Showbiz411

Exclusive: sources inside their camp tell me that the Rolling Stones will play four shows this November and December, two in London and two in Brooklyn, NY. They will be produced by Sir Richard Branson, who will use the events to launch his VirginLive.

Branson is paying the Stones a total of $25 million for the four dates–topping bids from Live Nation, Michael Cohl, and AEG Live. The dates are November 26 and 27 in London at the O2 Arena and December 6 and 7 at Brooklyn’s Barclay Center.

Because the amount Branson is paying is so high, ticket prices are going to be astronomical. I’m told the prices could be around $500 face value, and $200 for the nosebleed seats. “It’s a loss leader for VirginLive,” says the Stones insider, “because Branson just wants to make a splash in the live field.”

More to come…

Roger Friedman

Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News. Friedman previously wrote the Intelligencer column at New York Magazine, He writes for Parade magazine and has written for Details, Vogue, the New York Times, Post, and Daily News and many other publications. He is the writer and co-producer of a film about R&B Music called “Only the Strong Survive,” which was released by Miramax in 2003 and was a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals.