Stones to keep rolling with new world tour

Veteran British rockers The Rolling Stones today announced plans to hit the road again.

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood revealed details of a year-long world tour after making a spectacular airship landing in a park in the Bronx area of New York.

They arrived in Van Cortlandt Park in a bright yellow blimp decorated with the trademark Rolling Stones red lips and tongue logo.

And at a packed press conference, the Stones announced 32 dates in the United States and Canada, kicking off in September.

They will then tour Europe, Australia, Mexico and the Far East in 2003 - hopefully playing their first ever concert in China.

Unusually the band will play three different sized venues - stadia, arenas and smaller 2,000-3,000-seater theatres.

Jagger, wearing a sparkly silver jacket, said: ‘‘We’re going to have three kinds of shows, stadia, arena and theatre or club shows - in New York we’re going to do all three.

’’It’s going to be great fun for us, it will also be a bit of a challenge to jump from one to the other.

’’I think it’s going to be fun and a challenge.’’

The Stones refused to confirm rumours that former band members Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor will be joining the band on stage.

Jagger said: ‘‘We are always open to offers of guest artists, we are open-minded.’’

He said the band has already booked several opening acts, including Sheryl Crow and the band No Doubt and more will be revealed later.

The Rolling Stones World Tour 2002/3 will kick off in Boston, Massachusetts on September 5 - around 40 years after The Stones first got together.

Each show, whether in a massive stadium or an intimate club setting, will feature sensational sets and dramatic effects.

All will include classic Rolling Stones hits as well as new songs.

The band are also releasing a retrospective CD of their greatest hits from 1963 to the present day, plus new songs to coincide with the tour.

The name of the tour will be revealed with the name of the new album.

Tour promoter Michael Cohl said: ‘‘Only The Rolling Stones would dare to come up with a concept so ambitious - three dramatically different shows in different venues. It will be a spectacular music event.’’

He described the tour as ‘‘the most ambitious undertaking The Stones have ever taken upon themselves’’.

The Rolling Stones last toured in 1999.

Asked about their motivation for continuing touring, Jagger said: ‘‘Either we stay at home and become pillars of the community or we tour and we couldn’t find any communities that needed pillars.’’