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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, July 28, 2006

Stones could be rolling into Aloha Stadium in November

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Reports are circulating that the Rolling Stones could bring their worldwide A Bigger Bang tour to Aloha Stadium on Thanksgiving Day, but the official answer so far is no "Tumbling Dice."

According to the Rolling Stones Fan Club of Europe, a Nov. 23 Honolulu concert would fall between the final Los Angeles date of the band's fall North American tour (Nov. 18), and the first date of an unconfirmed late November/December tour of India and South America.

Honolulu was not one of the cities on the Stones' 17-date North American stadium tour itinerary announced earlier this week — but that doesn't mean there could not be a concert here.

Interim deputy stadium manager Scott Chan declined to confirm a Stones show for Nov. 23 or any other date, but said promoters looking to bring in "a band" had inquired about dates around that time. Chan did not disclose the name of the band or the promoter.

"They have been looking to come back to Hawai'i since the last time they were here, which was 1998," said Barbara Saito, general manager of local promotions company A Tom Moffatt Production Inc., of the Rolling Stones. "So every year a rumor surfaces when a date might be proposed. Hopefully, one of these days it'll come true. But for now it's still just a rumor. There are no plans for anything yet."

Moffatt was Honolulu promoter for the Stones' Jan. 23 and 24, 1998, Aloha Stadium concert stops on their Bridges to Babylon tour. Of the rumored Nov. 23 concert date, Saito said that A Tom Moffatt Production Inc., is currently "not involved in any negotiations to bring (the Stones) in at that time."

University of Hawai'i home football games scheduled for the Saturdays preceding and following the proposed Thanksgiving Day date could complicate the time frame for setting up and breaking down a Stones-size production.

"It would present a very difficult dilemma for a concert to go in there that day," Saito said. "I'm not saying it couldn't be done. But it's not an optimum situation."

Reach Derek Paiva at dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com.