Although there was some speculation as to the venue, The Rolling Stones this morning (Feb. 11) confirmed they’ll perform at Burl’s Creek Event Grounds in Oro Medonte, Ontario on June 29. And given their ages, it could very well be the last time.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday (Feb. 15) but a series of various presales for fan club members, radio outlets, Ticketmaster members and others start Wednesday. When pre-sales began prices ranged from approximately $119 for a general admission ticket to a seated ticket costing roughly $329. Meanwhile “Golden Circle” tickets were nearly $440 and tickets in the pit area for over $1100. According to Ticketmaster’s official site for the event, capacity for the venue is 71,600 but there’s no word if that’s the ticket allotment for the show. There’s also no word as to whether there will be an opening or support acts at the gig.
As for pricing, that has yet to be released but judging by price ranges on other shows on this current leg it won’t be exactly cheap. Miami’s tour opener for example according to Ticketmaster.com have the cheapest ticket currently priced at $293 U.S.
Rumours as to the Toronto area location was rampant in recent days with Rogers Centre hosting a Blue Jays game and BMO Field perhaps too small to hold the show. A series of signature lips popped up around downtown Toronto with the June 29 date but no other info. Some even speculated the band would play a surprise club show at the El Mocambo, the club where the band recorded portions of their 1977 Love You Live album. However, that looks to be a non-event now. The last Toronto area club show was at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in August 2005, a warm-up show prior to launching their world tour supporting their studio album A Bigger Bang. Oh and tickets for the 2005 club show? $10!
The date as of now is the final North American stop on their upcoming No Filter tour which begins in Miami on April 20. The show is the first Canadian date for the band since they played Quebec City on July 15, 2015, according to fan site It’s Only Rock N Roll (iorr.org). It’s also their first Toronto show since June 6, 2013, when they played the then named Air Canada Centre (now Scotiabank Arena) as part of their 50 & Counting world tour.
The Stones are no strangers to performing outdoors in Toronto. In 2003 the band headlined Molson Canadian Rocks For Toronto (aka “SARS-Stock”) a benefit concert at Downsview Park which also featured Rush, AC/DC, Justin Timberlake, Sam Roberts, Kathleen Edwards and others performing. The estimated crowd for that massive show was between 450,000 to half a million people.
The group’s core members now range in age from guitarist Ronnie Wood who will be 72 by the time the Toronto show rolls around to drummer Charlie Watts who’ll be 78. Both singer Mick Jagger and guitarist/singer Keith Richards will turn 76 years young later in the year. According to Grammy.com The Rolling Stones last album was 2016’s Blue & Lonesome, a covers album of blues tunes, earned them a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.
