Singing ‘The Last Time’ One More Time

The Rolling Stones’ latest North American stadium tour is expected to kick off in Chicago in late September and reach Dodger Stadium in early November. The official word will come today in a lavish New York City news conference that will be aired live by VH1 in the East and on tape delay in the West starting at 1 p.m. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards & Co. are also expected to announce Sept. 30 as the release date for their new album, “Bridges to Babylon.” If this tour is typical of past Stones treks, it will probably include a few club or small-hall surprise appearances along the way--including, sources say, one in Los Angeles. Such intimate shows would spark interest in the tour but might not be vital to its success, says Stann Findelle, West Coast senior editor of Performance magazine, which tracks the concert industry. The Stones’ last North American tour, in 1994, grossed nearly $125 million. “They always seem to draw because they leave this impression that this might be the last time they’ll be out,” Findelle says. “People might have stopped believing that, but the Stones are one group that, if this is their last tour, you want to be able to say that you saw it.”

Cable Strategies From the FX Files

On Tuesday, the Fox-owned FX cable network will seek to boost its profile by premiering reruns of “The X-Files” and “NYPD Blue,” and, as usual in Fox-related dealings, not everyone is happy about it. Competing channels--including the USA Network--had sought to acquire the shows, but Fox, which distributes both, kept them in the family. Moreover, Fox is using the popular dramas to pressure cable operators to carry FX, at present available in about half of the country’s 65 million homes with cable. Fox (which has employed a similar lobbying strategy on behalf of Fox Sports West 2) is even promoting a toll-free number for viewers to call, connecting them directly to their cable service if they don’t currently receive FX. “We want to utilize these shows not only to drive consumer demand for [cable systems to add] FX but also to drive viewer tune-in,” says Mark Sonnenberg, FX executive vice president of entertainment, who notes that fans who came into either show late will get a chance to watch them develop from the beginning. FX has scheduled “The X-Files,” with Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, and “NYPD Blue” at 8 and 9 p.m., respectively, an hour earlier than Fox and ABC run them. In addition to those weeknight telecasts, a weekend run of each series will play on broadcast stations: “NYPD Blue” begins Sept. 27 on KCBS-TV Channel 2, with “X-Files” expected to start Oct. 18 on KTTV Channel 11.

Blues Acts Are Wearing a Smile

Blues fans will have something extra to celebrate Wednesday when they gather at the Hollywood Bowl for the first in a series of major Southern California blues concerts over the next two weeks. At the Bowl affair, titled “Blues Up and Down the Mississippi,” fans will be treated to the sounds of reliable veterans Buddy Guy, the Neville Brothers and Dr. John. Then the Blues Music Festival, starring B.B. King, the Robert Cray Band and Jimmie Vaughn, checks in Friday at the Universal Amphitheatre. And, finally, there’s the three-day Long Beach Blues Festival--featuring Junior Wells, John Lee Hooker, Etta James and Chuck Berry, among others--over Labor Day weekend at Cal State Long Beach. The reason these shows may be extra special this year is that the blues are going through something of a creative revival around the country, thanks to young arrivals such as teenager Jonny Lang (who will open for Aerosmith this fall on the rockers’ U.S. tour) as well as Keb’ Mo’ and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. “These young artists are taking the blues to places that are new, fresh and exciting,” says Morty Wiggins, senior vice president of marketing at A&M; Records, Lang’s label home. “The popularity of the music is growing because exciting artists are making it more accessible and giving it wider appeal.”