What may be the closest thing to a Rolling Stones concert in 2011 happened on March 9 at the Ambassadors Theatre in London. As previously reported in this column, Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and former Rolling Stones bass player Bill Wyman were rumored to perform at a tribute concert in honor the late Ian Stewart, who was an original member of the Rolling Stones. That rumor turned out to be true, and former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor was also part of the all-star event (consisting of two separate concerts in the same evening), which was billed as a Ben Waters show "with special guests."
As previously reported, keyboardist Waters has organized a tribute album to Stewart, "Boogie 4 Stu," that is now set for release in April. Wyman and the current members of the Rolling Stones (Watts, Wood, lead singer Mick Jagger, guitarist Keith Richards) reportedly collaborated for the album, by doing a cover version of Bob Dylan's "Watching the River Flow." Waters and Watts are also members of the band the A, B, C & D of Boogie Woogie, which is currently on a 2011 tour in Europe.
At the Ian Stewart tribute event on March 9, other stars who performed included Mick Hucknall (lead singer of Simply Red and lead singer of a revamped lineup of the Faces), Shakin' Stevens, Jools Holland. Songs performed at the event included "Little Queenie," "You Never Can Tell," "Can I Get a Witness" and "Hi-Heel Sneakers." After the event, several of the performers attended a party at the Ivy restaurant.
In 1985, Stewart died of a heart attack at the age of 47. He was part of the Stones' original lineup but was fired in 1963 by the band's then-manager Andrew Loog Oldham, because Oldham did not think Stewart's beefy looks fit the image of the band. However, Stewart (who was often referred to as "the sixth Stone") still worked with the Rolling Stones as a studio keyboardist until his untimely death. Stewart also served as the band's tour manager for a number of years.
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