The Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood discussed Mick Jagger announcing health issues and him and members of the band showing love for each other through their health issues over the years in a new Spiegel German newspaper interview.
Wood mentioned that Jagger had ‘serious’ heart surgery, and that he was there for him when he had his own cancer surgery, and that all members of the band have had their health issues and been supportive.
“After 50 years of chain smoking, my life was hanging by the thread, but I survived. That’s why the new documentary about my life is called ‘Somebody Up There Likes Me,’ someone up there likes it. The doctors were able to remove the tumor from my left lung, thank goodness the cancer had not spread. Now my lungs are working like a young man who has never smoked. Four years ago, I finally stopped smoking.”
The Rolling Stones icon told Mick Jagger to ‘retire’ last week. Wood added, “Charlie Watts, who had cancer of the throat a few years ago, and Keith with his severe brain hemorrhage after a fall from a palm tree. Everything went well, a great miracle. The Stones are just unbreakable.”
The Rolling Stones fans recently looked back at the 1997 ‘Bridges to Babylon’ tour on IORR.org. KeefRiff99 posted, “I’ve described the moment before, but it was seeing the Stones in Foxborough (the second of two shows) in 1997. It was my first concert ever…I originally had 3rd row Keith’s side, but the ticket broker wanted to package my seat in with another group, so he upgraded me to front row for no additional fee.
During JJF, Keith jumped down onto the catwalk like he normally did, right in front of me. I started doing the Wayne’s World “WE’RE NOT WORTHY” bow over the railing…Keith looked at me and gave me a wicked grin, then posed and hit a big fat chord and winked before moving on. I can still see the whole scene unfold in my mind…it was a minor interaction but still incredibly surreal and satisfying.”
TonyC wrote, “I saw them for the first time in 1994 but was ready to see them multiple times in 1997. Columbus was my first show that year and seeing the web vote for the first time coming down to Waiting On A Friend and then Mick saying ‘It looks like Gimme Shelter wins this time. We haven’t done it but don’t worry we know it.’ That is my favorite song of theirs and I think it went into the permanent setlist every show after that. So, that would be my moment from a great show back when well over 20 songs was still the norm and the B2B tracks were from the ‘upcoming album coming out next week.'” Mick Jagger being ‘in denial’ about a departure from The Rolling Stones was recently revealed.