In December, it was reported that The Rolling Stones‘ plan to move their UK and European tour from 2025 to ’26 hit a snag when “Keith Richards said he didn’t think he could commit and wasn’t keen on a big stadium tour for over four months.”
Richards, who turned 82 on December 18th, has long battled arthritis in his hands and is typically the one band member who is always pushing for them to perform.
He’s now opened up about his struggles in an interview with Guitar World, saying he plays fewer notes “because I’m not as fast as I used to be.
“At my age, what I find most interesting about the guitar is you can compensate for certain disabilities and nimbleness and find other ways of getting around the problem. And it teaches you another thing – you never stop learning with the damn thing. I love it, and it’s my friend forever.”
To help him compensate, he’s using a wider fingerboard.
“Well, I do have arthritis and very large knuckles. They don’t hurt, but it does get in the way sometimes. I’m going for a wider fingerboard for that reason.
“Honestly, I just look at my hands, and my hands look at me, and we say, ‘Well, let’s see what we can do today.’ And that’s the way I play guitar. I look at it and say, ‘We’ve got nothing else to do. Come Here. I love you!’”
The Stones last performed in their native England in 2022, and their last show was on July 21st, 2024 in Ridgedale, Missouri.
The album they recorded last year is scheduled to be out later this year.
