The Rolling Stones have called off plans for a 2026 UK and European tour, it has been claimed.
Although no gigs were ever announced or confirmed, multiple reports suggested the band, led by frontman Mick Jagger, would head out on the road again next year to promote a new album.
It’s claimed that they had eyed up a tour across the United Kingdom and Europe after having already pulled the plug on dates for this year. But according to reports, they have decided against the new tour.
An American music critic claimed Keith Richards told his bandmates Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood he didn’t want to go on the road for months and months again.
A spokesperson for The Rolling Stones said: “The band were looking to tour earlier this year but couldn’t make it work either. It’s hard for their fans, but The Stones will get back onstage when they’re good and ready.”
The band last performed in Ireland in June 2022, when they played a sold-out show at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium as part of their Sixty Tour, celebrating 60 years since their formation. The concert marked their first Irish appearance in eight years and was widely seen as a triumphant return, drawing fans from across the country and beyond. That tour also included major UK dates in London, Liverpool and Manchester, as well as shows across mainland Europe.
Their most recent large-scale outing was the Hackney Diamonds Tour, which ran across North America in 2024 following the release of their first album of original material in nearly two decades. While the tour was critically praised and commercially successful, speculation quickly grew over whether it would be followed by a full UK and European leg, particularly given the band’s long-standing connection with audiences closer to home.
Rumours of a 2026 UK and Europe tour gathered pace earlier this year, with reports suggesting stadium dates were being explored and that the band were keen to return once scheduling and logistics aligned. However, with all three core members now in their late seventies and early eighties, the physical demands of extended touring have increasingly become a factor, even as the band continue to insist they have no intention of formally retiring.
Formed in London in 1962, The Rolling Stones remain one of the most enduring and influential rock bands in history, with a catalogue spanning over six decades. While the future of live performances remains uncertain, the band has repeatedly shown a willingness to return on their own terms — and fans across Ireland, the UK and Europe will be watching closely for any sign of that next moment.
