Rod Stewart is the first act confirmed for Glastonbury 2025, with the festival announcing the rock star will play the Legends slot on the Pyramid Stage.
The appearance will mark 23 years since their last performance at the festival.
Sir Rod, 79, will play the famous Sunday teatime ‘legends’ slot, following in Shania Twain’s footsteps in 2024.
Rod told the BBC he was “proud and ready” to play the festival, adding that, at the age of 79, he was “more than capable of pleasing and exciting” audiences.
He previously headlined the festival in 2002, alongside Coldplay and Stereophonics.
His appearance was announced by co-organiser Emily Eavis in an Instagram post on Tuesday, which read: “Bringing Sir Rod Stewart back for the Sunday afternoon slot on the Pyramid Stage is everything we could wish for.”
Rod Stewart is the first act confirmed for Glastonbury 2025, with the festival announcing the rock star will play the Legends slot on the Pyramid Stage.
‘What a way to say goodbye to the last legends position before we take a fallow year. We can’t wait.’
The singer, who turns 80 in January, will become one of the oldest artists to perform a major set at Glastonbury. Burt Bacharach played the Pyramid stage in 2015 at the age of 87, while Paul McCartney headlined the week after turning 80, in 2022.
The Glastonbury announcement comes days after Rod told fans he plans to end large-scale world tours.
Rod said his 2025 European and North American tour dates will be his last major projects, but he doesn’t want to hang up the mic just yet.
He wrote: “This will be the end of my large-scale world tours, but I have no desire to retire.
‘I love what I do and I do what I love. I’m fit, I have a full head of hair and I can run 100 meters in 18 seconds at the cheerful age of 79.’
Hitmaker Maggie May added that she wants to perform in more intimate venues for her next tour scheduled for 2026, following the release of the Swing Fever album with Jools Holland earlier this year.
He said, “I’d like to move on to a Great American Songbook, Swing Fever tour next year: smaller venues and more intimacy.” But of course, he may not do it. The ambiguous Sir Rod Stewart.
His appearance was announced by Emily Eavis in a post on Instagram, which read: “Bringing Sir Rod back for the Sunday afternoon slot on the Pyramid Stage is everything we could wish for.”
Sir Rod will also headline a new Las Vegas residency from March to June at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
The musician’s European tour will end on May 13 at the MEO Arena in Lisbon, Portugal, while his final North American tour date is scheduled for August 15 at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater in St Louis, Missouri.
In July, Sir Rod said he is “not afraid” of dying before his 80th birthday, adding that he intends to stay for another 15 years.
he said the sun: ‘I am aware that my days are numbered but I am not afraid. We all have to pass away at some point, so we are all in the same basket. I’m going to enjoy these last few years as much as I can. I say few, probably another 15. I can do it easily mate, easy.
“I’m not like I was in the ’70s and ’80s and I can’t stay up all night, get drunk and go crazy and still have a voice like that. Nowadays I have to protect my voice before and after every show.
‘But no, do you think I just have water on my rider? You’re talking to Rod Stewart, man. We go crazy after every show. There are 13 of us, six women, really great musicians and I make them drink. We love it.’
Rod, who has had prostate and thyroid cancer, said: “I’m more conscious of my health now than I was before. You should be when you start to get a little better. It’s very important. I’m a bit of a hypochondriac. I think men in particular should take advantage of all the wonderful medical science that exists.
The Glastonbury announcement comes days after Rod told fans he plans to end large-scale world tours.
For his 80th birthday in January, Rod knows he will be throwing a big party, but he recently revealed that his wife Penny Lancaster, 53, has been keeping further details a secret from him.
Despite this, he revealed that he does not take any medication apart from an anti-inflammatory if his knee causes him problems.
Rod said he works out three or four times a day and his personal trainer, who he has worked with for more than three decades, keeps him on track.
For his 80th birthday in January, Rod knows he will be throwing a spectacular bash – but revealed his wife Penny Lancaster, 53, has been keeping further details a secret from him.
His eight children are also said to be actively involved in the planning. Rod is the father of Sarah Streeter, 61; Kimberly, 45, Sean, 44, and Ruby Stewart, 37, with his first wife; Renee, 32, and Liam Stewart, 30, with their second; and Alastair, 19, and Aiden Stewart, 13, with their third, Penny.