Stones to keep Rolling

TOURING WILL GO ON SAYS MICK

vow to continue touring in 2022 despite the loss of drummer Charlie Watts.

The band have played gigs across the US recently that were booked long before the founding member’s death.

Asked if this could be the last tour, frontman Mick

replied: “If things are good next year and everyone’s feeling good about touring, I’m sure we’ll do shows.”

The band did struggle to find their groove without their old pal, but have already adapted to life with new drummer Steve Jordan behind them.

Guitar star Keith Richards revealed: “I was like, ‘I can’t pick this up without Charlie.’

“But once Steve and I got into it: ‘Hey, this is the way it’s supposed to be.’ From a musical point of view, it’s incredibly energetic and wonderfully inspiring.

“Steve is so aware of the seat he’s sitting in. Steve said to me: ‘Charlie played the drums. He didn’t hit them.’”

Mick added to Mojo magazine: “Charlie brought another sensibility – the jazz touch. And he didn’t play very heavy.

“Sometimes if I got him mad enough, he would. That was the only way I could get him to play heavy – get him mad.”

But Watts was much more than just a drummer for Keith, as he said: “The thing Charlie and I had from day one was, we would cringe at the crassness of showbiz and its demands. Charlie would run a mile rather than do a promo.” Nothing seems capable of stopping Keith from rocking on, but even he is beginning to think about the end now that his bandmate has gone:

“Charlie Watts was my bed. I could lay on there and know that not only would I have a good sleep, but I’d wake up and it’d still be rocking.

“It was something I’ve had since I was 19. I never doubted it. I never even thought about it. Only now am I thinking about it.”