The Rolling Stones banned from playing outside exhibition

The Rolling Stones were banned from performing outside a London gallery to celebrate the opening of their exhibition.

The Satisfaction rockers helped create Exhibitionism, a collection of rare and unseen memorabilia spanning their 50-year career, and the displays of instruments, letters, posters and costumes opens on 5 April (16) at London's Saatchi Gallery.

The band had hoped to perform a few tracks on the lawn outside the gallery, but residents of the upmarket Chelsea neighbourhood vetoed their proposal, according to Keith Richards.

"There was a plan to do four or five numbers on the lawn but the Chelsea Residents' Association poo-pooed (disputed) that," he tells Britain's The Sun newspaper. "How generous of them. It would have only been four or five songs."

Keith is most looking forward to checking out a recreation of a Chelsea apartment where he lived with original bandmates Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman and the late Brian Jones.

He adds, "I'm dying to see the reproduction of our first flat together in Edith Grove because the only thing that gave it character was the pong (smell)... I mean that's where we sat around and basically concentrated every night on how to play together. We were endlessly listening to records and occasionally we went out and did a gig.... wow, yeah, it is a long time since Edith Grove."

The exhibition runs in London until September (16) before going on a world tour. Keith admits the prospect of being without some of his possessions for the next four years makes him sad.

"(It) pains me a little because there are a couple of jackets I let in there that I ain't going to see for a long while," he says.