Rock legends never really fade away — they just learn to pace themselves. At least that’s what crossed many minds when Sir Rod Stewart, now an octogenarian force of nature, had to postpone his Sunday night Las Vegas residency show at Caesars Palace’s Colosseum. The timing couldn’t be more delicate, with his landmark Glastonbury appearance looming just weeks away.
Stewart, ever the gentleman rocker, kept things straightforward on social media: “I’m not feeling well and my show tonight at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace is being rescheduled to June 10.” Simple enough — though the whispers about his upcoming Glastonbury performance are getting louder.
The legendary festival’s Sunday afternoon slot (affectionately dubbed the “legends slot” by festival veterans) sits barely three weeks away. And let’s be honest — Stewart’s recent vocal health hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing. Just last month in Milan, he was spotted wearing a sign that read “Sorry. Cannot talk. Having vocal rest.” Rock and roll meets silent movie era? Not quite what anyone expected.
But here’s where it gets interesting. Despite these hiccups, Stewart’s cooking up something special for Glastonbury 2025. He’s managed to wrangle an extra 15 minutes for his set (no small feat in festival scheduling) and — perhaps most intriguingly — he’s bringing along an old friend. Ronnie Wood, his former Faces bandmate, is set to join him on stage, bridging a gap that spans decades of British rock history.
“Woody and I do a lot just recently,” Stewart mentioned on The Peter Crouch podcast, before adding with characteristic cheek, “I think they stay away from me” — a playful jab at Wood and Elton John’s sobriety compared to his own, shall we say, more traditional rock star lifestyle.
While he’s calling time on massive world tours after this year’s European and North American runs, Stewart’s not exactly heading for the rocking chair. “I’m fit, have a full head of hair, and can run 100 metres in 18 seconds at the jolly old age of 79,” he recently boasted. Not bad for someone who’s been strutting stages since the Beatles were still playing Hamburg clubs.
The future? Well, that’s looking more intimate but no less ambitious. There’s talk of smaller venues, a potential Great American Songbook tour, and that tantalizing Faces reunion project — complete with a documentary and new album in the works. Trust Rod to turn “slowing down” into yet another creative renaissance.
The planned Faces reunion at Glastonbury feels particularly poetic. The band, which gave us eternal rockers like “Stay With Me” before splitting in ’75, represents more than just nostalgia — it’s a full-circle moment that proves some musical bonds never really break.
Sure, these recent health setbacks might raise some eyebrows, but they’re also reminders that even rock’s most enduring voices sometimes need a breather. Stewart’s journey shows us something rather profound: adapting to time’s passage doesn’t mean surrendering to it. Sometimes it just means finding new ways to keep that rock and roll spirit alive.