The bright yellow blimp was decorated with the trademark Rolling Stones red lips and tongue logo.

The Rolling Stones played Moscow in 1998

The tour starts in September this year and will consist of 32 dates in the United States and Canada, before heading to Europe, Australia, Mexico and the Far East in 2003.

They hope to play their first ever concert in China.

Jagger, wearing a sparkly silver jacket, said: "We're going to have three kinds of shows, stadia, arena and theatre or club shows - in New York we're going to do all three.

"It's going to be great fun for us, it will also be a bit of a challenge to jump from one to the other."

Special effects

But the lead singer refused to confirm rumours that former band members Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor would join them on stage.

Jagger said: "We are always open to offers of guest artists, we are open-minded."

But the band has already booked several opening acts, including Sheryl Crow and the band No Doubt.

It promised spectacular sets and special effects, and a mix of old classics and new material.

Either we stay at home and become pillars of the community or we tour

Mick Jagger

A retrospective CD of their greatest hits from 1963 to the present day will be released to coincide with the tour.

The name of the tour will be revealed with the name of the new album.

Tour promoter Michael Cohl said the shows would be "a spectacular music event" and described the tour as "the most ambitious undertaking the Stones have ever taken upon themselves".

The Rolling Stones last toured in 1999, but Jagger insisted they were looking forward to hitting the road again.

He said: "Either we stay at home and become pillars of the community or we tour and we couldn't find any communities that needed pillars."