Rolling? We?re More Like The Flying Stones

TWO years is a long time to be on tour. We started the Rolling Stones’ “A Bigger Bang” tour in August 2005 at Fenway Park in Boston, and ended in August 2007 in London at the 02 arena. We traveled the globe, playing North America, South America, Europe, Japan, New Zealand, China and Australia. We even did full-stage rehearsals at a hangar at Pearson International Airport in Toronto.

Chuck Leavell, keyboardist on the Rolling Stones’ two-year “Bigger Bang” tour, enjoyed the quiet time on the flights.

It was a lot of work. Nonetheless, it was a remarkable tour, setting new standards and breaking all previous records, including the fact that we racked up more than a million miles in the air.

Aside from playing keyboards with the band, part of my gig is keeping track of the arrangements and doing set lists. I do almost all of that work while flying.

That’s when it’s quiet. At one time, of course, there were few quiet times, even in the air. But I’ve been with the band for about 25 years, and I can tell you this is one disciplined and, let’s just say, more mature group of guys. They want to give the best performances they can, and they look to me to make sure that happens in terms of arrangements and songs played for the fans.

I enjoy the task. In an airplane you have a captive audience, which makes everything easier. I’m well versed in the huge catalog of songs the Stones have written, recorded and performed. Obviously we can’t get to all of them since there are more than 400, but I try to find a balance of the new, old, interesting and unusual.

After writing up the set, I’ll consult with Mick, Keith and the others on the particulars of a concert. And a lot of work gets done while we are en route to various destinations.

Of course, while touring we fly private. But in my other life as a conservationist and a session musician, I fly commercial. Despite the well-known miseries of flying, I enjoy it.

Again, it’s quiet time. I write a lot of my speeches while in the air. The idea for my first book, “Forever Green: The History and Hope of the American Forest,” came while I was on a flight back home to Georgia after giving a speech in Ohio. Much of my ongoing diary, which served as the basis for my autobiography, and my tour diary blog, is written in the air as well.

Sometimes when I fly I’ll get a melody in my head. Maybe the sound of the engines sparks some creative juices. Some of those melodies have actually made it into my solo recordings.

One of the favorite parts of flying commercial is meeting people. When chatting with seatmates the conversation inevitably turns to what you do for a living. Everybody, it seems, has a Stones story. It always surprises me how many people have told me that they’ve gotten engaged during a Stones concert.

Some of the best stories have come from the buttoned-up middle-aged business travelers. And some will admit that in their youth, they did Mick Jagger imitations. Maybe some still do.

It really is a pleasure to talk about the music. Despite the hard work and the travel, rock ’n’ roll brings people together. Like the man says, I know it’s only rock ’n’ roll. But I like it.

By Chuck Leavell, as told to Joan Raymond. E-mail: joan.raymond@nytimes.com

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