Rolling Stones Rumoured For Hanging Rock, As Adelaide Gig Comes Under Fire

The big new tour news this week is confirmation that one of rock’s longest-running institutions are returning to Australia next March.

The Rolling Stones have been ensnared to play the grand re-opening of Adelaide Oval, with more Australian concerts to be announced by promoters Frontier Touring and AEG Live “in the next few weeks.”

One of those highly anticipated shows could very well be at Victoria’s iconic geographical landmark, Hanging Rock, putting The Rolling Stones at the centre of a large-scale outdoor event in the vein of the hugely successful Bruce Springsteen shows at the site this past Easter as part of the Aussie leg of his Wrecking Ball tour – presented by Frontier Touring.

At this stage there’s little to go off but speculation, but there’s some credence to the rumours.

Those sold-out and financially lucrative Springsteen Hanging Rock shows, raking in around $5 million, were the third and final set of concert dates – following similarly blockbuster shows from Leonard Cohen and Rod Stewart – as part of a deal between Frontier Touring boss Michael Gudinski and Macedon Range Shire.

As previously reported, last October Macdeon councillors officially gave the green light to Gudinski’s Mushroom Group for a new 5-year deal to host more concert events at Hanging Rock.

“The extended term allows us the ability to plan further ahead,” said Gudinski of the new Hanging Rock 5 year deal. “It will mean we can implement a number of exciting initiatives that will help ensure Hanging Rock continues to attract the high-calibre artists we’ve had to date,” adds the Mushroom mogul, now realising his long-held dream of turning the iconic landmark into a major music venue.…putting The Rolling Stones at the centre of a large-scale outdoor event in the vein of the hugely successful Bruce Springsteen shows at the site this past Easter.

Potentially dampening the rumours however, is that the new inked deal, which allows for the staging of up to four concerts annually in the east paddock of the iconic landmark, doesn’t kick off until 31st October next year, with the Stones’ own Aussie tour likely to fall around their Saturday 22nd March show to re-open Adelaide Oval.

Still, considering the Springsteen Hanging Rock shows of April were deemed a “huge success” by Macdeon Range Shire council, in a report that trumpeted the ‘substantial’ economic boom to local economy as a result of the Mushroom-presented shows from The Boss, it may be that council are willing to kick off their new Hanging Rock deal much earlier than anticipated.

Especially given Mayor Roger Jukes’ vocal support of hosting more music events as “the economic benefit to the region grew with each concert held at the Rock,” while surveys of locals showed residents and businesses were also in favour of more Hanging Rock concerts.

In related news, there has been backlash over the South Australian Government throwing in $450,000 of taxpayer money to ensnare the Rolling Stones to play to an audience of 70,000 next March at Adelaide Oval following its $500 million renovation.

Though Premier Jay Weatherill had initially bluffed on the Stones concert as “pure speculation”, he now says that the 450k in tax dollars towards booking the band is state money well spent.

“You really get, on really conservative estimates, a $10 return for every dollar we put in,” Premier Weatherill tells ABC News.“To have the only full-scale stadium show in the Rolling Stones’ Australian tour is a coup for Adelaide.”

Indeed, especially since it’s a city the legendary quartet haven’t played in nearly two decades.

A press statement from Frontier Touring and comments from Premier Weatherill both suggest it was frontman Mick Jagger’s sports fandom that saw the band changing their mind in playing a city that the Stones have happily skipped over for their two previous Australian tours.

“I understand that Mick Jagger is an avid cricket fan and is very excited to be playing the first concert at the new Adelaide Oval,” says the SA Premier.

SA Opposition treasury spokesman Iain Evans has criticised the Premier’s spending, saying the money would’ve been put to better use booking a local band, also claiming that the SA Govt’s booking fee figure is larger than what they’ve revealed.

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