Rolling Stones Were Certain Charlie Watts Would Return
Steve Jordan, the drummer who filled in for the late Charlie Watts on the Rolling Stones' most recent tour, says everyone was convinced he'd be back soon.
"You have to understand, the week before Charlie passed, I had gotten information that he was doing better," Jordan told Rolling Stone. "That week, the rehearsals took on a different energy because we were upbeat about him recovering. The week before, we were like, 'Charlie is going to be cool! This is great!'
"The whole energy of the rehearsals were even more upbeat because he was feeling better," Jordan added. "We were playing this stuff with less of a burden. 'We’re going to do this, and play that, and Charlie is going to come back and everything will be great.'"
Even prior to that, Jordan says he was under the impression that his role might not extend beyond initial rehearsals. "I was surprised because, first of all, I didn’t know that Charlie was in the hospital," Jordan said. "That was news to me, and troublesome news to me. But it was still the thing where Charlie was recovering, and so I was just going to fill in for maybe some rehearsals. Maybe I would play part of the show, and if they did the B-stage thing where it’s kind of acoustic, maybe Charlie would do that part.
"That’s kind of what it was. It was not anything more than that," Jordan argued. "It was kind of like, 'Maybe I’ll just do the rehearsals, and when he’s recovered, then he will come in and do the shows.'"
It wasn't until Jordan was finally notified of Watts' death that the significance — and the reality of the upcoming, highly anticipated tour — sunk in. "The morning that I got the news that he had passed was one of the worst days of my life," he said. "It still is."
Watch Mick Jagger Introduce Steve Jordan at Opening Night of No Filter Tour
Jordan played the entirety of the Rolling Stones' No Filter Tour, which concluded last month in Hollywood, Fla., but frontman Mick Jagger has already hinted that some 2022 dates may be on the way. "I mean, anything could happen," he recently told Mojo. "You know, if things are good next year and everyone’s feeling good about touring, I’m sure we’ll do shows."
Whether or not Jordan will join the Stones again is still uncertain. He remains thankful that he got to spend some time with Watts during their 2019 tour. Jordan came away impressed all over again by the legendary drummer's stamina.
"I spent the day with Charlie in Chicago," Jordan recalled. "I had done a clinic/Q&A at Chicago Music Exchange. I did a tape interview for Reverb earlier that day, so I hit the Chicago scene that day. And then I spent the soundcheck out with Charlie. It was an extraordinary performance. I remember thinking then, “This is just incredible that he can still play like this, powering this band, in a stadium.'"
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