Keith Richards: ‘I’d Work With Bob Dylan in Hell or Heaven’
The Rolling Stones will soon be gearing up for their Desert Trip festival, which will find them at Indio, California’s Empire Polo Club for two weekends in October, alongside their music veteran peers Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, the Who, Neil Young and Roger Waters. In an interview with Q104.3, the Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards talked about the upcoming events.
“I thought it was Coachella for old people,” Jagger joked when asked about what he thought of Desert Trip. The singer discussed the logistics of the camping-oriented festival and when asked if he planned to stay for the whole weekend (the Stones play on Friday both weekends), he said, “Maybe I’ll just get my RV and stay there for a bit longer.” Later, Jagger reveals that Dylan also has an RV.
The band is no stranger to huge events like this one and the singer discussed how the band focuses on stage configurations and “what special songs could you possibly think of doing … You gotta worry about yourself, you don’t really worry about anyone else” rather than who else is on the bill.
As for how it will be backstage, Jagger anticipates it will be “absolutely chaotic.”
“On the Friday night, it’s going to be us and Bob Dylan, so there will be masses of musicians, actually masses of guests of all the musicians, and it’s a fun time for everyone,” he surmises.
In an interview that followed separately, Richards joked, “How many trips can you take to the desert, man?,” and added, “The lineup is just amazing.”
“I can’t believe we’re all going to be stuck in this little town together,” he said of his fellow lineup members. “I mean, never have we ever all in the same place at the same time.”
He refers to the artists on the lineup as his “mates” and when asked about why they appeal to not only their own generation but new ones, he says, “It’s the songs. And I guess a genuineness about the feeling, about how people feel about music.”
As for their Friday night tourmate Bob Dylan, whom Richards often refers to as Bobby during the interview, he’s thrilled about the double billing. “I’d work with Bob any[where]. I’d work with Bob in hell or heaven. I love him.”
The Desert Trip will take place the weekends of October 7th-9th and October 14th-16th.
Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan have confirmed their participation in Mega-Fest this fall. Watch here.