The Rolling Stones will be performing live before the year is out. The Los Angeles Times have reported on the news and have revealed that the band - who are celebrating their 50th anniversary - will be playing "a small handful of shows" in 2012. Two of these shows will apparently be in London and another two in Brooklyn, New York. This news undermines the band's previous assertions that they would not be touring this year.
There's no official news announced on the band's website as yet and LA Times were unable to get hold of the Rolling Stones' publicist to confirm the news of the live dates. According to Billboard, though, the London dates will be held at the O2 Arena and the Brooklyn dates will be held in the Barclays Center. Billboard have attributed their information to "a source" who also revealed that Richard Branson and Paul Dainty are the promoters behind these now-rare live appearances from the Rolling Stones. The band's tours have been promoted by Michael Cohl for decades. The reason for the switch is not currently clear.
Guitarist Keith Richards recently hinted that some live shows could well be in the offing, when he told the Bbc in July "There's things in the works. Things are definitely happening. But when? I can't say yet." It seems that Stones fans are one step closer to the facts but it's not time to get the credit cards out just yet, as no ticket information has been unveiled.