are set to run into a storm of controversy over the cost of one of their shows in Serbia.
The band are to play in Belgrade on August 2, part of their massive 40th anniversary world tour. Tickets for the show cost £32, a figure said to be a knock-down for theStones.
However, as Serbians earn on average £100 a month, the figure is a hefty whack out of their income. To compensate, fans are being offered the chance to pay for the ticket over a six-month period, Serb daily Blic reports.
However, the gesture is cutting no ice with some people.
“Why didn’t they just do the show for free?”, disgruntled fan Ian Nesson asked. “Surely they’re worth enough to make the gesture.”
The show has been added to the tour after the personal intervention of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic. He wrote to Mick Jagger and negotiated with the band’s management asking them to come to the country. He had promised to bring the Stones to Belgrade after dictator Slobodan Milosevic was overthrown two years ago.
What do you think? Should the Stones capitulate and play the show for free in a goodwill gesture, or should the people of Belgrade pay if they want to see the band?
E-mailnews@nme.com with your views.