Credit: Dave Hogan

Credit: Dave HoganAfter delaying the start of their 2019 No Filter Tour of North America tour for about two months because singer Mick Jagger needed to undergo heart-valve surgery, The Rolling Stones will launch the trek on June 21 in Chicago. In an exclusive new interview with the Toronto Sun, guitarist Keith Richards says Jagger is healthy and ready to hit the road.

“He went through it very easily,” Richards reports. “He’s in great shape — rocking…[I]t seemed to be no problem at all, really.”

As for whether Mick’s health scare has inspired the rest of the band to check in with their own doctors, Keith says, “I don’t think so…It was just, ‘Oh, Mick will be better, We’ll just wait around,’ because there was no doubt that we’d soon pick it up. It just had to be done. So we did it.”

Richards admits that having to postpone the trek “was a bit of a jolt to start with,” but he reveals the band were then able to focus their attention on sessions for its next studio album, which they started working on in February.

Keith says rehearsals for the tour are “coming along very well.” He also reveals, “We’re making a few changes [to the set]. We’re trying to come up with some lesser-known favorites…some of them I haven’t heard in 20 years.”

Meanwhile, Richards says he’s “so sad” about the death of legendary New Orleans musician Dr. John, who passed away Thursday at age 77.

“We often played together a few times, many years ago now,” Keith reveals. “We always had a great time. He liked to have a great time and so do I.”

Check out all The Stones’ tour dates at RollingStones.com.

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