KC Boomers Set To Welcome The Rolling Stones in June

When the Rolling Stones visit Kansas City this June, Arrowhead Stadium will probably be full of quite a few old rockers. It's the first time since 1999 that the Stones have been to Kansas City -- last time they played Kemper Arena, but they've gotten too popular for such a small space these days (even the new Sprint Center would be too small).

And sure, the crowd will probably have some non-baby boomers too. But overall, we can expect to see the 60s and up, Medicare- or Social-Security-set to be filling the Truman Sports Complex. These are the "baby boomers" who were born in the years from 1946 up to 1964, "ground zero" for the then-emerging world-changing crossover culture-blending music phenomenon known as rock. That's OK: rock's original fans need to keep having fun, too... and judging by the speed at which tickets are selling to this concert, there's a lot of them still out there.

The stadiums where they'll be playing actually go back to when the Stones first hit Kansas City in 1972, playing the Municipal Auditorium. This time around they'll be hitting Arrowhead Stadium on June 27th.

If the audience isn't expected to be very young, the band's not much younger. Lead singer Mick Jagger turned 71 last year (he was born in 1943), and Keith Richards is 71 too. Ronnie Wood is a little younger at 67. 

For a band that formed in 1962 back in London, back when the musicians were young guns like their fans, that's some impressive staying power.

The show at Arrowhead will be the third time the Rolling Stones play there. The first time was back in 1975 for the Tour of the Americas, they played the venue again 14 years after in 1989 during the Steel Wheels / Urban Jungle Tour.

Their current Zip Code Tour will be starting in San Diego's Petco Park on May 24th before crossing the country and finally playing in Quebec City, Canada. It's the first Stones tour since they played stadiums across North America for 2006's Bigger Bang Tour.

The stage design for this tour will have a long section jutting out into the crowd, so the Stones can interact with fans. There will also be plenty of special effects and video screens, as is standard practice for the Stones.

The band may be playing stadiums this time around, but they're no strangers to big shows. In 2006 they played one of the biggest gigs ever -- a free concert on Rio de Janiero, Brazil's Copacabana Beach drew over 1.5 million people to watch them play a seven-story high stage (there was even a special walkway which linked it to the band's hotel). The boiling heat that afternoon didn't stop people from turning out to see Jagger's eccentric dancing, Richards' riffs, or Charlie Watts' rhythm -- and kept them cemented in history as one of rock history's longest-running bands.

The Zip Code tour coincides with the band re-releasing their "Sticky Fingers" album the day before the tour kicks off. The recording, which features previously-unreleased studio outtakes from the original recording, includes classics like "Wild Horses," "Dead Flowers," and "Brown Sugar."

Arrowhead will see three big shows over the summer, with the Rolling Stones being the first. On July 28th One Direction will be playing there and August 1 will see Kenny Chesney co-headlining with Jason Aldean. (It will be the fourth Chesney show at Arrowhead in the last five years.)