Music: Rod Stewart

Jeff Hemmings on Rod’s Brighton connections and love of the beautiful game

Rod the Mod Stewart loves football. “You’re Celtic, United, but baby I’ve decided you’re the best team I’ve ever seen,” he sings in ’You’re In My Heart’. And he is one of only two people to have a seat for life at Celtic Park, such is his passion for the beautiful game, as well as the love and respect that has been extended to Stewart by Celtic. He also has a full size football pitch in the grounds of his UK home, and was even an apprentice player with Brentford FC, although no-one seems to have an accurate picture of what he actually did there.

Hence this short UK tour of outdoor stadia, encompassing four football grounds and Somerset Cricket Ground in Taunton, combining the two things he can do well; play football and sing. Brighton has been chosen partly because it is a place that he visited often during this teenage years, where he did some busking with Wizz Jones, and where he even lived for a while on a houseboat in Shoreham-By-Sea. It is also the place about which he has recently sung about on the track ’Brighton Beach’ which is featured on his most recent album, last year’s Time album, which made number one, his first chart-topper since 1976’s A Night On The Town album.

Although he forged a hugely successful career, singing with acts such as Jeff Beck, The Faces and then with his own solo material, from the mid 70s onwards Stewart has divided opinion; largely eschewing his rootsy r’n’b, soul and folk beginnings, to embrace disco, and the high life of Los Angeles with songs such as Do You Think I’m Sexy and Hot Legs, before moving into MOR and soft rock mode throughout the 80s and 90s. More recently, he has released a number of albums interpreting the ’Great American Songbook’, and although his voice has changed – due to thyroid cancer – Stewart remains an icon of the modern age. Hopefully he’ll avoid his Las Vegas Caesers Palace persona, and get down to business with what he truly loves; rootsy rock’n’roll.
Friday 13 June, 5pm, £55+
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