The Rolling Stones have quietly shelved plans for a major 2026 stadium tour across the United Kingdom and Europe, according to a source close to the band who confirmed the news to Variety.
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Bill Wyman (behind) of the Rolling Stones perform live on stage at The Roundhouse in London on 14th March 1971. Keith Richards is playing his Ampeg Dan Armstrong guitar. (Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
While the tour was never formally announced, expectations had been building after comments from the band’s touring pianist, Chuck Leavell, and a spokesperson suggested the legendary rockers were preparing to go on tour following completion of a new album.
That album, which marks the group’s second collaboration with producer Andrew Watt, is reportedly nearly finished. However, the thought of hitting the road for another lengthy, multi-country stadium run proved too demanding, specifically for guitarist Keith Richards.
Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones performs onstage at SoFi Stadium on July 13, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Richards, who turns 82 this week, has reportedly struggled to commit to the physical demands of touring due to his arthritis, which has forced him to adapt his playing style.
Although Richards appeared energized during a short three-song appearance at New York’s Soho Sessions last month, a full-scale tour was a different matter.
“When they properly sat down to discuss the tour, Keith said he didn’t think he could commit and wasn’t keen on a big stadium tour for over four months,” an unnamed “American music critic” told The Sun. A separate unnamed spokesperson added, “The band were looking to tour earlier this year but couldn’t make it work either. It’s hard for their fans but The Stones will get back onstage when they’re good and ready.”
Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger, Steve Jordan , and Keith Richards and of The Rolling Stones perform during ‘Stones Tour ’24 Hackney Diamonds’ at MetLife Stadium on May 26, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
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The Rolling Stones have toured almost every year since the early 2000s, though with shorter schedules as members Mick Jagger, 82, Ron Wood, 78, and Richards have aged. Their most recent outing, the “Hackney Diamonds Tour,” featured 20 North American dates spread over three months.
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