Mick Jagger expressed hopes that the Rolling Stones will play live again, and said he was still writing songs for the band.
They’ll release their 25th studio album Foreign Tongues on Jul. 10, with a range of guest appearances including Paul McCartney, Steve Winwood, Robert Smith and others.
In a recent interview with NME, Jagger was asked about the Stones’ future, including whether they’d play the Glastonbury festival again. That led him to reminisce about their 2013 appearance.
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“It’s a difficult gig to do,” the veteran frontman said. “The stage is very odd. It’s so disjointed and you’re so far away from everyone. We normally have a 50-feet walkway, and we only had 10.
“I mean, it’s great when you look up the hill and you see everyone; it’s fantastic. There’s no doubt about it. Do I wanna do it again? Oh, I’ll say yes.”
Asked if he meant that the band’s live career wasn’t over, Jagger responded: “Hopefully not. I don’t think there’ll be shows this year, but I hope to do some next year for the Stones.”
He went on to explain that no shows had been booked for 2026 because “Keith couldn’t commit, and he wasn’t feeling so great about touring and everything. Which leads you on to the question of residencies.”
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He clarified that he didn’t mean something like a Las Vegas residency – “more like Harry Styles doing [short runs of shows] in Amsterdam and London. … But we are gonna get live dates in for next year, hopefully.”
Jagger was also asked if there was a 26th Stones record somewhere in the ether. “Yeah, it could be a trio [of albums],” he said, presumably referring to the next LP being the third in the current run. “I’ve already started writing songs anyway. They could be for other people, though.
“I’m very open-minded to it. I’ve got a lot of stuff, and not all of it’s suitable for the Rolling Stones. It shouldn’t stop me writing them, you know – if you get an idea, just write it.”
How Easy Was Paul McCartney’s Guest Spot on Foreign Tongues?
McCartney appears on Foreign Tongues track “Covered In You,” which Jagger said had been recorded during the same session that yielded “Bite My Head Off” on 2023’s Hackney Diamonds.
“It was very easy,” the singer said of the Beatles icon’s guest spot. “Obviously, I’ve known Paul for ages. He’s not a stranger, but he’s never played bass with us before. It’s a different thing, you know.
“I said to Andy, ‘Is he gonna be into this? Because it’s a punk tune and I want overdriven bass. It’s gonna be simple, no mucking about.’ And Paul did exactly what was needed in, like, 10 minutes.”
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Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
