Can you feel it, Stones fan? It seemed like it might never happen. Yet, finally, it's here.
Satisfaction.
Ending months of speculation, the Rolling Stones have announced their long-awaited return to the Bay Area. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act, which has now ranked as one world's most popular bands for a half century, performs May 5 at Oracle Arena in Oakland and May 8 at HP Pavilion in San Jose.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday (April 8) at www.rollingstones.com. Ticket prices were not immediately available.
The band unveiled its tour plans on Wednesday. The 50 and Counting Tour, which commemorates the Stones' 50 anniversary in 2012, kicks off its North American run in Los Angeles (date TBA).
"50 and Counting has been pretty amazing so far," the Stones' Mick Jagger said in the tour announcement. "We did a few shows in London and New York last year ... and had such a good time that we thought ... let's do some more. It's a good show. Lots of the classic stuff everyone wants to hear ... with a few little gems tucked in here and there. The stage is shaped like lips and goes off into the venue so I get to run around in the crowd. It's great fun to be able to get that close to the audience."
The announcement ends a long guessing game, which had some fans wondering if the Stones might never mount a worldwide tour again. The band laid somewhat low during its actual 50th anniversary year, performing only a handful of shows in a few select cities. It also appeared at the star-studded 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief benefit at Madison Square Garden in New York.
It was only in recent days, however, that an upcoming Stones tour seemed like a sure thing. It started with a countdown on the band's website and social media pages, pointing toward a major announcement to be made on Wednesday. Combine that with the newly erected billboards seen in the Bay Area and elsewhere, featuring the Stones logos and such appropriate song titles as "Start Me Up," and fans knew that something good was in store for them.
And it's about time.
Jagger, Keith Richards and crew last rolled through the Bay Area in November 2006, performing a show at the Oakland Coliseum as part of the A Bigger Bang tour. That global trek pulled in more than $550 million, which makes it the second highest-grossing tour of all time. The only one to top it was the U2 360 Tour, which did better than $730 million in ticket sales during its 2009-2011 run.
The Stones' most recent release is "GRRR!," a (mostly) greatest hits package released late last year. Besides containing such longtime fan favorites as "Sympathy for the Devil," "Ruby Tuesday" and "Street Fighting Man," the set also features a pair of new songs, "Doom and Gloom" and "One More Shot."
Follow Jim Harrington at http://twitter.com/jimthecritic, www.facebook.com/jim.bayareanews and http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/category/concerts. ___
(c)2013 the Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif.)
Visit the Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif.) at www.contracostatimes.com
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