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Ex-Stone bassist Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings are to play London Aug. 16, Adam Green of FCF Entertainment Group announced yesterday.
"It's not often you get to book these guys," Green said in confirming Internet reports Wyman and his band were coming to London. The venue is still to be settled. Tickets, to be available next week, will be $35.
"It's not just Wyman . . . it's (ex-Procol Harum singer) Gary Brooker, too. They close the night with Whiter Shade of Pale," the classic Procol Harum hit, Green said.
The Wyman date would be partial payback for rock fans who've hoped the Stones would play London again. A possible return by the Stones has been a London rock myth since the British superstars' concert at the old Treasure Island Gardens (now the Ice House) ended in uproar on April 26, 1965.
The Stones played only three or four numbers before 3,000 screaming fans. Fearing a "riot," police cut the power.
The band fled, saying police overreacted. Other reports said police prevented injuries by catching crazed fans in mid-leap by the stage.
Insiders have said the real battle was over whether the Stones would be paid -- their fee was about $3,000 -- by the London businessperson running the event.
The Stones reportedly promised to return, but never have.
Wyman left the Stones in the early 1990s.
Despite Internet reports, the London venue will not be the Ice House, both Green and Ice House officials said.