Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, who has been with the band since 1963, is probably going to miss their impending U.S. tour this fall, as indicated by reports.
Watts turned 80 in June and is “unlikely to be available” for the band’s forthcoming “No Filter” tour through U.S. stadiums in the wake of going through an unspecified medical procedure, as per a Stones representative.
“Charlie has had a procedure which was completely successful, but his doctors this week concluded that he now needs proper rest and recuperation,” the spokesperson said, according to Variety. “With rehearsals starting in a couple of weeks it’s very disappointing to say the least, but it’s also fair to say no one saw this coming.”
Veteran drummer Steve Jordan, who has played with Stones co-founder Keith Richards for years, will be having his spot. Jordan considered it a flat out honor and advantage to be Watts’ understudy, adding that he anticipated practicing with different individuals.
“No one will be happier than me to give up my seat on the drum-riser as soon as Charlie tells me he is good to go,” Jordan said.
The “No Filter” tour starts in St. Louis on Sept. 26. The band is planned to tour a few U.S. urban areas, including Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.
In an articulation, Watts said that for once, his planning has “been a little off,” as indicated by Variety.
“I am working hard to get fully fit but I have today accepted on the advice of the experts that this will take a while,” his statement added. “After all the fans’ suffering caused by Covid I really do not want the many RS fans who have been holding tickets for this Tour to be disappointed by another postponement or cancellation. I have therefore asked my great friend Steve Jordan to stand in for me.”
Watts is the solitary Rolling Stones part other than Mick Jagger and Richards to show up on each and every studio record.
He went through fruitful therapy for throat disease in 2004. The tour had recently been wrecked by the COVID-19 pandemic.