Features

NEW YORK — The Rolling Stones staged an eye-popping spectacle that drew fans and media from around the globe — and they haven’t even gone on tour yet. 

The rockers, whose tours have been among the top-grossing concerts ever, announced another jaunt around the world in grandiose fashion Tuesday, circling New York’s sprawling Van Cortlandt Park in a yellow blimp emblazoned with their red tongue trademark. 

“We had a very interesting first-time experience on the airship,” Mick Jagger said after emerging from the blimp. “We had a really good time on it.” 

The tour, their first since their top-grossing 1999 tour, will mark the band’s 40th anniversary. It will kick off on Sept. 5 in Boston. 

When asked why the band was heading out once again — they haven’t even begun working on new material for the album — Jagger joked: “Either we stay at home and become pillars of the community, or we go out and tour. We couldn’t really find any communities that still needed pillars.” 

The tour is expected to rake in millions of dollars. The Stones already hold the record for the highest-grossing concert tour ever with their 1994 tour, which brought in $121.2 million, according to Gary Bongiovanni of Pollstar, a concert trade magazine. 

“Any year that they have toured, they have produced the biggest tour of that year,” said Bongiovanni. 

This time around, the band will play clubs as well as stadiums and arenas. 

Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ron Wood looked as if they were having plenty of fun even before the news conference began. The foursome boarded the blimp at the park and circled the area for about 15 minutes before landing. 

They had even more fun at the news conference, cracking jokes as reporters asked questions. 

When one asked if they would do any songs from the past, Richards said: “The set list is a bit down the road. It just depends if we can remember them.”