Iconic rock band, The Rolling Stones, have partnered with Major League Baseball for branded … [+]
If the play on words was for Major League Baseball and The Rolling Stones to “run the diamond” with a new partnership, then they seem to have done so. The two have partnered for a limited-edition packaging of the band’s upcoming studio album, Hackney Diamonds.
The collectible packaging comes with a team brand on the cover with “baseball white” vinyl. Fans can preorder for any of the 30 clubs in Major League Baseball. The album art can be exclusively ordered through The Rolling Stones website for $38 USD.
Packaging for each of the 30 teams in MLB for Hackney Diamonds
The iconic band and Major League Baseball first partnered together dating back to the 1989 Steel Wheels tour in which they played several ballparks including Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium, Toronto’s CNE Stadium and SkyDome, Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium, Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Busch Stadium in St. Louis, RFK Stadium in Washington DC, Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium, New York’s Shea Stadium, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the Houston Astrodome, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis and Olympic Stadium in Montreal when the Expos were still part of the league. In 1997 the band played at Dodger Stadium as part of the Babylon Bridges tour. The A Bigger Bang tour started off in August of 2005 with two shows at Boston’s Fenway Park.
The question is, will The Stones follow suit for any potential tour for the new album by playing any additional MLB ballparks? As of now, the question is open.
It seems this is the first time MLB has partnered with a major artist around album packaging. The league partnered with Fender Guitars in 2014 for Stratocasters with team logos on them.
As for The Rolling Stones, Hackney Diamonds is their first studio album since 2005’s A Bigger Bang. It is also the first album since the passing of drummer Charlie Watts. Of the 12 tracks on the upcoming album, Watts is featured on two (Mess It Up” and “Live By The Sword”). “Live By The Sword” also features former Stones bassist Bill Wyman. Other featured artists are included on the album including “Sweet Sounds Of Heaven” featuring vocals from Lady Gaga and keys & piano from Stevie Wonder, “Bite My Head Off” with bass from Paul McCartney, and “Get Close” and ‘Live By The Sword’” with piano from Elton John.
