Rolling Stones’ '50 & Counting' Tour Hits Philly Next Week

The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones '50 & Counting' Tour hits Philly June 18 and 21
By A.D. AMOROSI

As the American leg of the Rolling Stones’ '50 & Counting' Tour heads into the home stretch, Philadelphia finds itself graced with two dates at The Wells Fargo Center – June 18 and 21 – and the announcement of special guests Brad Paisley and The Crossing. The pre-show build-up to the Stones' concerts includes a lengthy Philly radio interview with guitarist Ronnie Wood, and an intimate performance at The Tin Angel by occasional Stones’ collaborator, pianist Ian McLagan.

There’s always some sort of ramp-up to any Stones gig in Philadelphia. This week, pre-Stones-show news came in the form of guitarist Ronnie Wood calling in to Pierre Robert’s drive-time program at WMMR (93.3 FM) on Wednesday and talking for nearly an hour. That same day, the Stones’ Twitter account dropped news that the special guest for its June 18 gig would be none other than country music star Brad Paisley. For those unfamiliar with Paisley, he’s the singer/guitarist who recently stirred up controversy in April when he released a song titled “Accidental Racist” with rapper LL Cool J. On both the 18th and 21st, conductor Donald Nally’s The Crossing, a local vocal choir, will join Jagger & Co. during the song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”.

Lastly, the day before the band hits the stage of the Wells Fargo Center, pianist Ian McLagan – the legendary pianist of the Faces and a former collaborator of the Stones – plays an intimate show at Tin Angel on S. 2nd Street in Old City on June 17. The Rolling Stones will be in Philly that same day to collect a “Rolling Stones Week” proclamation (and if they’re really lucky, several tiny Liberty Bell replicas) from Mayor Michael Nutter and the executives of Comcast. Ronnie Wood plays in the Faces as well as the Stones. You do the math. Tickets are available at TinAngel.com.

Tickets are still available for both Rolling Stones’ Philly dates, and can be purchased through The Wells Fargo Center, RollingStones.com, and the usual outlets.

Read more of our Rolling Stones coverage here:
Rolling Stones Celebrate 50 Years with GRRR! Greatest Hits Album, Shows, Film and Books

Photo ©The Rolling Stones

Posted on Friday, June 14, 2013