Rolling Stones book last-minute club gig in L.A. tonight

By the time you read this post it will likely be too late, but the Rolling Stones have scheduled a last-minute club gig in Los Angeles on Saturday night in preparation for the continuation of the band’s “50 and Counting” anniversary tour. Tickets to the show, which appears to be scheduled for the Echoplex in Echo Park, are $20, cash only, and could be purchased starting at 1 p.m. at the El Rey. The ability to purchase tickets was to be assigned via a lottery and there is a one-ticket limit.

To cut down on the possibility of scalpers, ticketholders will be admitted to the show only if they have a valid government-issued ID and are wearing a wristband in addition to holding the ticket. Only those buying tickets will be admitted into the concert, as names will be taken at the El Rey and verified at the venue. The Rolling Stones unveiled plans to stage a not-so-secret show via their multiple Twitter pages.

As of the time of writing the band hadn’t yet officially announced the Saturday night show is at the Echoplex, but it was learned that the act originally scheduled at the Echo Park venue has been relocated to the First Unitarian Church at 2936 W 8th St. Additionally, Echoplex headliners New Build have been tweeting for the past day that the Rolling Stones have forced their show to be relocated, breaking the news well in advance of the Stones or any media outlet. Capacity at the Echoplex is said to be around 700 people.

“Our gig got shifted b/c the Rolling Stones are playing Echoplex,” the band posted Friday afternoon. “Unfortunately I don’t think NB tickets will be valid there.” Members of the dance-pop band, featuring veterans of Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem, have joked that they look forward to “having it out” with the Stones.

The Stones regularly play warm-up gigs before their tours, having played a club show in Paris last year in advance of concerts in London and the East Coast. Opening night of the “50 and Counting” tour will be May 3 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Tickets are still available, but they will cost you significantly more than $20. The lowest price point still for sale is $250, and those are 300-level seats above the luxury boxes. There doesn’t appear to be an option for adding a pair of binoculars to your ticket purchase.

[Updated at 2:20 p.m., April 27, 2013: The Rolling Stones concert Saturday evening was declared sold out at just before 2 p.m.]

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