Rod Stewart has arrived on stage at Glastonbury, playing to a huge crowd for the Pyramid Stage’s Legends slot.
Walking on stage with his huge band and mini-dressed clad backing singers to the sound of bag pipes, the 80-year-old rocker told the thousands gathered: ‘Oi Oi I’m here, enjoy yourselves ladies and gentlemen please!’
He kicked off his set with his hit Tonight I’m Yours before telling fans how ‘music brings us together, we’re having a party’ and going into Having A Party.
After a rendition of Some Guys Have All The Luck, he stopped to catch his breath and remove his sparkling jacket in the searing heat, telling fans: ‘This is so lovely. I’m so excited I can hardly breathe.’
In another political moment for this year’s Glastonbury, Sir Rod then dedicated a cover of The O’Jays 1972 hit Love Train to Ukraine.
He addressed the crowd: ‘There’s been a lot about the Middle East lately, quite rightly so, but I want to draw your attention to the Ukraine with the next song, called The Love Train!’
Rod Stewart has arrived on stage at Glastonbury , playing to a huge crowd for the Pyramid Stage’s Legends slot
He kicked off his set with his hit Tonight I’m Yours before telling fans how ‘music brings us together, we’re having a party’ and going into Having A Party
Walking on stage with his huge band and mini-dressed clad backing singers to the sound of bag pipes Sir Rod told the thousands gathered: ‘Oi Oi I’m here’
Dipping into his bag of ballads, he did his version of First Cut Is The Deepest followed by his 1976 track, Tonight’s The Night (Gonna Be Alright).
He then announced to the crowd that they could expect him to be joined by Ronnie Wood and Lulu later in the show, and brought out his classic hits, including fan-favourite, Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?
However, viewers were distinctly split over Rod’s performance, with some praising him as a ‘total legend’ and proclaiming ‘he’s still got it’, while others branding him ‘painful’, ‘out of tune’ and like ‘a tribute act’.
Taking to social media, fans wrote: ‘Fantastic performance from Rod at 80!!! Amazing…..’; ‘Watching Rod Stewart at Glastonbury, legend’.
‘Like him or not. Rod Stewart has still got it!! He’s a showman, great entertainer, and can work a crowd. You go Rod! ! Big shout out to his Band’.
‘Poor Rod is struggling in this heat. I’ve seen him live a few times and he’s better than this usually. Respect to him though, he’s 80. Love him ❤️’.
‘Fair play Rod Stewart he has still got it !!! Great band around him as well.’; ‘This rod Stewart set upto now is absolutely class. What a total legend’
‘Like him or loath him. Kicking Glasto at 80 years young. Bringing some much needed fun and smiles to UK.’
However, others less-than-impressed viewers took to X to admit: ‘Ok #RodStewart is great but I do feel like I’m stuck watching a tribute act.’
‘God, this is dreadful’; ‘Rod Stewart isn’t that bad, once you’ve accustomised yourself to the key he’s singing in….’
‘Christ this is painful.’; ‘I’m thinking maybe #RodStewart over the hill, voice is long gone’; ‘Can someone please take their drunk grandad home’.
‘Wow this is like watching a rather poor Ron Steward tribute act.’; ‘The sound of Rod’s high notes remind me of the noise I heard when I accidentally stood on my dogs tail’.
‘Rod is dying out there. Not an ounce of soul – even during his lazy cover of Love Train – and his own ‘classics’ have not aged well on this showing.’
‘DAMMIT. Almost managed to get over the fence at #Glastonbury but was caught by security and told to go back and carry on watching the Rod Stewart set.’
‘Even the sign language person is out of tune.’; ‘Does Rod Stewart know he has to ‘sing’ and not talk the lyrics…. total garbage’.
‘Rod Stewart has really lost his voice – but doing ok for an old codger with loads of money to keep him fit and moving. Not sure he has hit one right note yet.’
‘I’m outraged the @bbc would broadcast something so horrifying in the middle of the afternoon, my kids have just seen Rod Stewart and now they are crying.’
Shortly before his slot, Rod’s wife Penny Lancaster arrived at Glastonbury festival to support her husband.
She was joined by her sons, model Alistair, 19, who was wearing a leopard print coat in preparation for his father’s set and Aiden, 14.
The matriarch, 54, looked very bohemian as she wore a tassel coat, oversized sunglasses, balloon trousers and a leopard print bag.
The 80-year-old singer’s teatime set comes the day after he claimed the country was ‘fed up’ with the Tories and that Labour was trying to ditch Brexit.
He accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of giving Scottish fishing rights ‘back to the EU’, although the Government insists it has simply renewed an existing deal for European boats.
His views represent a second volte-face given that he appeared to support Labour at last year’s election – despite previously backing the Conservatives.
He kicked off his set with his hit Tonight I’m Yours before telling fans how ‘m, usic brings us together, we’re having a party’ and going into Having A Party
Penny Lancaster has arrived at Glastonbury festival to support her husband Rod Stewart as he headlines in the prestigious Legends slot
Asked where Britain’s political future now lay, he told The Times: ‘It’s hard for me because I’m extremely wealthy, and I deserve to be, so a lot of it doesn’t really touch me.
‘But that doesn’t mean I’m out of touch. For instance, I’ve read about Starmer cutting off the fishing in Scotland and giving it back to the EU. That hasn’t made him popular.
‘We’re fed up with the Tories. We’ve got to give Farage a chance. He’s coming across well. What options have we got? I know some of his family, I know his brother, and I quite like him.’
Asked what Mr Farage stands for aside from Brexit, tighter immigration and controversial economic promises he replied: ‘Yeah, yeah. But Starmer’s all about getting us out of Brexit and I don’t know how he’s going to do that.
‘Still, the country will survive. It could be worse. We could be in the Gaza Strip.’
Sir Rod also seemed unconvinced that Sir Keir was going to fully address one of his personal pet hates.
Three years ago, the singer donned a hi-vis jacket and rang around friends asking for help filling in potholes outside his Essex house.
‘I took me Ferrari out. Nearly lost the f***ing wheel,’ he said.
She was joined by her sons, model Alistair, 19, who was wearing a leopard print coat in preparation for his father’s set (pictured) and Aiden, 14
The matriarch, 54, looked very bohemian as she wore a tassel coat, oversized sunglasses, balloon trousers and a leopard print bag
‘And before I did in the Ferrari, I saw an ambulance that couldn’t move, the wheel stuck right in there.
‘So I took me mates out, and we knew what to do because I had builders in the house.
‘We filled in a considerable length of the road, actually.’
He added that potholes were still present ‘all over Britain’ in contrast to Europe.
