Stones roll back on the road

The Rolling Stones have revealed they are on the verge of a new world tour.

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

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.

Jagger 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."

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. They 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."