Watts this we’re hearing?!?! Charlie Watts is NOT going to tour with The Rolling Stones this time around???
A spokesman for Charlie Watts said “Charlie has had a procedure which was completely successful, but I gather his doctors this week concluded that he now needs proper rest and recuperation. With rehearsals starting in a couple of weeks it’s very disappointing to say the least, but it’s also fair to say no one saw this coming.”
Watts also issued his own statement, saying “For once, my timing has been a little off. I am working hard to get fully fit, but I have today accepted on the advice of the experts, that this will take a while. After all the fans’ suffering caused by Covid, I really do not want the many Rolling Stones fans who have been holding tickets for this tour to be disappointed by another postponement or cancellation. I have therefore asked my great friend Steve Jordan to stand in for me.”
Jordan said “It is an absolute honour and a privilege to be Charlie’s understudy and I am looking forward to rehearsing with Mick, Keith and Ronnie. No one will be happier than me to give up my seat on the drum-riser as soon as Charlie tells me he is good to go.”
When the 2021 tour begins next month, Mick Jagger will be 78, Keith Richards 77, and Ronnie Wood, the youngest, will be 74. Watts turned 80 on June 2. In 2004, he was diagnosed with throat cancer, but it has been in remission ever since. The other Stones have not been without health issue incidents. Ronnie Wood recently announced his battle with cancer … with this very tour was first postponed PRE-pandemic due to Mick Jagger’s heart valve surgery. And, of course, there always remains the distinct possibility of Keith Richards falling out of a random coconut tree!
As of right now, there is no Chicago stop planned once the tour resumes on September 26th … but as we’ve seen SO many times in the past, The Stones LOVE Chicago … and typically find a way to show up here SOMEWHERE (even if it’s just a small blues club somewhere in the city!)
The Rolling Stones will celebrate their 60th anniversary in 2022. A new studio album is expected. (kk)
If you can believe the reactions of fellow Stones Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, they were as surprised as the rest of us by Charlie Watts’ announcement …
MICK JAGGER: We really look forward to welcoming Charlie back as soon as he is fully recovered. Thank you to our friend Steve Jordan for stepping in, so we can still play all the shows for you this fall.
KEITH RICHARDS: This has been a bit of a blow to all of us, to say the least, and we’re all wishing for Charlie to have a speedy recovery and to see him as soon as possible. Thank you to Steve Jordan for joining us in the meantime.
RONNIE WOOD: I will miss Charlie on our upcoming tour, but he told me the show must go on! I’m really looking forward to Charlie getting back on stage with us as soon as he’s fully recovered. A huge thank you to the band’s old friend Steve Jordan for rockin’ on in Charlie’s place, and on his drum seat for the Autumn tour.
More cancellations …
The US leg of the Bachman Cummings tour has officially been cancelled.
In a message posted to Burton Cummings’ Facebook page, he announced:
While Randy and I have been looking forward to reuniting for our fans throughout the United States, we extend our love and appreciation to all of the fans that were planning to come to these shows … and we cannot wait to see you all again when things are more predictable in terms of travel in and out of Canada.
Whereas the previous postponements came with the caveat that existing tickets would be honored for the rescheduled show, this is no longer the case (which is a REAL shame because we had SECOND ROW SEATS to this sucker!!!)
While both Burton and Randy have said they were looking forward to visiting with all their US Fans … and might decide to tour again when the situation to do so allows itself to be a bit more reliable and dependable … let’s face it, NOBODY wants to go thru another lockdown … or risk contracting the virus … this was likely to have been the last time these two great artists teamed up again. I think major touring acts are taking a long, hard look at their future plans right now.
Case in point, travel seems to be an issue INTO Canada as well …
James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt have cancelled their co-headlining tour of Canada. In a message to fans, Taylor said the tour had again been postponed due to “COVID-19 challenges and restrictions. This is the second time Bonnie and I have had to postpone our Canadian tour, the first time in April ‘20 at the beginning of Covid and now again for the rescheduling of that tour this September.”
The New York Fest For Beatles Fans has just been cancelled as well. (It happened here in Chicago this year, too.)
As Mark Lapidos explained …
We were really hopeful
that we would be far enough along in the pandemic to be able to have our New
York Metro FEST in October ... but then the Delta Variant changed the
landscape. On Monday, the New Jersey Governor announced new mask
recommendations for all indoor activities and events. The next day, New York
City's mayor mandated mask requirements for restaurants, movie theaters,
concerts, gyms, sporting events, Broadway and proof of vaccination before
entering. This is all well and good for 2-3 hours. But The FEST is a 1, 2 or 3
day and night event. The thought of us all having to wear masks for the entire
weekend to try to ensure everyone's safety, seems untenable and unrealistic for
the format of our event; a community of Beatles fans who gather to see
friends they have made over the decades, meeting special guests, jamming late
into the night, singing with each other in a circle, dancing to the live music,
with people flying in from all over the country and the world to be together.
The good news is the vaccines are working to keep folks healthy and to keep
breakthrough cases mild. Everybody's safety and well being is of utmost
importance to us.
So it is again with heavy hearts that we bring the news that The Fest For
Beatles Fans 2021 New York Metro, in October will not be happening this year.
