Rod Stewart's surprising retirement confession ahead of Glastonbury Legends set
Music legend Sir Rod Stewart, who is set to headline Glastonbury Festival's Pyramid stage this weekend for the Legends set, made a shock revelation about retiring from music
Glastonbury 2025 has officially kicked off and music lovers around the world are in a frenzy to catch their favourite artists. Considered to be the holy grail of music festivals in the UK, this year's Glasto is choc-a-bloc with music acts and massive headliners.
One of the most eagerly anticipated headliners during this year's festival is none other than rock legend Sir Rod Stewart. All set to dazzle the crowd on Sunday, June 29, the rock icon will be closing the five-day musical bonanza, much to the excitement of fans.
The 80-year-old rockstar, who last graced the Pyramid Stage 23 years ago, was confirmed as this year's Legend's slot headliner for the iconic musical festival that takes place in the hallowed grounds of Worthy Farm in Somerset.
Stewart is making history as the first artist to have both headlined Glastonbury and received the legends billing, having previously shared top billing at the festival in 2002 with Coldplay and Stereophonics. Sir Rod is stepping into the shoes of music greats like Elton John, Dolly Parton, Barry Gibb, Shania Twain, and Kylie Minogue who have previously shouldered the Legends mantle.
But his journey to the prime spot at the festival hasn't come without its fair share of headline-grabbing moments.
Back in 2023, the singer had made a shocking statement about retiring which catapulted fans of the icon into despair. During an interview alongside Boy George whilst promoting their then-upcoming tour together, Stewart had told the BBC: "I'm not retiring. But I want to move on. I had great success with The Great American Songbook, all-American standards, and I've just done a swing album with Jools Holland, which is going to come out next year, so I want to go in that direction."
He added: 'I just want to leave all the rock 'n' roll stuff behind — for a while, maybe.'
However, soon after the interview made headlines, the legend took to social media platform X (previously Twitter) and clarified his statements, saying: 'I shall never retire! I was put on this earth to be a singer and will keep doing so for as long as the good lord lets me.'
He continued in a series of tweets: 'During recent interviews, I've mentioned my newest passion is big band/swing music, and when we wrap this greatest hits tour, it's something I'm very eager to share with you.'
'I could never turn my back on the songs that I've written and sung over the last six decades. They are like my children. I created them and I love them. I'll always come back to them, just like I did after The Great American Songbook series, which, I shall boastfully add, sold 26 million albums!"
The rocker concluded by writing: 'I look forward to seeing you on the road with all the hits, and I can't wait to introduce you to my new swing album next year.'
However in 2024, the singer had once again hinted at hanging up the microphone, at least when it came to his massive world tours.
In an Instagram post, 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 now set to give fans the performance of a lifetime at Glasto 2025.
On the topic of leading the line-up this year, the rocker expressed his excitement in a statement, saying he's "proud, ready and more than able to pleasure and titillate my friends at Glastonbury".
The Maggie May singer jumped at the chance to play the prestigious teatime slot, often reserved for music's elite, after being approached by Emily and Michael Eavis. However, Sir Rod has revealed that accepting this coveted spot comes with a hefty financial implication.
Taking to the airwaves on talkSPORT Breakfast earlier this year, the music icon disclosed that agreeing to perform at Glastonbury's legendary slot will set him back a cool $300,000 (£237,780). When quizzed about how quickly he accepted the offer, he replied: "Immediately. It's a great honour."
He then confessed: "It's going to cost me a fortune to do it - $300,0000. I've got to bring all my band back from America, of course Glastonbury don't pay for that. But I don't care if it cost me $1 million, I would have done it. This is a great honour. It really is the greatest honour."
In another appearance, this time on the Sidetracked podcast, Sir Rod shared: 'Believe it or not, my kids, three of them, all bought their own tickets, because Glastonbury give nothing away. Nothing. Everybody asks me for tickets. All the time. Everywhere. People just come out of the woodwork. 'Oh, you haven't spoken to me for 25 years. Any chance I could have a ticket?'".
But it's not just the cash that's causing the rock royalty a headache. Sir Rod Stewart is taking no chances with his health as he gears up for his iconic stint at Glastonbury.
Having battled multiple severe health issues previously — including thyroid and prostate cancer — the celebrated musician is taking drastic steps to ensure he's in prime condition for his big performance.
Having recently come down with the flu, concerns were raised among followers of the UK superstar about his highly anticipated performance at the festival. Showing his commitment to the slot, Sir Rod went on vocal rest during his One Last Time tour and even cancelled four of his Las Vegas residency shows.
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