News

Is stadium rock passé? The Rolling Stones, the world's greatest practitioners of large-venue concerts, have announced a tour of smaller arenas beginning January 25. The "No Security" tour---in support of the recently released Virgin Records album of the same name---will take the band through 25 North American cities.

The idea for an arena tour arose during last year's "Bridges to Babylon" tour, in which the Stones played primarily large outdoor stadiums. The band played a few arenas during that tour, and liked the smaller venues.

"The Stones had a fantastic time playing the arena shows," said tour promoter Michael Cohl. "Arenas like Madison Square Garden reminded the band how much they enjoyed that kind of intimacy with the audience. The energy the fans give back to the band is amazing. It's a totally different experience for them . . . and also a great opportunity for fans."

This time around, they will perform on open stages with a 360-degree view. The same design team that created the stage and dramatic effects for the "Bridges" and "Voodoo Lounge" tours will create plenty of theatrical magic indoors as well, Cohl emphasized.

The "No Security" tour is sponsored by fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger. "Rock'n'roll has always been my passion," Hilfiger said. "We are proud to sponsor the Rolling Stones' first arena tour in decades."

Tickets went on sale for all concert dates over the weekend of November 22. Prices range from $75 per seat to as low as $40, with the exception of a few "gold circle" seats near the stage, which will be priced higher. Buyers are limited to two tickets per person for the first 10 rows and six tickets per person for the remainder of each arena.

The schedule for the US leg of the tour:
January 25: The Arena, Oakland, CA
January 29: San Jose Arena, San Jose, CA
February 2: McNichols Arena, Denver, CO
February 4: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT
February 8: ARCO Center, Sacramento, CA
February 9: Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, CA
February 15: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
February 17: Fargodome, Fargo, ND
February 19: Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI
February 22: The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI
March 3: Ice Palace Arena, Tampa, FL
March 5: National Car Rental Center, Sunrise, FL
March 7: MCI Center, Washington, DC
March 11: Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
March 15: First Union Center, Philadelphia, PA
March 20: Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, NC
March 22: Fleet Center, Boston, MA
March 26: United Center, Chicago, IL
March 28: Civic Center, Hartford, CT
April 1: Gund Arena, Cleveland, OH
April 3: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH
April 5: Kemper Arena, Kansas City, KA
April 8: The Pyramid, Memphis, TN
April 10: Myriad Arena, Oklahoma City, OK