£100 a ticket to see the Stones

Sep 15 2005 By James Cartledge, Evening Mail

IT'S only rock and roll - but they love it!

Rolling Stones fans will be queuing up to spend £100-a-ticket to watch their heroes return to Birmingham.

The Evening Mail revealed yesterday that Mick Jagger and co were set to perform in the city next August, 32 years after they charged fans £2.20 each for a gig at the Birmingham Odeon in New Street.

In contrast, tickets for the National Indoor Arena concert are expected to sell out despite predicted charges of around £100.

But Stones fan John Lamb, who saw the group at Wembley Arena during a previous tour, described the price as "not unreasonable".

"I don't mind contributing to their pension fund if the gig's going to be as good as the concert I saw at Wembley," said Mr Lamb, who is press and public relations manager for Birmingham Chamber of Commerce. "For a group like that, people might expect to pay that sort of price."

The Stones have just begun a new world tour to promote their latest album, A Bigger Bang.

The Birmingham concert has not yet been officially confirmed but it is understood the band's management has booked the NIA for next August.

The Stones' last major performance in the West Midlands was believed to have been at New Bingley Hall, Stafford, in May 1976.

But they received lukewarm reviews which described them as only a "competent rock band" on the strength of their performance.

They played Birmingham five times during the 1960s and 70s at venues including the Hippodrome and the Town Hall.