The Rolling Stones have yoga and recovery rooms to help band prepare for gruelling gigs
THE ROLLING STONES deserve the best after decades at the top of the music business. The legendary musicians will take to the stage in Spain tonight at Atletico Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano stadium on the opening night of their huge Sixty tour. And they will be living the life of luxury backstage. Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, […]
THE ROLLING STONES deserve the best after decades at the top of the music business.
The legendary musicians will take to the stage in Spain tonight at Atletico Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano stadium on the opening night of their huge Sixty tour.
And they will be living the life of luxury backstage.
Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, Keith Richards and Steve Jordan, the band’s drummer on the tour following the passing of Charlie Watts in August last year — have sold out the 53,000-capacity venue and have the full VIP treatment.
As well as a workout room where they can do their yoga stretches ready for the strenuous show, they have a special area to ensure they are feeling totally ready before heading out on stage.
A show insider said: “The Stones are a well-oiled machine, and along with performing like clockwork on stage, they run a tight ship behind the scenes.
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“Mick likes to work out with his personal trainer before each show, so they have a fully equipped workout room ready for him.
“And Ronnie and Keith have a special ‘tuning room’ where they jam and play together and Mick will join them for a warm-up session before they head out on stage.
“This time preparing and getting ready allows them to be at their very best for the crowds.”
The gig will be the band’s first performance on European soil without Charlie.
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And those working on the spectacular show reveal he will be remembered on stage by his bandmates, including Steve.
Another source added: “Charlie is at the forefront of everyone’s minds going into these gigs and he will be fondly remembered.
“There will be a special tribute to him that plays out on a big screen, and the band will honour him during the show.”
After Madrid the band will play 13 more gigs across Europe and here — including a sell-out show at British Summer Time Festival in Hyde Park, London on June 25, where they will go up against their long-time rival Paul McCartney, who is playing Glastonbury the same day.
I am lucky enough to be flying to Madrid to watch the Stones play tonight, so check out Friday’s paper for my review.
And if you’ve got a ticket, I will see you there.
Glowing Leona
LEONA LEWIS looks absolutely glowing ahead of her due date in a matter of weeks.
The Bleeding Love singer is expecting a baby with her husband Dennis Jauch, a German choreographer.
She wore this floral outfit for her baby shower at home in Los Angeles and wrote on Instagram: “Feeling all the love at my baby sprinkle.
“Love my friends and fam so much, feeling very supported and uplifted at the final stage of pregnancy.”
A proud cover
CALUM SCOTT has kicked off Pride month by releasing an emotional cover of Greg Holden’s 2015 track Boys In The Street.
It will feature on his new album Bridges, which comes out in a couple of weeks’ time.
Calum said: “It is one of the few songs that has made me cry on the first listen.
“I connected to the original version instantly and had wanted to record my own interpretation for the past few years.
“I knew it would fit perfectly on Bridges, and, in some ways, was the song I was missing.
“I know it’s a song that not only I can relate to but will resonate with others around the world.”
Kim cuts a kardash for the jubilee
KIM KARDASHIAN is practically American royalty but it seems she is keen to honour our Queen by jetting into the UK in time for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
The reality star and her US comedian boyfriend Pete Davidson ate out in London on Monday night.
They look besotted with each other and Pete has even bleached his hair blond just like Kim’s.
But things aren’t going so well for Kim’s ex Kanye West, whose fifth divorce lawyer has just quit.
They had been thrashing out the details of KIm and Kanye’s separation but his latest legal representative, hired only two months ago, no longer wants to work with him because of an “irreconcilable breakdown in the attorney-client relationship”.
No wonder that Kim looks so chuffed to be on the other side of the world.
Joss: I’ll stick to writing
JOSS STONE will quit performing when her children go to school because she doesn’t want them growing up in the music industry.
The singer is expecting her second child with her American boyfriend Cody DaLuz, a musician and former private security man.
And Joss insists she will focus on writing songs for other performers as her kids get older.
Joss, already mum to one-year-old daugther Violet, said: “I don’t want to leave her. Touring with babies when they’re small is completely doable. Cody works from his computer on the bus.
“He walks me to the stage with Violet. He goes back, gives her a bath and by the time I’m finished on stage, it’s time to put her to bed. So it’s perfect.
“But when she’s going to school that is not going to be a thing. I’ve wanted to be a mum for so long. This is the thing I want to do.”
She added on the Sweat, Snot & Tears podcast: “My dream is to write for other singers. I can do that from home. So I could drop Violet at school, come home, write some songs and go pick her up. That’s what I would love.
“If I can set my life up like that, that would be perfect.”
Gayle got held up
AMERICAN teenage singer-songwriter Gayle went to No1 back in January with her track abcdefu but she could have had success even earlier if it wasn’t for the pandemic.
Introducing unreleased song called That Much during her show at central London’s Omeara on Monday, she said: “The song I’m about to sing I wrote when I was 15.
“I was really excited to do the whole ‘stage, microphone, singing in front of humans’ thing, then Covid happened
“But we’re here now and I might not be 15 singing these songs but I’m 17.
“And I’m turning 18 next month – a full-blown adult. It’s terrifying.”
Speaking about her recent tune E-Z, she joked: “This song makes fun of how people make fun of my generation. But to be honest, we are little s***s.”
Steps have Platinum party . . like Her Maj
STEPS have been reunited longer than their first spell together – and today announce upcoming greatest-hits album The Platinum Collection to mark 25 years since 1997 debut single 5,6,7,8.
But they insist it is not a sign they are breaking up again. They split after first hits record Gold in 2001 and have been back since 2017.
In an exclusive chat, Lisa Scott-Lee said: “We’ve been there, got the T-shirt. We haven’t talked about splitting up because Steps is for ever and there is so much love out there for the group.”
The album, out on August 19, will feature 21 tracks, including two new ones, and will follow a series of UK shows, starting with the Mighty Hoopla festival in Brockwell Park, South London, this Friday.
Lisa said of that: “It’s quite nostalgic and we’ve been loving rehearsing. It’s like, ‘Oh, look at you! We’re still going!’ Blue, Anastacia, Natalie Imbruglia, there’s loads of great acts on.”
Faye Tozer insists she and bandmate Lisa are still party girls and will celebrate after their set.
Faye, who also has bandmates Claire Richards, Lee Latchford-Evans and Ian “H” Watkins, said: “It takes at least three hours to wind down after you’ve been on stage, it’s such an adrenaline rush.”
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Lisa said: “After the shows we are on a high. You’ve got the crowd dancing, doing the moves back at you, singing the songs, it’s electric.
“It’s nice to chat about it afterwards with a glass of bubbles, then you go out and celebrate.”