Rod Stewart joined by trio of veteran superstars for rousing Glastonbury set

South Wales Argus

10 hours ago

The tea-time legends slot on Sunday saw him perform alongside his former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood, Simply Red's Mick Hucknall and Scottish singer Lulu.
He was also joined by the festival's founder, Sir Michael Eavis, who was wheeled on to the stage by his daughter, organiser Emily Eavis.
Rod Stewart performing on the Pyramid Stage (Yui Mok/PA)
Hucknall, 65, was welcomed on stage for a rendition of Simply Red hit If You Don't Know Me By Now.
Rolling back the years, Sir Rod then performed the Faces' 1971 hit Stay With Me while Rolling Stones star Wood, 78, played guitar.
Lulu then made her entrance, wearing an all-white ensemble, to sing Hot Legs alongside Sir Rod and Wood.
Bagpipes had signalled the arrival of Sir Rod, who kicked off his afternoon performance with his 1981 single, Tonight I'm Yours (Don't Hurt Me).
Crowds at Worthy Farm in Somerset (Ben Birchall/PA)
'I'm here, enjoy yourselves ladies and gentleman please, music brings us together, we need music,' he told the crowd.
The 80-year-old, who recently cancelled a series of shows while recovering from flu, wore flared trousers, a white shirt and a black jacket, before changing into a green suit.
He played songs including Some Guys Have All The Luck, Forever Young, The First Cut Is The Deepest, and Maggie May, which he performed from a runway jutting out into the crowd.
Ukrainian flags were shown on a screen behind Sir Rod, who said: 'There's been a lot about the Middle East recently, quite rightly so, but I want to draw your attention to Ukraine in the next song, it's called the Love Train.'
The singer also sang I'd Rather Go Blind, which he first performed in the 1970s with the Faces, which he said he had learned from late Fleetwood Mac singer Christine McVie, who the song was dedicated to.
Men dressed as Rod Stewart wait for his performance at Glastonbury (Yui Mok/PA)
During Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? Sir Rod's backing singers kicked footballs into the crowd in reference to the singer's famous Top Of The Pops appearance in 1971.
Sir Rod donned a captain's hat to finish with Sailing, while his dancers wore the shirt of Celtic FC, while the back of his own shirt featured the team's name.
Earlier on Sunday, organisers said chants by punk duo Bob Vylan 'crossed a line' after frontman Bobby Vylan led crowds at the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of 'Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)'.
A joint Instagram post from Glastonbury and Emily Eavis said: 'As a festival, we stand against all forms of war and terrorism.'
It added: 'We are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday.
'Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.'
Health Secretary Wes Streeting told Sky News' Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips that the chants were 'appalling' and the BBC and the festival had 'questions to answer'.
A BBC spokesperson added: 'Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive.
'During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.'
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to the BBC director general about Bob Vylan's Saturday performance, a Government spokesperson said.
Avon and Somerset Police said video evidence from Bob Vylan and Kneecap's performances would be assessed by officers 'to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation'.
Kneecap, who hail from Belfast, have been in the headlines after member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence.
The group performed after Vylan's set on the West Holts Stage, and in reference to his bandmate's forthcoming court date, Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, said they would 'start a riot outside the courts', before clarifying: 'No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine.'
Irish noise rockers Gurriers asked if anyone had seen Kneecap's set during their Sunday performance, adding: 'Well it's the Irish takeover at Glastonbury this year, I think.'
British soul singer Celeste opened the Pyramid Stage on Sunday before rock outfit The Libertines took to the stage.
The Libertines performing on the Pyramid Stage during the Glastonbury Festival (Yui Mok/PA)
At one point in their set frontman Pete Doherty broke into Sir Rod's Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?
Other notable performances came from British funk group Cymande, US singer Shaboozey and Australian duo Royel Otis.
Over at the Pilton Palais cinema, actress Jodie Comer answered questions about her career and said she felt 'really excited' to embark on a UK and Ireland tour of Prima Facie – the play that saw her win a best actress Olivier.