In a recent interview, Keith Richards was asked how The Rolling Stones intended to celebrate their 60th anniversary in 2022. The legendary guitarist had given it some thought, and he bluntly puts it, “Well, the plans are to still actually all be alive.”
Perhaps fans would have preferred to learn about new albums, new tours, and other grand adventures. But Richards’ “plans” seems quite sensible. Never mind the fact that he himself is 76, Mick Jagger is 77, Ronnie Wood is 73, and Charlie Watts is 79. In times like these, are any of us really aiming much higher than “be alive?”
Richards acknowledged as much when he told GQ, “First off, I’m going to get through this year and see how we handle next year. Because I think at the moment, there are more problems than a Rolling Stones celebration. Although I’m very glad that we’re all here, but I’ll leave it at that if I can.”
He added, “Apart from that, at our age, I don’t know. I haven’t heard of any plans, but I’m sure there are things being made.”
Still, Richards intends to rock until he drops, and in September he said he “can’t imagine” The Rolling Stones will ever retire. Besides that, archivists continue to unearth new gems. Recently, footage was shared of the first-ever live performance of “Sympathy for the Devil”, and over the summer, the band released “Scarlet”, a previously-unheard collaboration with Jimmy Page.
Editor’s Note: Pick up our brand new Opus hoodie via the Consequence Store. A portion of the proceeds will benefit MusiCares’ COVID-19 Artist Relief fund supporting independent musicians.