Richards returns home; two Stones concerts postponed
Last Updated: Tuesday, May 23, 2006 | 4:33 PM ET
CBC Arts
Concerns about the Rolling Stones' European tour are mounting after two Paris concerts were postponed Tuesday.
French organizers announced the indefinite postponement of the June 3 and July 2 concerts at the Stade de France in Paris. No reason was given and no replacement dates were given.
However, a concert Aug. 8 in the southern French city of Nice remained on the schedule.
Keith Richards has returned home and is reported looking forward to starting the Rolling Stones tour. However, two Paris concerts were indefinitely postponed Tuesday.
(Associated Press)
The veteran band was set to begin the final, European leg of its A Bigger Bang world tour in Barcelona on May 27.
The tour was put into jeopardy after guitarist Keith Richards suffered a fall in late April while vacationing in Fiji. Some media reported that he had fallen from a palm tree, while others said he fell off a jet ski.
Richards was flown to an Auckland, New Zealand, hospital. Although he left after a few days, he returned when he began suffering headaches and underwent surgery on May 8 to relieve pressure on his brain. The band released a statement postponing the start of the tour until June.
On Monday, the Stones' website posted a statement saying that Richards had returned to his home in the United States.
"He is feeling great, happy to be home and looking forward to getting back on the road with the Rolling Stones next month," the statement read.
The band's Toronto-born tour promoter, Michael Cohl, is scheduled to announce a revised tour itinerary shortly, the statement added.
