The Rolling Stones are planning to hit the road in support of their first album of new songs in 18 years, Hackney Diamonds, which will be released this Friday, October 20. But with the band’s core members all over 75, the legendary group won’t be touring forever.
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With that in mind, frontman Mick Jagger admitted in a recent interview with CBS Mornings that he’s open to having holograms or virtual versions of the band members created for future concert events like the one featuring avatars of ABBA that’s currently running in London.
[RELATED: Ronnie Wood Says Paul McCartney Was “So Happy” About Playing on a New Rolling Stones Song]
“We definitely have thought about that, and we’ve been asked to,” the 80-year-old Jagger said. “It’s going to happen, I’m sure.”
Similarly, the music video for the new Stones song “Angry” uses animation and AI to bring younger versions of the band from various eras to life on a series of billboards.
“What I loved about it is that we didn’t have to do anything,” said Jagger, adding “You know, when we’re all gone, there will still be AI. So, you won’t be able to get rid of us.”
Guitarist Keith Richards, who will turn 80 this December, told CBS that he’s proud that he and his bandmates Jagger and Ronnie Wood have endured for so long, and through so much adversity, and that inspires him to keep going with the group.
“[I]n a way, it’s the Rolling Stones that keep pulling Mick and me and Ronnie back together,” Richards said. “There’s something about that that I really admire about the whole bunch, you know?”
Jagger, meanwhile, who teamed up with his longtime collaborator Richards to pen 11 of the 12 songs on Hackney Diamonds, told CBS that he still finds writing tunes incredibly rewarding.
“It’s a very satisfying thing to do. It’s one of my favorite things to do,” Jagger noted. “To write a song, you just need your recording device, and you need, you know, your voice. And in 10 minutes you can create something that didn’t exist before, and maybe should never exist! But sometimes they’re worth it, you know?”
Speaking about creating something from nothing, besides his guitar playing, Wood is an accomplished artist who frequently creates paintings of his famous band. Prints of two of his latest works, abstract paintings depicting the current Stones lineup titled Barcelona Diamonds and Barcelona Diamonds 2, are available for purchase now online.
According to Wood’s official website, the paintings were completed at the 76-year-old guitarist’s studio in Barcelona, Spain, and were inspired by the band completing the Hackney Diamonds album.
You can pre-order Hackney Diamonds now.
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