Month: October 2024

Several different rumors are running around these days about a european tour next year and of course some of the venues…

Austrian tabloid OE24.at already had mentioned in an article about the Shepherds Bush release, that one stop of that tour would be the Happel Stadion in Vienna – check out this from stonesnews.

Among other rumoured venues are Paris, Rome, Prague and Athens – all of these are just guesses by now, but could still develope to a likely status. Things like this have happend before… but by now, we are at the beginning stages of this and thus have to remain patient until more reliable news pop up.

And again, just yesterday, that same tabloid commented on occasion of the Rolling Stones’ tour grossing record (see here), that “In 2025, they now want to cash in big in Europe as well. A Vienna concert is as good as fixed.“*
And later on in that article, they say that “The million-dollar show is probably the best motivation for Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ron Wood for their planned European tour. Between May and July, they have at least 14 concerts in their sights again.“*

Well, ‘as good as fixed’ and ‘at least 14 concerts in their sights’ – that are some bold words here, right? But don’t they sound really pretty nice, do they?  

*translated by google

Today, we are informed, that on November 21st, this film will be shown for the first time. 

The place to be is London, Vue Leicester Square, Leicester Square, London WC2H 7A. Now, the band informs us, that

“Tickets for this event are extremely limited and we’re giving you first access… set your alarms, tickets go on sale at 5PM TONIGHT on Dice.”

I think, that this URL is giving you access to this, but I’m not quite sure because I never used Dice for tickets before, so maybe you know better…

Fans attending the premiere will have the chance to see this electrifying film before anyone else in stunning 4K with Dolby Atmos Sound – the only release in the Stones’ live concert film archive available at this quality.

Get a taste: Shepherds Bush – Saint Of Me:

According to boxscore sources like Billboard.com, The Rolling Stones had scored their biggest number ever.

The Hackney Diamondy tour – 18 shows, 15 cities, 848,000 sold tickets – earned them a jaw dropping $235 million. That’s a record, because so far, they never broke through the linit of $200 million in a single season.

Billboard says: “The Hackney Diamonds tour sets a new high for the Stones and pushes the band further into uncharted Boxscore territory.“

It’s not exactly news here, please forgive me, but I think it’s better to be late on this than never…

Anita and her time with The Rolling Stones always fascinated me – those were very intense years in many perspectives but especially for this band. Some time ago I caught news about this film and by now I’ll add some more informations as well as the YT link of this film. However, you can see this film on prime video, apple TV, VuDu as well as on dozends of other sites or streams. In the press kit, the running time is mentioned as 110 minutes.

On the hompage of Magnolia Pictures, there’s also much more information about this as I will cite below.

But for now, let’s have a look at the movie on YT:

From Magnolia Pictures here is some excerpt from the press notes: like the Synopsis:

“CATCHING FIRE: THE STORY OF ANITA PALLENBERG is about a woman who was at many points in her life a newspaper headline: Anita Pallenberg was a “rock n’ roll goddess,” a “voodoo priestess,” and an “evil seductress.” She was accused of trying to break up the Rolling Stones, among other things. But those who loved her considered her an exciting cultural force, and a loving mother – and innocent of the accusations. Never-seen-before home movies and family photographs explore life with the Rolling Stones and tell a bittersweet tale of both triumph and heartbreak. From Barbarella to the Swiss Alps, and the Lower East Side to London, Anita Pallenberg was a creative force ahead of her time.“

and the more detailed Director’s statement (Alexis Bloom, Svetlana Zill:

“DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT

CATCHING FIRE is a truly hand-made film by two directors motivated by the desire to create something lasting, and personal.

It’s a film about family, made by family: Alexis and Svetlana were brought the idea in 2020 by Marlon Richards, the son of Anita Pallenberg and Keith Richards, who wanted his mother’s story to be told in all its complexity. The directors have worked closely with Anita’s inner circle over the course of three years, and the result is a private view of a life that was often lived in public.

The Super 8mm home movies woven throughout the documentary are the purest expression of this intimacy.

CATCHING FIRE is very much an expression of the honesty and love in Anita’s family, but it’s no hagiography. Anita was famous for her biting sense of humor and her contempt of false praise.

This film bucks the trend of “branded content” and “celebrity bios” by embracing both the bitter and the sweet, the heartbreak as well as the triumph. Anita Pallenberg is a true anti-hero, an antidote to corporate messaging.

The directors approached the film as an act of historical reclamation: putting the female perspective back in the official narrative of rock ‘n’ roll, making Anita visible again.

For Alexis and Svetlana, CATCHING FIRE was a deliberate recalibrating of history, and a celebration of an unapologetic leader.

Anita was doubtless a muse to many, and she continues to be an inspiration to the directors. In the words of one of Anita’s grandchildren: “Anita was the original gangster; she was ‘girl power’ to the end.”

Alexis and Svetlana developed the film with the conviction that something this personal can become universal. Anita struggled to balance her own professional life with the needs of her partner, motherhood with a desire for freedom – her themes are absolutely contemporary.

The directors hope that Anita’s humor – and theirs – shine through a story that’s unsparing at times. Anita took risks, and so did e directors: this is an immersive documentary with a style and rhythm all of its own.” – download this (PDF) and more from here

Let’s remember Nicky Hopkins, for whom “The Rolling Stones would become a big part of his life”

For a start, the recommended read is a nice article at americansongwriter.com under the headline “Keith Richards Praises Late Rolling Stones Collaborator Nicky Hopkins in Clip from New Documentary ‘The Session Man’“.

