unites for 'One World' coronavirus special

Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Beyonce and Oprah Winfrey on Saturday headlined a special broadcast of music, comedy and personal stories celebrating those around the world on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic.

The two-hour “One World:Together at Home” event, broadcast across multiple television channels in the United States and overseas, featured a Who’s Who of pop culture in the biggest celebrity gathering so far to mark the effects of the virus.

Contributions, all filmed in their homes, also came from Elton John, Jennifer Lopez, Stevie Wonder, British soccer star David Beckham, former U.S. first ladies Michelle Obama and Laura Bush, Andrea Bocelli, Celine Dion, Billie Eilish, Bill Gates and dozens of others.

“I’m so grateful for the healthcare workers, the medical workers, all the grocery store workers and delivery people, the postal workers, all the other nonprofits that are working so hard,” said Gaga, who helped organize the event.

“This is really a true love letter to all of you all over the world, and I hope a reminder of the kindness that’s occurring right now,” she added.

The event, led by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the nonprofit group Global Citizen, told the personal stories of teachers and healthcare, grocery, delivery, postal and other workers.

It showed social media postings and news clips of doctors and nurses being applauded by communities around the world, deserted world landmarks, families greeting each other through windows, and acts of kindness in support of those who are isolated and frail.

“We aren’t asking for money tonight,” said Stephen Colbert who hosted the broadcast alongside his U.S. late night television rivals Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon.

Instead of seeking public funds, the event encouraged philanthropists and companies to contribute to the WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Corporate and other donors have already contributed some $150 million, organizers said.

“What I’d like tonight, if I can, is to give you the permission for the moment to... ‘Smile’,” said Gaga, kicking off the evening by launching into a version of the ballad made famous by Nat King Cole.

Beyonce did not perform but sent a video message in which she noted the disproportionately high death rates from COVID-19 in the black community.

“This virus is killing black people at an alarming rate in America,” she said, urging viewers to protect themselves.

Swift, on piano, gave an emotional rendition of her ballad “Soon You’ll Get Better,” which was originally written during her mother’s battle with cancer.

The Rolling Stones, filmed in four separate locations, sang “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards playing acoustic guitars.

“We all appreciate the healthcare workers but never like now,” Winfrey said in a video message. “They truly are the best of us... We need to ensure that governments step up now and provide healthcare workers with the equipment and the funds they need.”

Wonder played the late Bill Wither’s classic “Lean on Me,” while McCartney, recalling that his mother was a nurse and midwife, sang “Lady Madonna.”

“You know the coronavirus is trouble when a Beatle gets involved,” quipped Kimmel.

Earlier on Saturday, pop, classical and rap musicians from the United States, Asia and the Middle East took part in a six-hour livestream that featured Latin star Luis Fonsi, R&B singer Jennifer Hudson, Hong Kong singer Eason Chan, India’s Vishal Mishra and Emirati musician Hussain Al Jassmi.

Celebrities called on people to stay at home, wash their hands regularly, practice social distancing and put pressure on their political leaders to introduce widespread testing for the disease.

-reuters-

Mick Jagger says 'on the mend' after medical procedure

NEW YORK - Mick Jagger is "on the mend" after a reportedly successful heart valve procedure in New York, the Rolling Stones front man said Friday.

"Thank you everyone for all your messages of support, I'm feeling much better now and on the mend - and also a huge thank you to all the hospital staff for doing a superb job," said Jagger, 75.

Days earlier The Rolling Stones announced they would postpone the North American leg of their upcoming tour so Jagger could receive medical treatment.

Industry tracker Billboard had said late Thursday doctors performed a minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacement, allowing the artist to avoid major surgery that would open his chest.

Instead, doctors accessed the heart valve of the flamboyant Stones lead singer through his femoral artery in the thigh.

Jagger was resting in the hospital, according to Billboard, citing anonymous sources who said he must lay low for 4 to 5 days so the artery could heal without triggering severe bleeding.

Representatives for Jagger and the Stones did not immediately reply to AFP queries.

After the band that formed in 1962 announced the tour postponement of 17 shows in the US and Canada, Jagger had tweeted that he was "devastated" and would "be working very hard to be back on stage as soon as I can."

 

"I really hate letting you down like this," he said.

Jagger, who has 8 children, 5 grandchildren and a great-granddaughter, has maintained his energetic stage performances well into his 70s.

Agence France-Presse