Rolling Stone recently ran a news story wherein it was officially announced that the Rolling Stones' plans to tour this year in commemoration of their 50th Anniversary have been scrapped due to guitarist Keith Richards' remaining health issues since tumbling out of a coconut tree in Fiji in 2006.
While the guitarist has made some recent appearances, such as his February performance at the Apollo Theatre during a memorial concert for blues legend Hubert Sumlin that also featured Eric Clapton, insiders say that the guitarist is not yet healthy enough for a lengthy travel itinerary.
Having said that, is there really anything to be gained from a Rolling Stones "50th Anniversary" tour other than a nice paycheck for the band? Granted, it seems that any such tour is bound to include original bassist Bill Wyman, but if the point of attending a Stones concert in the first place is to relive the songs of your youth, does the fact that a bunch of 70-year-old men are onstage performing as shells of their former selves sound like a fun night out?
Sure, 50 might be the new 30, but 70 is still 70 and all of the remaining original members will be 70 or older in 2013. Heck, Ronnie Wood is the kid of the band and he'll be turning 66 next year.
Rock & roll was, is, and will always be the music of youth and rebellion. Thus, seeing 70-year-old men reliving moments that took place 30, 40, even 50 years ago is admirable, but ultimately bound for disappointment. Just because you can still fit into the same pair of bright yellow football pants you wore in '81 doesn't mean you should. We're looking at you, Mick.
Sure, nothing short of death will stop this tour from happening, but it's still nice to dream about legendary rock bands knowing when to walk away and, in doing so, leave their legacy intact. The Stones have never been that kind of a band, trotting out their own special brand of lukewarm nostalgia for longer than most bands have been together.