Who Is On Tour With The Rolling Stones?
The Rolling Stones tickets are still touring in 2022, with a stadium tour across Europe delighting fans and vast crowds across the continent. These are their key members who have been in the band for many years: singer Mick Jagger, guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood and drummer Charlie Watts. Accompanying them on this tour is an equally impressive list of other musicians who augment and complete the sound of this legendary rock band’s live performances.
On bass guitar is Darryl Jones, who joined the group in 1993, replacing Bill Wyman, the original member. These funky beats complement each other well with the rock-solid drumming from Charlie Watts. Dr. Pepper and backing vocals are keyboardists, the former member of the Allman Brothers Band and Eric Clapton’s band, Chuck Leavell. It’s been over three decades that he has been on the road and in the studio with the Stones. Matt Clifford also plays keyboards besides French horn, flutes, saxophone and many other instruments. He is a versatile studio musician who has played on sessions and/or performed live with a multitude of acts.
All four backing vocalists on this tour are extraordinarily qualified to sing with other giants of rock and pop. Sasha Allen who has toured with acts such as Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and John Legend. Bernard Fowler has backed Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones themselves on backing vocals and harmony on his solo projects. He has also sung with other great bands, such as Herbie Hancock’s Rockit Band and Tackhead. The Fabulous Weapons are an American musical group from Los Angeles comprised of singer Earl Appleton and rapper Phoebe D’Abruzzo. They sing a cappella and have performed with Earth Wind and Fire, Jennifer Lopez, and Stevie Wonder, among others.
The Rolling Stones horn section has some serious artillery from the members of Jagger’s solo band. Karl Denson is a legendary musician who performs in jazz and funk and collaborated with Lenny Kravitz, Slightly Stoopid, and others. He is also seen playing saxophone, flute, and percussion. One of Jagger’s long time associates is Tim Ries, who is the saxophonist and keyboardist of the band. Michael Davis, another member of Jagger’s past bands, plays the trombone. David Campbell, who has orchestrated strings for numerous iconic albums, leads the small horn and string orchestra during some of the tour’s soft acoustic ballads.
On percussion, there is the incredible Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, whose drumming skills can be heard in Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan and Cat Stevens. The drummer was honored with induction into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013. Completing the aux percussion is Patrick Murray on triangle, a small but significant part of the big picture.
Aside from constantly removing mic cables from Jagger during performances between songs, the two backline technicians for the band are Wiggy Kelly and Sam Dana. On guitar tech responsibilities are Glyn Johns, James Riggio and David Miller. Johns is another true heavy hitter; he has produced albums of Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, The Clash, etc. Staying at FOH each night is Stones’ long-time live sound engineer Dave Natale, whose job is to ensure each musician remains distinguishable in the mix.
Completing the roster of tour regulars are musical director George Recile, stage and production manager Dale ‘Opie’ Skjerseth, lighting director Ethan Weber and tour manager Tony Fitzpatrick. Riding along with them, of course, is also Fran Curtis, Jagger’s personal assistant for years now. And new for 2022 is tour producer Steve Dixon, live entertainment industry expert who has worked on tours for such artists as Madonna, U2, Lady Gaga, and others. He has masterfully directed the show’s high-tech lighting, video and even pyro effects to impress fans at each venue.
Each of the main Rolling Stones is now in his late seventies; however, the band still goes on huge stadium tours because they love performing live. But the same story can be told about the 2022 European tour. For those of the audience fortunate enough to be able to attend any of the 14 shows, they have a great band and crew of technically proficient musicians and technicals to put up breathtaking performances for rock history every night. And it is for this reason that the live shows of the legendary rock band continue to be eagerly awaited and bring together thousands of happy fans from around the world.
