Bill Wyman on Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary Shows: ‘I Was a Bit Disappointed’
It excited longtime fans, but Bill Wyman's reunion with his former bandmates in the Rolling Stones really just amounted to a cameo appearance during their 50th anniversary shows last December -- and according to Wyman, that wouldn't have been his choice.
In fact, as he revealed during a recent interview, the plans for his return to the concert stage with the Stones were in the works for quite awhile. "In December 2011 Keith Richards called and said, 'Come on mate, why don't you have a jam with us?'" Wyman recalled to NME. "Then they asked if I'd be interested in getting involved in the band for a special occasion. I thought I would get quite heavily involved, so when they said they only wanted me to do two songs I was a bit disappointed."
And even after all that buildup, it sounds like things came together relatively quickly and somewhat haphazardly -- all of which explains Wyman's absence from the stage once the Stones' anniversary tour touched down in the U.S. "I only had one rehearsal and no soundcheck so I just winged it," he explained. "It was great, but I didn't want to go to America for two songs. I think they understood. Well, Charlie Watts did."