Despite his plans of saying ‘farewell’ to touring, Sir Rod Stewart has added even more dates to his upcoming tour, citing ‘phenomenal demand’ before he officially bows out of life on the road
Sir Rod Stewart isn’t ready to retire – at least not any time soon. Despite saying his upcoming tour will see him bid farewell to life on the road, the 81-year-old seems keen to extend his The Final Encore Tour and has added additional dates.
After the initial run of seven shows across Scotland and England sold out, fans instantly demanded more from the Maggie May hitmaker. And Sir Rod was more than happy to oblige.
The musician has added two additional dates to his tour, which kicks off on April 29 next year, at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro. Now, fans can also expect to see him on May 15 at London’s O2 Arena, with his final show seeing him bow out on May 18 in Glasgow.
Sir Rod had originally been expected to finish his tour on May 14 at the O2. Sharing the news, he said: “Due to phenomenal demand, I’m delighted to announce two final dates for the Finale Encore Tour! I’ll be playing The O2 Arena in London on May 15 and the OVO Hydro in Glasgow on May 18, 2027. Can’t wait to see you all there!”
At the time of announcing his retirement, Sir Rod said: “My dear friends, the time has come to say farewell to life on the road. After more than six decades, The Final Encore will most definitely be my last.
“I’ve been singing the music I love since I was 19 years old, and I’ve had the privilege of taking it around the world to all of you. It has given me a life beyond anything I could ever have imagined, and I hope I’ve given you some fond memories in return.
“So, may I take this opportunity to thank you for making this extraordinary life possible.” Over the summer, the musician continued his One Last Time tour, his farewell to the United States.
One concert was paused, and the musician was seen using an oxygen mask after almost fainting. The remainder of the tour was then cancelled due to health issues. Sir Rod later shared that he had undergone heart surgery. A statement at the time read: “On the advice of his doctors, he will take the next four weeks to recuperate and regain full fitness before returning to the stage. Unfortunately, this means he will be unable to continue his current tour dates.
“Information regarding affected performances will be communicated by the respective promoters and venues.” But Sir Rod’s pal, Grammy Award-winning singer Richard Marx, believes that the legendary hitmaker will never officially retire.
Speaking previously to the Mirror, Richard said: “I was really worried about him this summer, because I could tell he wasn’t completely himself. We did a tour together, but the show that he did the night before he went into the hospital and found that he had this heart issue, you should’ve seen him.
“He played for two hours and sang his a*s off and ran around the stage, and we were all like, ‘How can that possibly be?'” Richard went on to reveal that he “knew” Rod wasn’t “feeling right”. “He’s very conscious of his health, and he knew something was off,” he explained about Rod.
Now, Richard believes that Rod is “totally fine”. He added: “When he said ‘I’m not retiring,’ trust me, he’s not retiring. He’ll never retire. But I’m kind of relieved that he’s going to pull back from these big tours. Ever since I became friends with him, it’s impossible for me not to sometimes stare at him – it’s Rod Stewart.
“We’ve spent so much time together that now, he’s someone I adore personally so much that I worry about him. I have so much personal concern for him, I want him to be safe and healthy – I think he’s making the right decision.” Richard added: “He’s just so remarkable, and then sometimes his voice gets fragile, because it’s just the nature of that sound.”
However, Richard revealed that Sir Rod will often question whether his voice is “up to it”, but ultimately decides that the show must go on. “He’ll hit these notes and I’ll go ‘What the f**k dude?! You’re amazing.’ He’s so incredible, and I love being able to say that I idolised him my whole life, now he’s my friend, and he’s everything I wanted him to be.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
