Stones Roll In August

The Rolling Stones will launch another massive world tour this summer. Dates start August 21st at Boston’s Fenway Park.

The North American leg includes 32 cities right now and the show will play stadiums, arenas and even some theatres into December.

There is room in the schedule to add more dates, and concert promoter Michael Cohl has indicated there could be around 40 shows in the U.S. and Canada.

The itinerary includes the requisite major cities and a number of secondary markets including Hartford, Conn.; Moncton, N.B.; Milwaukee, Wis.; Hershey, Pa.; Charlotte, N.C.; and Fresno, Calif.

The production will undoubtedly be extravagant, as the Stones don’t tour any other way.

The stadium shows will add something new to the Stones concert experience, offering fans the opportunity to be on stage. Several hundred seats are built directly into the stadium set, giving fans a glimpse of the band’s point of view.

“The band is redefining the concert experience – there is nothing even comparable to the thrill of being on stage with the Rolling Stones and seeing a stadium show from the band’s perspective,” Cohl said.

The Stones are expected to rehearse in Toronto this summer – as they have done for world tours in 1994, 1997 and 2002.

After the concerts in the U.S. and Canada, the band will move on to Mexico, South America, the Far East and Europe in the summer of 2006.

A new Stones album is on the way from Virgin Records, meaning this will be the first outing since the ’97-’98 Bridges to Babylon tour that the band has had new material to support.

Tickets will go on sale May 14th for Boston, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Miami, Charlotte and Calgary, with additional markets and dates to follow.

Tickets will be available in a broad range of price categories. There will be a limited number of Gold Circle seats while the remaining 95 percent of the house will average $99 for stadium shows, $110 for arenas, and $50 for theatre/club shows.