The Rolling Stones need no introduction.
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Nearing the close of the 55th year of their astounding career, they've shown no signs of slowing, having recently headlined the opening night of AEG/Goldenvoice's hugely talked-about rock nostalgiafest Desert Trip, and now readying to embark on a brand new European tour. The reigning kings of classic rock have made it clear they do not intend to set aside their crowns any time in the near future.
What they do seem to be exploring lately, however, is a comfort with leveraging their perpetual fame to exercise themselves as rock and roll king-makers, as well as dynastic rulers.
Case in point: the 'Stones have tapped some exciting young bands to be their supporting acts for their upcoming No Filter Tour, which will see them playing 13 shows across 12 European cities from Sept. 9 through Oct. 25.
The tour will kick off in Germany and Austria with opening sets by Icelandic indie-rock rising stars Kaleo, whose breakout 2016 track "Way Down We Go" saw them conquer the Billboard Alternative Songs and Rock Airplay charts in the U.S., and nabbed a Gold certification from the RIAA. Kaleo will be followed by GRAMMY-nominated American blues singer John Lee Hooker, Jr., for their final night with the Rolling Stones in Spielberg, Austria.
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Another especially exciting support act the Stones have picked up are "retro-fetishist" English neo-glam rockers the Struts, whose debut lead single "Could Have Been Me" shot to No. 1 on the Spotify Viral Top 50 chart, peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, and led the band to sell out a total of 20 dates on their first-ever trip to the U.S. Strut's lead singer Luke Spiller has been called, " the musical love child of Freddie Mercury and Mick Jagger."
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Additional supporting acts announced for the other legs of the tour include Los Zigarros, de Staat, Rival Sons, and the Hellacopters, with GRAMMY winning rockers Cage The Elephant joining the party for the tour's final three-night victory lap in Paris.
For their own part, the Rolling Stones have made it clear they plan to keep their own sets fresh and unpredictable, with assurances that they plan to include, "a couple of unexpected tracks each night and randomly selected surprises," sprinkled in amongst their catalogue of hit songs and fan favorites.
A limited number of tickets for the Rolling Stones 'No Filter' European Tour 2017 are currently still available from the band's website.
