The Rolling Stones have reportedly called off a 2026 U.K./European tour whose dates were never officially announced. According to a report in Variety on Tuesday morning (Dec. 16) citing an unnamed source close to the band, the Stones have walked back the plans for the outing they had not officially confirmed.
Variety cited “reports” that guitarist Keith Richards, who will turn 82 on Thursday (Dec. 18), was unable to “commit” to another rigorous road outing.
The reports appear to be tied to a pair of recent stories about the veteran group in the British tabloid The Sun, in which touring pianist Chuck Leavell reportedly said that the band were planning their first run of shows since a 20-date 2024 North American run in support of their Hackney Diamonds album after being forced to pull back from plans for a summer 2025 U.K. swing, which was also never confirmed.
Leavell suggested that indefatigable singer Mick Jagger, 82 and Richards, 81, are not ready to stop touring. “They don’t want to hang up the rock ‘n’ roll shoes yet,” Leavell reportedly said. “There’s no doubt in my mind.” Leavell also reportedly said the band has been working on a new album and that “I am also sure that the band wants to perform.”
The Variety report pointed to another Sun story on Monday that cited an unnamed American music critic, who claimed that Richards told his bandmates that he “didn’t think he could commit and wasn’t keen on a big stadium tour for over four months.”
At press time a spokesperson for the band had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment and it appeared that neither Richards nor Jagger had commented on the reports on their social feeds. A spokesperson for the band also reportedly told NME that the reports of the scotched 2026 tour are true.
Hackney Diamonds producer Andrew Watt told Rolling Stone in September that he’s producing the follow-up to the Stones’ Grammy-winning 24th album — their first new studio effort in more than 15 years — describing it as like “working for Batman. When the tongue is up in the air, you just go. I can say we did some recording together, but that’s all I can say.”
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