Sir Rod Stewart, 80, has landed the legends slot at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, and he is following in the footsteps of country icon Shania Twain and disco diva Diana Ross. However, his appearance has sparked a mixed reaction from BBC viewers watching the Maggie May star perform from the comfort of their homes.
After belting out the first song of his set, he yelled to the masses: “Hey, I’m here. Music brings us together; we need music.” However, just moments later, he accidentally blurted out an f-bomb despite the set being streamed live on the BBC in the daytime.
The rocker, who came out onto the stage wearing a black suit and white shirt, had to take his jacket off after a couple of songs as it was extremely hot at the Somerset venue, with temperatures in the high twenties. The star was heard saying he was taking his jacket off as “it’s f**king hot”.
Taking to X to comment on Rod’s set, one fan said: “Rod Stewart still got it at 80!!! #Glastonbury #RodStewart.” Another penned: “This Rod Stewart set up to now is absolutely class. What a total legend.”
A third penned: “Rod Stewart at 80 still better than that sh**e on last night.” Despite the positive reviews, some fans were less than impressed and voiced their annoyance.
Someone said, “Waiting for Rod Stewart to hit a note,” while another added, “Rod Stewart murdering classics.”
Rod’s set will last 90 minutes, as he requested. Tonight’s headliner will be Olivia Rodrigo, who will sing her pop ballads, such as “Good For You” and “Vampire.”
Ahead of his set, Rod to Instagram to share his latest albumn, Ultimate Hits, is out now. The album features some of the biggest and most iconic hits released across his glittering career. His signature breakthrough hits ‘Handbags and Gladrags’ and ‘Maggie May’ are on the album, as well as each of his UK Number 1s, including ‘Sailing’, ‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy’, ‘Baby Jane’ and others.
Glastonbury can be streamed on BBC iPlayer and listened to on BBC Sounds.
