Keith Richards says The Rolling Stones “want to stay together”

Keith Richards has insisted that The Rolling Stones want to remain together for the forseeable future, as they embark on a tour celebrating their 60th year as a band.

• READ MORE: The Rolling Stones live in Madrid: Celebrating six decades at the top for rock’n’roll royalty

Speaking to The Sun‘s Bizarre column, Richards responded to a question about the band’s longevity. “Life’s just too interesting to die,” he said. “Anything I wanted to do had to be done – I couldn’t slack off. And hey, there was just an awful lot of cocaine involved.

“I think the most important thing is that the people in the band want to stay together. That helps! We had our ups and downs, of course. But in the end we always noticed that we are more creative together.

“And, of course, across these – my God! – six decades, you have got used to each other. The special thing about being part of a well-rehearsed group is knowing the others so well that you can predict up to a certain point what is going to happen next.”

The Rolling Stones began their ‘SIXTY’ tour of Europe and the UK in Madrid earlier this week (June 1) where they delivered the first ever live performance of their 1966 single ‘Out Of Time’.

Before taking to the stage, the Stones played a video tribute to drummer Charlie Watts, who died last August at the age of 80. Filling his spot on the ‘SIXTY’ tour is session drummer Steve Jordan, whom the band confirmed in March would record parts for their upcoming 24th album.

The tour will continue in Germany on Sunday (June 5) when they take to the stage at the Olympic Stadium in Munich. They then head to Liverpool, playing Anfield stadium with Echo And The Bunnymen supporting.

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