The Session Man, the recent documentary about lauded session keyboardist Nicky Hopkins, will be released as a digital video on November 5. It also will be available on DVD in December. The film looks at the late Hopkins’ prolific 30-year career, during which he played on recordings by many of the most famous rock artists on the planet.

There, you’ll find some introducing lines to Nicky’s addition to songs like “She’s a Rainbow”, “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Monkey Man”. While Nicky played on tracks on almost every Rolling Stones album between 1967 and 1981, he has played on more than 250 albums!

So by November 5, we can add another video gem to our collection of Stones heritage, right? 😎 

Don’t forget to check out thesessionmanfilm.com

Keith Richards performed in honor of James Burton at the Country Music Hall of Fame Medallion Ceremony, yesterday!

And he sounded really cool and rocking!

See Yahoo.com for this as well as Rolling Stone

#Update: here we have alonger clip of this: it’s 6:02

This was the first clip I knew of:

Commenting on the release of “Shepherd’s Bush” by the Rolling Stones, austrian tabloid “OE24” tells of tour dates in 2025

Check out oe24.at with the headline, that The Rolling Stones will play at Vienna’s ‘Happel Stadium’ some time next year. I generally don’t trust tabloids too much, but oe24 has had it’s moments in the past, when it comes to Stones tours. And when there’s some dates in Austria, then there’s dates all over Europe…

What does that mean? In means, that negotiations fly backstage and that the rumours about a EU-Tour in 2025 gather momentum. In my view, most of the planning involved with such a project must have been settled already – the only thing is, that there’s a strict no-tell-anything-rule in effect so we are still left with guessing what’s going on. But: no doubt about it: the band will play unless some major mishap is happening. So let’s keep out fingers crossed and hope for more tours to come, right!?

Just watch this Jumping Jack Flash which happend just 3 months ago and then tell me, that this band is going to stop playing, hehehe …

And off we go again! The Stones shell out another great club gig gem!

Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London, UK, June 8, 1999: The band is in full swing and just blows the top off that club, OMG. Really a fine show!

“As The Rolling Stones were preparing to play two nights at Wembley Stadium in June 1999, their first London shows in 4 years, they announced a surprise show at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire for June 8, 1999. An intimate crowd of 1800 lucky fans were treated to a number of rarely heard gems over the course of 96 minutes. As Mick Jagger stated from the stage that night, “If you want to see the hits go to the big place down the road”. And as promised, the deep cuts were deep – “Melody” performed for the first time since 1977, while “Moon Is Up” was brought to the stage for the only time in the band’s live career. Sheryl Crow, who opened the show, joins the band during “Honky Tonk Women”.“

Formats are plenty (leaving out the DVD format by now for whatever reason): 2CD – Blue-Ray + 2CD – 4K UHD – 2LP (the 2 LP package is pressed on 180g black vinyl)

==> To be released December 6, 2024 – you can pre-order of course…

Can’t wait for this?   Well, we have it on YT, yes, the complete show, filmed from the balcony … see below! 😛 

Here’s the tracklist of the 2LP set:

WOW – It’s been quite a while since I last wrote some post here!

I just checked – oh my, that was much too long, so sorry! But like the band we all love, I kinda took some free time and then went to France for holidays and then came back to much work in the office and so on…

But these leisure days are over now, I think! It’s time to share some news with you here again!  

Have you checked out the new Poll-page? Go there, cast your vote, see the results and leave some comment if you like!

Now, let’s check for some news now:

First things first: we all are waiting for some news about the expected Hackney Diamonds Europe Tour 2025. Well, so far, nothing seriously trustable has reached my ear but that doesn’t mean, that the organisation for this is not happening backstage so to say. All those negotiations with the venues, the insurances, the money and the general tour schedule are already in the making if not almost settled. These days, they have learned to keep quite about those things, it sems. But there will be news, that’s for sure. We just have to be patient and simply wait for it – it’ll come down to us for sure.

Already released on 2024-05-31, Ronnie remembers us, that he now has his Ronnie Wood Live At Electric Ladyland out for streaming via Spotify, Deezer or Amazon Music

“My album Live At Electric Ladyland, featuring my Slide On Live band, is out now on digital streaming platforms! I recorded the album live at the Electric Ladyland Studio in New York on the 2nd November 1992, and I’m so happy it’s finally officially released for the very first time! This special, fully remastered, live recording includes 9 of my favourite tracks, and my Slide On Live band of allstars!” – The allstars beeing: Ronnie Wood – vocals/guitar/harmonica, Bernard Fowler – vocals, Ian McLagan – keyboards, Johnny Lee Schell – guitar, Shaun Solomon – bass, Wayne P. Sheehy – drums, Chuck Leavell – additional keyboards. Mixed by Bob Clearmountain

Bill Wyman appears of the cover of the US collector’s magazine Goldmine with an exclusive interview which can partly be read online; the full version needs subscription or the printed edition:

“Bill Wyman states his significance to The Rolling Stones legacy
In the Fall 2024 issue of Goldmine, iconic Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman discusses his latest solo album, but also states his importance to the glory days of The Rolling Stones.”