Following the death of Mick Jagger’s girlfriend, L’Wren Scott, The Rolling Stones have postponed the remainder of their 14 On Fire tour in Australia and New Zealand. In a statement, “Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood wish to thank all of their fans for their support at this difficult time and hope that they will fully understand the reason for this announcement.”
The “14 On Fire” trek was scheduled to visit seven venues across Australia and New Zealand, wrapping-up April 5 in Auckland. Postponed shows include the Perth Arena (March 19), Adelaide Oval (March 22), Sydney Allphones Arena (March 25), Melbourne Rod Laver Arena (March 28), Macedon Ranges Hanging Rock (March 30), Brisbane Entertainment Centre (April 2), and Auckland Mt Smart Stadium (April 5).
All dates will be rescheduled, the band said, and fans are asked to hold onto their tickets.
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The band had already postponed the Perth date in response to the death of Scott, who was found hanged Monday morning at her Manhattan apartment in an apparent suicide. A distraught Jagger released a statement earlier on Tuesday expressing his shock.
“I am still struggling to understand how my lover and best friend could end her life in this tragic way,” Jagger said. “We spent many wonderful years together and had made a great life for ourselves.”
The group arrived in Perth early Monday to considerable fanfare — they haven’t been to Australia since the “A Bigger Bang” tour of 2006, which visited only Sydney and Melbourne. Fans in Perth and Adelaide haven’t seen the band perform since the “Voodoo Lounge” trek back in 1995.
Scott’s death spurred a flurry of tabloid reports in the Australian media that blurred the situation. One such story suggested Jagger had boarded a flight en route to the United States, though the band’s “Tongue” plane remained parked on the tarmac. A representative said the band had “gathered together in Perth where they’re dealing with the situation”, and that reports of Jagger leaving the country were – “to their knowledge” – not entirely correct.
The Rolling Stones Announce ’14 on Fire’ Tour of Asia and Australia
The March 22 show was billed as a grand curtain-raiser for the newly refurbished Adelaide Oval. The state government of South Australia had pledged Australian $450,000 ($423,000) to secure the band’s services for the show, all part of an Australian $535 million ($503 million) redevelopment of the stadium. According to a statement issued at the time by joint-organizers International Entertainment Consulting (IEC) in association with Michael Gudinski’s Frontier Touring and AEG Live, the concert was “easily going to be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, stage and production Adelaide has ever seen” boasting so much staging and production it would require 60 trucks to carry the load.
The postponement comes a day after reports broke of Scott’s apparent suicide in her Manhattan apartment. Scott and Jagger have dated since 2001, and she designed the frontman’s costumes for the legendary group’s 50th anniversary tour, which took out the Concert Marketing & Promotion category (with Citi) at Billboard’s Touring Awards.
Rolling Stones tour dates of Australia and New Zealand:
March 19 – Perth Arena (*postponed)
March 22 – Adelaide Oval (*postponed)
March 25 – Sydney Allphones Arena (*postponed)
March 28 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne (*postponed)
March 30 – Hanging Rock, Macedon Ranges, Vic (*postponed)
April 2 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre (*postponed)
April 5 – Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland (*postponed)