Sir Rod Stewart has told fans that his upcoming “The Final Encore” tour will “definitely” be his last, announcing a huge show at The O2 in London on May 11, 2027 to close the UK and Ireland leg.
The concert will be the final date of the British and Irish run, which also takes in Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, Birmingham and Manchester.
In a statement announcing the tour, the 81-year-old said: “My dear friends, the time has come to say farewell to life on the road. After more than six decades, The Final Encore will most definitely be my last.”
“I’ve been singing the music I love since I was 19 years old, and I’ve had the privilege of taking it around the world to all of you,” he added. “It has given me a life beyond anything I could ever have imagined, and I hope I’ve given you some fond memories in return.”
“So, may I take this opportunity to thank you for making this extraordinary life possible. I hope you’ll join me so I can thank you the best way I know how, with the music and one hell of a show. See you there.”
A farewell fans have heard before
The word “definitely” is doing some heavy lifting in this announcement – and Rod Stewart’s fans know it.
The singer’s previous outing was pointedly named the “One Last Time” tour, and when he cut its US and Mexican dates short earlier this year, many assumed the curtain had finally come down. Instead, a matter of months later comes another farewell, this time with a firmer adjective attached.
That is not to doubt the sincerity of the statement. At 81, and with recent health scares behind him, the logistics of life on the road look very different from the days when Stewart could sprint through two-hour shows night after night. But London gig-goers would be forgiven a wry smile: in rock and roll, “final” tours have a habit of finding an encore.
The full list of UK and Ireland dates is as follows:
- April 23 – 3Arena, Dublin
- April 27 – SSE Arena, Belfast
- April 29 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow
- May 4 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham
- May 6 – Co-op Live, Manchester
- May 11 – The O2, London
1980s synth-pop star Howard Jones will join as special guest for the UK and Ireland dates.
Health battles behind the announcement
The announcement follows a difficult year for the singer. He cut short the “One Last Time” tour across the US and Mexico earlier this year following a heart operation, a run that had been due to continue into September and included a Las Vegas residency.
He also postponed a number of earlier shows this year on medical advice, citing a sinus infection and a respiratory infection that led to laryngitis.
His wife, Lady Penny Lancaster, has spoken about the toll performing takes on the singer – and why doctors urged caution.
“He’s back at full speed in his day-to-day activities, but doctor’s orders were to kind of postpone or cancel the current tour, because you know the risk factors involved,” she said.
“I did have to explain to the doctor what Rod’s performances are like, he doesn’t just sit down on a stool or behind a piano, he runs around for nearly two hours with four different costume changes because he’s sweating through everything.
“So, I compared him to either a boxer coming out of his dressing room on the way to the ring, or a horse coming out of the blocks. I mean, he runs on and he’s like, you know, straight into it, 100 miles an hour and doesn’t stop.”
She added that the tour had been cancelled “just for precaution” – describing it as “like running a sprint for him” – and said the decision had left Sir Rod “devastated”, but insisted: “He’s going to come back stronger than ever. I found it hard enough as it was to slow him down, so now he feels like he’s got a new lease of life.”
A London homecoming to end it all
There is a neat symmetry in Stewart choosing London for the final bow of the UK leg. His career began as a busker on the streets of the capital in the early 1960s, playing alongside guitarist Wizz Jones, before he rose to fame with The Jeff Beck Group and then the Faces, and finally launched one of the most successful solo careers in British music.
To start out singing for passers-by and finish, more than sixty years later, headlining the Greenwich riverside arena in front of thousands of Londoners is the kind of full-circle moment songwriters dream about.
For London concertgoers, landing the closing night is a genuine coup. The O2’s calendar is already one of the most crowded in the country – the arena’s winter programme is stacked with the likes of Mariah Carey, Muse and Kasabian – and a farewell show from a homegrown star of Stewart’s stature is likely to be among the most in-demand tickets of 2027.
Six decades, 25 top 10s and 11 number one albums
The numbers behind Stewart’s career remain staggering: 25 UK top 10 singles, including six number ones, and 11 UK number one albums. Hits such as “You Wear It Well”, “Sailing” and “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” have made him one of the defining voices of British rock and pop.
He is part of a generation of British performers who simply refuse to leave the stage quietly – Sir Elton John is still opening brand-new London venues, while the capital keeps honouring its musical greats with landmark concerts.
Tickets for The Final Encore tour go on general sale on October 2 via Sir Rod’s official website, with several presales available beforehand.
