Get your tambourine out and ready to shake: The Stone Roses are coming to Dubai. The full line-up — Ian Brown, John Squire, Mani and Reni — play Dubai Media City Amphitheatre on February 21, 2013, organisers Done Events announced on Wednesday.
The British alternative rock band, who formed in the late 1980s and came to symbolise one of the most creative moments in independent British music during the 1990s, reformed just over a year ago, selling 220,000 tickets in 68 minutes when they announced a series of concerts in their home city of Manchester, the fastest-selling rock concerts in UK history. Despite the odds — Brown and Squire are not known for being the best of friends anymore — they successfully toured Europe this summer, performing to more than one million people with positive reviews.
“For a lot of Brit rock fans, The Stone Roses are what kicked it all off — the band not only inspired many of the late 80’s and early 90’s UK super bands but has also been attributed with representing a cultural change in not only the UK but the music industry as a whole,” said Thomas Ovesen, COO Done Events. “With a flurry of top artists now visiting the UAE it is fitting to finally present The Stone Roses live in concert and we can’t wait for a packed Dubai Media City Amphitheatre to rock to songs like, ‘She Bangs The Drums’ and ‘Fools Gold’.”
Tickets for the concert, Dh295 regular and Dh495 for VIP, go on sale on Sunday November 18; fans can register for tickets at www.thestonerosesdubai.com. If you don’t manage to get one, the band continue touring next year, with shows in Australia; meanwhile a new album — the first since 1994 — is reportedly in the works, as is a documentary film about this summer’s reunion concerts.