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Keith Richards says The Rolling Stones will skip touring in 2026: “We can talk next year”
Keith Richards says The Rolling Stones will skip touring in 2026, but may return next year after finishing Foreign Tongues.
Keith Richards has said The Rolling Stones will not tour in 2026, though he left the door open for a run in 2027.
Speaking to Associated Press, Richards said: “We can talk next year. At the moment, we’re just sort of saying, we’ve finished the record… [and we’re] considering what to do after. Pretty soon, but not this year.”
The comment follows the band’s recent announcement of their new album, Foreign Tongues, due July 10 via Polydor/Universal Music. The record will feature 14 tracks, including lead single In The Stars and the bluesy Rough And Twisted. Guest appearances include Paul McCartney, Robert Smith, Steve Winwood and Charlie Watts.
The Stones had already dropped plans for a UK and European stadium tour in 2026 after Richards was unable to “commit” to it. They last toured North America on the Hackney Diamonds run in 2024, which finished at Number Six on the year’s list of highest-grossing music world tours. Their most recent UK shows came in 2022, with two large London BST Hyde Park dates followed by a stadium concert in Liverpool.
If the band does return to the road in 2027, it would raise fresh questions about a possible Glastonbury headline slot that year. The Rolling Stones last topped the bill at Worthy Farm in 2013, their first appearance at the festival.
Glastonbury organizers have already confirmed the next edition will take place from Wednesday June 23 to Sunday June 27 in 2027. Names being discussed for the Pyramid Stage include Sam Fender, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Eminem, Chappell Roan, Little Simz and Fred Again. Oasis have also been rumoured, though Liam Gallagher previously said he “hates” the Pyramid Stage because “it’s like playing to a load of jamboree teachers”.
Ronnie Wood also recently revealed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that the album includes a version of Amy Winehouse’s You Know I’m No Good, from her 2006 album Back To Black.
The band said at a New York media event that Robert Smith was pulled into the project almost on the spot. “He was standing there with his back to me and this long gown on and when he turned around, he was covered in lipstick,” Mick Jagger said. “And I said, I never met him before, ‘You’re Robert Smith of The Cure’. And he said, ‘Yeah, we’ve never met’. And I said, ‘While you’re here, you better go and do something’. That’s how collaborations work sometimes,” he added.
The album was recorded in less than a month at Metropolis Studios in west London, with Andrew Watt producing again after working with the band on 2024’s Hackney Diamonds. “I love doing these recording sessions in London at Metropolis,” Jagger said. “It was a very intense few weeks recording ‘Foreign Tongues’. We had 14 great tracks and we went as fast as we could. I like the room there as it’s not too big so you can feel the passion in the room from everyone.”
