The Rolling Stones are set to announce a new European tour.
The ‘Start Me Up’ hitmakers are planning to mark their 60th anniversary with a string of concerts this summer, reportedly including a gig at Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium and two nights in London’s Hyde Park as part of the British Summer Time festival, with the full details due to be confirmed on 14 March.
The Liverpool gig will be the first night of the UK leg of the tour and will mark the group’s first concert in the city since they performed at the Empire Theatre in 1971.
A source said: “The last time the Stones were in Liverpool, they played to a small crowd of a few thousand people at the Empire.
“But Anfield has a capacity of 53,000 people. It will be a huge moment for them and their fans.
“This tour has been in the planning stages for a long time, and those plans are now on the brink of being finalised. It is a very exciting time. The tickets, when released, are going to be like gold dust.”
The anniversary shows will include a tribute to late drummer Charlie Watts, who died last summer.
The source added: “Charlie will not be far from anyone’s thoughts as the Stones mark this milestone.”
The ‘Satisfaction’ rockers – Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood – are also preparing to bring out a new album.
The insider added to The Sun on Sunday’s Bizarre column: “60 years at the top of their game is an incredible achievement, and this tour will be one to remember. It will be followed by a new album.
“Mick and Keith have recently been in Jamaica writing songs that they are now recording. So there is a lot to look forward to from the Stones in the months to come.”
Last year, Mick and Keith marked the 60th anniversary of their first meeting in October 1961.
They wrote on Instagram: “60 years on the same train.”
They performed on stage as a band for the first time on 12 July, 1962, at London’s Marquee Jazz Club, with the line-up then consisting of Mick, Keith, guitarist Brian Jones, pianist Ian Stewart, bassist Dick Taylor and drummer Mick Avory.