Roses: Don’t be sad it’s over
Singer’s remark sparks split fear
MUSIC fans fear The Stone Roses have split for a second time, this time for good, after cryptic comments from frontman Ian Brown.
The band, whose tracks include I Am The Resurrection and Fools Gold, played the final gig of their current tour at the weekend.
Singer Ian told the crowd during the set: “Don’t be sad it’s over, be happy that it happened.” At the end of the gig, he remained on stage and repeatedly sang the line, “It’s a beautiful thing, that I say bye bye”, from their track Beautiful Thing.
Thousands of fans have taken to social media since, with some who attended the concert saying it “looked like the end”. But there has been no word from the band.
The Stone Roses pioneered the Madchester music scene in the late 1980s, winning huge acclaim for their self-titled debut album in 1989. But they split in 1996 after in-fighting and patchy live performances. Ian went on to have a successful solo career.
In 2011 the band announced they were re-forming and did a Reunion Tour a year later. It included three sellout homecoming shows at Heaton Park in Manchester, which shifted more than 200,000 tickets in just minutes.
Yet only two new songs have emerged since.
The Stone Roses’ current tour ended at Hampden Park in Glasgow on Saturday night. Fans noticed that when the band hugged each other in groups at the end, Ian and drummer Reni – who have fallen out in the past – were the only ones not to embrace. A band spokesman did not comment on the rumoured split.