The Rolling Stones, photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for RS
Last week, The Rolling Stones formally unveiled their next studio album, Foreign Tongues. Set to release on July 10 via Capitol, the legendary rock act’s next release follows 2023’s Hackney Diamonds, which launched a new era of activity after an 18-year break in new material, with Andrew Watt once again in the producer’s chair and contributions from high-profile peers like Paul McCartney, Robert Smith, Steve Winwood and The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith. Though their return has already inspired fan fervor, due in part to their cryptic promotional strategy, Keith Richards has confirmed that the band will not take the project on the road this year.
The Rolling Stones’ lead guitarist and co-founder addressed the band’s intention to take a break from the stage in 2026 in an interview with the Associated Press at the band’s announcement event in Williamsburg last Tuesday. “We can talk next year,” Richards said on the red carpet. “I mean, possibly. At the moment, we’re just sort of saying, ‘We’ve finished the record, let’s do this,’ and so we’re sort of basically considering what to do after. Pretty soon, but I don’t – not this year, anyway.”
In December, when the new studio album was just a rumor, Variety reported that the Stones had scrapped touring plans for the coming year, citing an unnamed music critic’s claim that Richards was unable to “commit” to a multi-country, multi-week outing. Richards, 78, has faced difficulties with arthritis in recent years that have forced him to change his style of playing, though he ably participated in the band’s most recent tour, a 20-show trek across North America in the summer of 2024. “The band were looking to tour earlier this year but couldn’t make it work either,” a spokesperson for the group detailed. “It’s hard for their fans, but The Stones will get back on stage when they’re good and ready.”
Get an inside look at The Rolling Stones’ 2024 headline set at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival here.
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