The Rolling Stones in the Netherlands: Band picks up after drummer’s death

The other band members, led by Mick Jagger, have picked up again and are performing in a sold-out Johan Cruijff ArenA. / Review…

The concert in Amsterdam is part of the band’s Sixty Tour, a two-month European tour. It is the first show on Dutch soil since 2017. The band then traveled around the world with the No Filter Tour, in which they already had to do without Watts in the last part postponed by corona.

The Rolling Stones announce in early August 2021 that they will make up for the last US tour dates of the No Filter Tour from September without Watts. The drummer has just undergone a medical procedure and must rest on doctor’s advice. He then puts forward his replacement Steve Jordan himself.

A few weeks later, on August 24, it is announced that Watts has passed away at the age of eighty. The rest of the band (Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood) post social media tributes to the band’s co-founder. In it he is praised as a person and as a musician.

Tribute as opening concert

Less than a month after the death of Watts, the first concert of The Rolling Stones is already on the program. It soon becomes clear that the men are not going to postpone the shows again. Jordan, who previously worked with Richards, has been the band’s regular drummer for live performances ever since.

Jagger says he feels strengthened in the decision to continue thanks to the words Watts spoke before his death. “We’d been putting everything off for a year and Charlie said to me, ‘You have to do it.’ That entire crew has been out of work for a year, we shouldn’t do that to them again.”

Of course, during its concerts, the band pays tribute to the death of their colleague. Both the No Filter Tour and Sixty Tour shows will open with a video tribute to the drummer, showcasing highlights from his career and life.

Jagger addresses the audience after the first Stones show after Watts passed away: “It’s very emotional for us to see the images of Charlie on screen. This is the first tour we’ve ever done without him. Your reactions touched us and I want to thank you for your appreciation. We miss Charlie very much, on stage and off. We dedicate this tour to him. To you, Charlie!”

Who is the new drummer Steve Jordan?

Jordan (65) has been working on and off with Keith Richards on projects outside of The Rolling Stones for 35 years.
He also recorded music with artists such as Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks and Kelly Clarkson.
John Mayer is also one of his regular collaboration partners. For example, Jordan is part of the John Mayer Trio.
“When my friends ask what it’s like to play with The Rolling Stones, I say it’s like being tied to the outside of a rocket going straight up,” Jordan said of his concerts with The Stones. “It’s a bizarre experience.”

New music with Watts

A few months after Watts’ death, the other band members announce that another album will be forthcoming on which the drummer has collaborated. “Let me put it this way: you haven’t heard the last of Charlie Watts,” said Richards.

The recording of the record is delayed due to the corona crisis. It is not yet known when the album will be released.

According to Jagger, The Rolling Stones will never be the same band again without their regular drummer. “If you lose someone, you never stay the same band. But we’ve managed to come back in adapted form before.”