Keith Richards and Mick Jagger
GettyLONDON — Keith Richards is worried about the weather.
Ahead of The Rolling Stones’ first appearance at the U.K.’s Glastonbury music festival, Richards told the BBC that the “only pressure we feel is that it is the first time we’ve done an outdoor show for yonks and English weather” (‘yonks’ means ‘a very long time’).
“Throwing in those two equations, yeah, there is maybe a little apprehension,” he added.
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He has reason to be concerned. The BBC is predicting a strong chance of rain during the show.
The iconic band, together for more than 50 years, has never played the U.K.’s biggest and most famous festival, itself considered a national treasure.
“It just never occurred. Many times it has been on the list of tours and stuff and for one reason or another it never coincided,” Richards said. “[It’s] like a black hole in space or something, but in we go this time. I’m looking forward to it because it is an iconic gig and it’s an iconic band and finally the two meet at last. In a way it’s kind of weird that at last we’ve made it to Glastonbury. It’s like building Stonehenge right?”
The Rolling Stones are set to rock the Pyramid Stage in the festival’s headline Saturday evening slot. With an average age of 69, the band is ready to mix it up with the younger acts, pushing questions about their vigor to the side.
Of those who might question whether the band still has it, Richards said: “I’d say, ‘What do you know about it? You’ve never tried it.'”
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Glastonbury is one of the biggest music and media events of the summer. The BBC has pledged to provide its most extensive coverage to date of the rural English festival.
The public broadcaster said there will be a record-breaking six live streams from Glastonbury across four screens — PCs, mobiles, tablets and connected TVs — promising 177 hours of programming from the festival.
The event, attended by an estimated 150,000 people each year, kicks off on June 28 with the Arctic Monkeys headlining the Pyramid Stage on its traditional location near Pilton, Somerset, England.
A farmer founded the event there in the 1970s.
Joining the 2013 headliners lineup will be the likes of Dizzee Rascal, Primal Scream, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Elvis Costello, Kenny Rogers, Rita Ora, Rufus Wainwright and Professor Green.
