Rod Stewart kicked off its summer 2023 tour on Saturday 24 June with a show at Home Park Stadium in Plymouth, South West England.
The legendary Maggie May crooner, 78, will share the stage with Boy George and Culture Club for the first five performances of his 40-plus show trek, which will also see him see Spain and Portugal before heading to North America during the summer months.
More shows will follow from November, all part of his plan to make this the “last time” to show his classic songs on “the great rock ‘n’ roll tour.”
But make no mistake, Rod The Mod isn’t retiring from music and performing, as some recent reports might lead you to believe, but instead wants to switch to swing music and its Great American Song Book catalog.
By making these two announcements during the promotion of the tour, Stewart also sent a message to some of his eight children (ranging in age from 59 to 12) who were allegedly trying to get the rocker to slow down and retire so that he ‘can concentrate’. to his health and his family.’
Not retired: Rod Stewart, 78, denied all talk of retirement, saying he plans to switch to swing music after embarking on what he calls his last big rock tour full of classic hits; seen June 15 in London
The call for the London, England native to retire after more than 50 years in the spotlight comes after being diagnosed with cancer twice.
In 2019, the I Don’t Want To Talk About It singer-songwriter revealed he had beaten prostate cancer after a three-year battle filled with treatments.
And that came nearly two decades after he beat thyroid cancer in 2000.
His serious health problems don’t stop there. The Grammy winner had to undergo knee replacement and ankle fusion surgery in April 2020 following a soccer injury.
During a phone interview promoting the tour, the legendary singer made it a point to reveal that he is definitely “not retiring.”
Hit the message home Peoplehe repeated ‘no’ six times when asked if he was retiring.
“I love what I do,” he said from his home in England. And while he still has the passion for his work as a singer and the leader of a performing band, he is still making a big career move with his announcement that he will no longer be playing the big long rock tour after this series of shows focused on the hits that brought him much wealth over the years.
“This will be the last time, I think, to do rock ‘n’ roll stuff because I want to move on to swing music and the Great American Song Book,” he said before explaining the decision.
Health issues: Some of Stewart’s eight children reportedly prompted him to slow down and retire so he can focus on his health and his family; those calls came after two cancer battles and knee replacement surgery
Icons: Maggie May’s crooner kicked off his summer 2023 UK tour on June 24; Boy George and Culture Club join him for the first five shows in England
The Tour: Following the July 4 show, Rod The Mod will continue his tour without Boy George and Culture Club, which he said will be his last major rock tour.
“But I’m not going to the graveyard with my songs to bury them. I could take them out once in a while, but I’d really like to let them rest for a while. No more big tours,” he explained. “I’ve said goodbye to Australia and New Zealand and Mexico, so now it’s time to say goodbye to the US.”
Realizing the importance of family, Stewart is bringing together all eight of his children and three grandchildren after the tour moves from the UK to Spain for shows between July 12 and 22.
‘I rented a huge house there, so the whole family is coming. So it’s going to be great,” he shared of his plan to spend quality time with his wife Penny Lancaster, 52, and his kids, despite his busy tour schedule.
He explained, “Dad has to work, of course. I have to go to work every other night, but we will all be together, which is hard because they all have their own lives now. But it may be the last time we do it.’
Stewart claims he does everything he can to keep his voice and his body in top shape, including vocal practice before the tour.
He also adheres to a rigorous training regimen throughout the year, which includes swimming, underwater SAS training used by the British Special Air Service, running and playing football every chance he gets.
Stewart embarked on a career in rock and roll in 1961 and saw the peak of his rock stardom in the mid to late 1970s and into the 1980s.
In all, he has released 31 studio albums since 1969, including five volumes in his Great American Songbook.
Legendary: Stewart emerged on the rock scene in the early 1960s, and saw the peak of his success in the mid-1970s through the 1980s; he is pictured in London in 1975
Family man: The singer-songwriter plans to have his family, including all eight of his children, stay with him in a huge house when his tour takes him to Spain in July; he is seen in March 2022 with his wife Penny Lancaster, whom he married in 2007
Along the way he has amassed a slew of sing-along hits, most of which he wrote or co-wrote, including Sailing, Your In My Heart, Hot Legs, Have I Told You Lately That I Love You, Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?, Young Turks , Baby Jane, Forever Young, Some Guys Have All The Luck, You Wear It Well, The Killing Of George Part I and II, Infatuation, Passion, Reason To Believe, among many others, as well as the aforementioned Maggie May and I want to be there don’t talk about it.
In need of a new challenge, Stewart wasted little time in his shift to swing music and has already completed recordings for his forthcoming album with pianist Jools Holland, due out Valentine’s Day 2024.
“There’s only a limited number of years I want to keep singing Hot Legs and Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” he said, before going into promo mode for the new record.
“This is really fine music, and I have the voice and the talent to pull it off, as you’ll hear when you hear the album,” said the It Had to Be You crooner, before sharing his tour ideas for his album . swing years. ‘I can’t imagine doing big venues with it – we’ll have to do smaller venues, which will be fun with a 19-piece orchestra. Rod’s your jazz singer now.”