The Rolling Stones Scrap Plans For 2026 European And UK Stadium Tour

The Rolling Stones have scrapped any plans for a 2026 stadium tour in Europe and the United Kingdom, according to The Sun, because guitarist Keith Richards can’t “commit” to another major trek.

“The Rolling Stones had all the big promoters throwing loads of ideas and dates at them for next summer,” an unnamed American music critic told The Sun. “But when they properly sat down to discuss the tour, Keith said he didn’t think he could commit and wasn’t keen on a big stadium tour over four months.”

In September, Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood told The Sun that the band was working on a new album and hinted at shows in 2026. They last released a studio album in 2023, Hackney Diamonds, the Stones’ first new material in nearly two decades, and embarked on a North American stadium tour the following year.

The “Hackney Diamonds Tour” was one of the top-grossing tours of 2024 with a $235 million haul off 47,100 tickets sold, according to Pollstar Boxoffice. It No. 6 on Pollstar’s 2024 Top 10 Worldwide Tours chart, averaging $13,059,844 in grosses at each venue.

Though no reason has been given as to why Richards can’t commit to a new tour, the iconic musician told the BBC in 2023 that arthritis has affected his playing.

“Funnily enough, I’ve no doubt it has, but I don’t have any pain, it’s sort of benign version,” Richards, who turns 82 on Thursday, told the BBC. “I think if I’ve slowed down a little bit, it’s probably due more to age.

And also, I found that interesting, when I’m like, ‘I can’t quite do that anymore,’ the guitar will show me there’s another way of doing it. Some finger will go one space different and a whole new door opens.”