But we don’t have to wait a year to celebrate — Next year's New York
Metro FEST is scheduled for the weekend of April 1 - 3, 2022! If you
already have hotel reservations for New York Metro FEST, the hotel had to
cancel all of them today. Shortly, we will be letting you know when you can
make your new reservations for 2022. Do not worry. You will get the first crack
for the rooms. The hotel system did not allow them to simply be rolled
over. To all of you who have already purchased FEST tickets, they
will be rolled over to the April, 2022 dates.
Chicago FEST is the weekend of August 12 - 14, 2022 and there's no
doubt we plan to make these reunions some of our best FESTS ever.
Thank you for your understanding, and we SO look forward to seeing all of you
in person in 2022!
Peace and Love,
Mark, Carol, Michelle Joni and Tilly Lapidos
Thanks for the info on WRCO ... going to check out that station today.
Sounds like they have the Rhino collection of Have a Nice Day CD's. I have all of them myself.
My favorite songs forever and ever … Heaven on the 7th floor ... what a tune! ...
Scott Mackay
The River
I actually met Phil Nee of WRCO thru Ray Graffia, Jr. of The New Colony Six. He hooked us up when we were running our NC6 month-long feature many moons ago. We share a common love of this music (1967 in particular! Lol) and I’ve been on his show several times putting together some of these special countdowns that we do. GREAT guy … VERY knowledgeable … and over the years, he’s interviewed just about EVERYBODY! (One of these days we’re going to have to go thru those archives, Phil, and put together our OWN History Of Rock And Roll! Lol)
Give a listen to his “Those Were The Days” program … very well done, entertaining and informative. A deejay onboard for 107.7 FM would be a huge plus … add some personality into the mix (along with stories about the songs and artists.) Plus more of the mainstream hits mixed in would help to make all these WOW! songs all that much more effective when they come up. Other than that, I’d say they’re doing everything right … and have put together an incredible list of music. The fact that they’re still adding to it every single week makes this even MORE amazing. Give ‘em a listen and see what you think. Just click on the headphones to Listen Live!
(I’ve been begging these guys to start streaming for YEARS now … their content was just too good not to share … and now their audience is now worldwide because of it!) kk
Thank you again for the great write up about our 107.7 /1450 am format.
It is so amazing to have someone outside our signal range say such nice things. Sometimes you have to get outside your hometown to be appreciated. Hopefully you will continue to be impressed as you listen. We do rotate between three and four thousand songs.
If you love the music, you do have an advantage when you listen online. That station carries all of the Milwaukee Brewers and Wisconsin Badger football and basketball games. Our contract with them does not allow their content to be streamed and so when those games begin over the air, we have a dual broadcast and online listeners continue to hear the music they enjoy!
Once again, we appreciate all that you do for us and all other over the air and internet radio shows.
Phil - WRCO
And, speaking of The New Colony Six … and our Local Heroes …
Kent,
There was a slight difference between my NC6 shirt and Jerry
Schollenberger's. I've never seen that version!
But since we're on the subject of all the NC6 stuff coming together --
I'm looking forward to seeing the Buckinghams on Friday night at the Taste of
Elmwood Park, but the weather forecast says a huge thunderstorm is heading our
way. Hope the weather guys are wrong.
This was in front of me heading northbound past Woodfield Mall some years back.
Mike
I wonder whose car that is!!! (I’ll betcha one of the guys will know!)
I think The Bucks have played the Elmwood Park Fest every year of its existence! We’ve seen them perform there several times in the past. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. (Although as I type this, it is already storming here this morning!!!)
And the following night, they’ll be part of the Happy Together Tour at The Genesee Theatre. Tickets are pretty scarce for this one … but there are still a few scattered seats available thru the Genesee online box office.
I also heard from another FH Reader who was at The Ides Of March concert in Addison last night, wanting to know if I was there so we could connect and say hello. (I wasn’t) He told me the place was packed, however, so nice to see that people ARE getting out to see live shows again … although there may once again be a limited window to be able to do so. (George also had tickets to the Bachman Cummings show that got cancelled yesterday.) kk
Mike Wolstein also suggested running The Buggles’ “Video Killed The Radio Star” video in honor of MTV’s 40th Anniversary. (It was the first video they ever aired.)
Seems only fitting, doesn’t it??? (kk)
For all us chartaholics out there, August 4th meant the big 63rd Anniversary of Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart. (Of course, as we’ve pointed out NUMEROUS times in the past, this chart doesn’t mean ANYWHERE near what it did to us growing up … a song today can stay on the chart for a year and a half … so, as we ALSO keep pointing out, ANY comparison between today’s chart stats and the stats of the ‘50’s, ‘60’s and ‘70’s is akin to a comparison between apples and rocket ships … there simply isn’t any!)
That being said, it’s still a milestone worth celebrating … especially since Billboard pulled out all the stops to celebrate the chart’s 60th anniversary a few years ago.
So these are some key links that you might find interesting and entertaining …
https://bestclassicbands.com/billboard-hot-100-history-8-4-1555/
https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100-60th-anniversary
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Billboard_number-one_singles
https://www.billboard.com/hub/hot-100-turns-60
52 Years Ago you did not have to go all the way to Atlantic City to see a Rock Music Festival. On the previous weekend, July 25th / 26th / 27th, you only had to drive a little over one hour north to Milwaukee to see this line up at the State Fair Grounds, where you would have seen the MC5 put on one of the most energetic performances that I have ever seen in my life.
Robert Campbell
