Rod Stewart to play festival’s legends slot

Rock star Rod Stewart has been confirmed to play Glastonbury’s legends slot in 2025, 23 years after his final look on the competition.

Among the best-selling artists of all time, he’ll comply with within the footsteps of Dolly Parton, Barry Gibb, Shania Twain and Kylie Minogue by enjoying the coveted Sunday teatime slot.

The information comes shortly after the star introduced his intention to cease enjoying “large-scale world excursions” on the finish of 2025.

The 79-year-old stated he was “proud, prepared and greater than in a position to pleasure and titillate my pals at Glastonbury” subsequent June.

The Sunday afternoon slot all the time attracts one of many greatest crowds of the competition, and Sir Rod will grow to be the primary particular person to have headlined the occasion and been given legends billing.

Stewart beforehand headlined the competition in 2002, alongside Coldplay and Stereophonics.

That yr, organisers have been testing a five-mile “superfence” to maintain out gatecrashers, which was successful.

“You’ve got had some fantastic press everywhere in the nation as a result of the whole lot’s been so well-behaved and orderly,” the Scottish singer informed the viewers throughout his Sunday evening set.

“I do not know if that is an excellent factor or a nasty factor – however not less than we all know Glastonbury’s going to go on for the subsequent 30 years.”

At first, “the gang was cautious” of the musician, who “seemed to be taking himself too critically”, stated the BBC’s Ian Youngs in a evaluate of the present.

“However waverers have been gained over by the double whammy of Maggie Might and Do Ya Suppose I am Attractive? half an hour into his set, when the gang realised that he actually was tacky sufficient to be admitted to the Glastonbury Corridor of Fame.”

Enjoying to the viewers, Stewart preened and posed his method by means of the hits, with an array of costume modifications that ended with a white ruffled shirt, unbuttoned nearly to the navel.

He ended the evening with Crusing, inspiring a mass singalong as fireworks exploded over the Pyramid Stage.

Stewart is the primary act to be confirmed for Glastonbury 2025.

The occasion will happen on Worthy Farm in Somerset from 25 to 29 June, with rumoured headliners together with Sam Fender, Olivia Rodrigo, Stevie Surprise, Eminem and Charli XCX.

This yr’s occasion noticed Dua Lipa and SZA make their debuts on the high of the invoice, with Coldplay enjoying a record-breaking sixth headline present.

Tickets, which value £373.50 plus a £5 reserving payment, have already offered out. The final time Stewart performed, the value was set at £97 – making it the final time the competition value lower than £100.

A restricted variety of resale tickets for subsequent yr’s occasion will go on sale within the New Yr.