Rod Stewart leaves Glastonbury stage to fix urgent issue during Legends set

Sir Rod Stewart made sure to roll back the years to his adoring Glastonbury crowd on Sunday, but he had to let his backing singers take over midway through his set

The 80-year-old rocker was almost an hour into his performance when he announced he was taking a break. Straight after entertaining with his rendition of Do Ya Think I'm Sexy, Rod told the crowd: "The girls are going to do a song for you while I change my shirt. "

It comes after he had already removed his jacket as he dealt with the sweltering heat at Worthy Farm. The singers duly entertained those in attendance with a rousing performance of Lady Marmalade.

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When he did return, he was no longer in his airy white shirt and jeans combination. Instead, he showed off a loud pink suit. He welcomed Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis to the stage to wish him a happy birthday.

He also made the crowd sing along with him to iconic turn I Don't Wanna Talk About It before introducing Mick Hucknall to the stage. The duo sang an impressive rendition of Simply Red's If You Don't Know Me By Now as the crowd lapped up the occasion.

And he also welcomed Ronnie Wood and Lulu to the stage after yet another costume change. This time, he opted for an emerald green outfit.

The set turned into a fantastic showing on the Pyramid Stage for the Legends slot. However, fans had been sceptical at the start with many confused as to why Sir Rod wasn't performing his own hits.

Near the start of the set, some Twitter /X users complained, with one saying: "This Rod Stewart performance. It's just so s*. Strong Benidorm/Phoenix Club vibes. #Glastonbury." Another fumed: ""Why is Rod Stewart “singing” (use the term loosely) covers and not his own hits? #Glastonbury "

However, things took a good turn with one user gushed: "#glastonbury. 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. #bbc #RodStewart #uk"

Earlier in the day, Rod's wife Penny Lancaster had been spotted mixing it with groups of the singer's. She posed for snaps as she smiled next to people wearing wigs in his honour.

His performance comes after the rockstar last graced the Pyramid Stage 23 years ago. The outing comes after he had hinted at hanging up the microphone, at least when it came to his massive world tours.

In an Instagram post at the time, Rod wrote: “This will be the end of large-scale world tours for me, but I have no desire to retire. I love what I do and I do what I love. 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 continued: “I'd like to move onto a Great American Songbook, Swing Fever tour the year after next - smaller venues and more intimacy. But then again, I may not. The ambiguous Sir Rod Stewart.”

But it seems all’s well that ends well, as Sir Rod soldiered on and is gave fans the performance of a lifetime at Glasto 2025.

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