Rolling Stones weigh 2027 residencies after tour pause

The Rolling Stones have not played a concert since July 2024, but Keith Richards says the band may still find a way back to the stage in 2027: bring the road to them.

Richards and Mick Jagger have both discussed the idea of residencies during promotion for the band’s new album, Foreign Tongues, according to Rolling Stone. No dates, venues or cities have been announced.

The band spent the past year recording the LP and promoting it through interviews and appearances in Europe and North America, Rolling Stone reported. Stadium dates in Europe were held for the summers of 2025 and 2026, and prospective dates circulated among fans, but both runs were called off late in the process as talk spread that Richards was not ready for touring, according to the magazine.

Richards addressed the issue in a June interview with Uncut, saying he was unsure whether full tours were still possible because travel is the draining part. He said a residency could happen in London, New York, Paris, Rome or another city, and suggested the band could assemble shows in a different format.

He gave a similar answer to Billboard, saying the band had chosen to focus this year on releasing the record without rushing. Richards said he did not expect anything this year, but saw no reason, health and circumstances permitting, that 2027 could not bring “maybe a residency” or another way of taking the show out without the usual tour grind.

What a Stones residency could look like

Rolling Stone’s Andy Greene laid out several possible versions of the plan, while stressing they are scenarios rather than announced band plans.

One option would keep the action in New York City. Greene noted that Richards spends much of his time in Weston, Connecticut, about 55 miles from Madison Square Garden. A run at the Garden would let fans travel to the band, while Richards could avoid the nightly travel of a traditional tour.

Jagger told Billboard that the drawback of a residency model is cost for fans who live farther away and would have to travel. Rolling Stone argued that demand would still be strong, given the band’s draw and the possibility that such shows could be among their final appearances.

Another scenario would put the Stones in a handful of major stadium markets, rather than one arena. Rolling Stone suggested mini-runs at MetLife Stadium near New York, SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and Wembley Stadium in London, plus a possible show at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. The magazine framed that as a way to limit travel while reaching far more people than an arena residency.

Las Vegas’ Sphere is another obvious name in the residency conversation, after runs by U2, the Eagles, Phish and Dead and Company. Rolling Stone, however, cast doubt on that route, citing the 20,000-seat capacity, the long runs other acts have played there, the need for custom visuals and the venue’s unusual stage setup.

Health, travel and the clock

Richards has not given one single reason for staying off the road, but he recently told Guitar World that he has arthritis and large knuckles, adding that they do not hurt but can get in the way.

Jagger, meanwhile, told Billboard he would like to tour and enjoys going to audiences. Rolling Stone also noted that Jagger, Ronnie Wood and keyboardist Matt Clifford played a surprise three-song acoustic set at London’s St. Clement Hotel on July 8 to promote Foreign Tongues, with background singer Chanel Haynes joining for “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

For now, the only firm news is that the Stones are talking about possibilities. A 2027 residency may happen, a stadium mini-run may happen, or nothing may be scheduled at all. The band has not publicly locked in its next move.

This story draws on original reporting from Rolling Stone.