We didn't know we still needed Rod Stewart. The 80-year-old has not been overly important musically lately, but he somehow became an icon even if many people cannot say exactly why. He's got that voice, so maybe that's it.
Recently, he has used his voice to espouse political views about the UK. Sir Rod has a right to do so, of course, as he is British, and everyone has a right to speak their views in the country they live in. We don't have to agree necessarily, and loads don't with Stewart's recent words.
He has expressed that he quite likes far-right politician Nigel Farage, who was important in getting the UK to leave the European Union, as well as saying good things about divisive United States president Donald Trump. Farage also has a right to speak his views, Stewart can say he likes them, but we don't have to like Farage or Stewart.
Rod Stewart might get a late-career surge due to some controversy he stirred
The issue came up recently ahead of Stewart's Glastonbury festival set, where he was first called out by Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap and then Kate Nash. During their set, Kneecap asked if anyone was actually going to go to Stewart's show the next day (many did). They didn't care for what Stewart had to say about Farage.
Nash took the whole thing to another level. She told the crowd, "(Expletive) Rod Stewart! This one goes out to (UK Prime Minister) Keir Starmer, J.K. Rowling, Rod Stewart, and Nigel (expletive) Farage."
The beef from Rowling stems from her outspoken views against transgender people. Starmer tends to have conservative views.
But let's say you are a fan of Rod Stewart. Perhaps you love his hit songs, which mostly appeared 40 years ago. If you do like him, you might want to know that his set at Glastonbury featured a couple of invitees. Simply Red's Mick Hucknall joined him for a rendition of "If You Don't Know Me by Now," and Ronnie Wood, who was with Stewart in Faces, joined the singer for a couple of songs.
Stewart's full set list is below (and yes, there are a lot of covers), but the real winner throughout all this mess is Rod Stewart. People will buy streams of his music simply because his name is in the news. Nothing wrong with adding a few more dollars to his reported net worth of nearly $300 million, right?
- 1. "Tonight I'm Yours (Don't Hurt Me)"
- 2. "Having a Party" (Sam Cooke cover)
- 3. "Some Guys Have All the Luck" (The Persuaders cover)
- 4. "Love Train" (The O’Jays cover)
- 5. "The First Cut Is the Deepest" (Cat Stevens cover)
- 6. "Tonight's the Night" (Gonna Be Alright)
- 7. "Forever Young" (with Riverdance interlude)
- 8. "You Wear It Well"
- 9. "Maggie May" (includes a snippet of Gasoline Alley)
- 10. "Young Turks"
- 11. "It's a Heartache" (Bonnie Tyler cover)
- 12. "I'd Rather Go Blind" (Etta James cover)
- 13. "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?"
- 14. "Lady Marmalade" (The Eleventh Hour cover) (Sung by backing singers)
- 15. "I Don't Want to Talk About It" (Crazy Horse cover)
- 16. "If You Don't Know Me by Now" (Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes cover) (with Mick Hucknall)
- 17. "Baby Jane"
- 18. "Proud Mary" (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover) (Sung by backing singers)
- 19. "Stay With Me" (Faces song) (with Ronnie Wood)
- 20. "Hot Legs" (with Lulu) (and Ronnie Wood)
- 21. "Sailing" (The Sutherland Brothers Band cover)