Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have shared their thoughts on the future of live concerts and when The Rolling Stones will call it quits.
“I’m not in such a bad position. Can’t feel sorry for yourself,” Jagger told Rolling Stone, “but yeah, I miss performing.”
In March, the band postponed a 15-city North American tour that included a show in Vancouver due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 77-year-old singer said he wonders if live music will ever be back to normal, especially in the U.S.
“How is everyone that performs live going to function in the future? We don’t know,” he said. "In Europe, we’ve had small-scale concerts. We’ve had socially-distanced concerts. You can see [concerts] starting in some parts of the world — New Zealand, Australia and so on. But … as far as the U.S. is concerned, we don’t really know what the future holds.
“So many people are out of work, losing money. Is it ever going to be the same again? Will it be always different? We just don’t know at the moment.”
Richards, 76, is optimistic. “I hope, like everybody else, there’s a very good vaccine as soon as possible,” he said, adding a swipe at U.S. president Donald Trump. “A change of regime wouldn’t be bad. Let’s leave it at that, man.”
Richards said he hopes the band will still be together in 2022 when it celebrates its 60th anniversary.
“You might call it a habit,” said Richard. “I mean, that’s what we do. And also there’s that thing between us, like, ‘Who’s going to be the first one to get off the bus?’ You have to be kicked off or drop off, right? So it’s like that.
“I really can’t imagine doing anything else.”