Recent comments by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards add weight to the rumors of special 50th Anniversary shows taking place before the end of the year.

“We’ve got some shows in London, I believe, and in New York,” stated Richards in a recent interview with Q magazine, “But I really can’t talk about any of that at the moment.  They’ve put the gag on me on this.  You can hint!”

Not so subtle a hint especially after Bobby Keys, the Stones’ regular saxophonist told Billboard that the band is “gonna do some more concerts, starting in November with two in England and then a couple here in the States, then there’s a few added concerts after that.  Keith told me a couple of months ago there was something in the wind and just be ready to go.  I’m waiting for them to send me the plane ticket and the information, and then I’ll go.”

Rumors of these shows first surfaced at the end of August but this the most definite sign that they will actually take place.  In the meantime, the Stones have a lot going on.  They have just announced that the world exclusive first airplay of their brand new single “Doom and Gloom” will take place tomorrow (October 11th) at 8:15am BST on BBC Radio 2 – and will then be available for download via iTunes.  Also being released this month is the U.S. edition of their coffee table book The Rolling Stones 50 (due out October 16th) and their new documentary Crossfire Hurricane which will make its debut at the London Film Festival and in theaters around the U.K. on October 18th.  The Rolling Stones: Charlie is My Darling – Ireland 1965 film will hit the shelves on November 6th and a week later on November 13th GRRR!, the band’s new greatest hits collection, featuring the new tracks “Doom and Gloom” and “One Last Shot”, will be released.