While it’s a known quantity that Rod Stewart is lined up to hammer it into the prestigious Legends slot at this year’s Glastonbury festival, the exact identity of his inevitable ‘ladies and gentlemen… allow me to introduce…’ guest stars has, until now, been pure speculation.
And having worked alongside myriad stars over the past 60 years it’s conceivable that practically anyone could be joining the octogenarian superstar on stage.
After all, Stewart’s Great American Songbook series of albums (of which there are four) has seen the star duet with Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Bette Midler, Cher, Queen Latifah, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, George Benson, Elton John and Glasto favourite Dolly Parton, so literally anything could happen.
And Stewart had been on the cards to play a one-off gig with Billy Joel in Cincinnati in September this year, a gig which has sadly been cancelled following Joel’s recent medical concerns.
Now we’ve got the first of what could be many stars breaking cover in order to hoover up one last jaunt in front of potentially the biggest audience of their lives. And that first confirmed co-star for Stewart’s Sunday afternoon singalong is… old Faces partner and Rolling Stones stalwart, Ronnie Wood.
Stay With Me…
Stewart, of course, first played with Wood in the Jeff Beck group when Beck quit the Yardbirds in 1967 so it’s safe to say they’ve got some form. Stewart and Wood would then subsequently both jump ship together, joining the remnants of the Small Faces to form Faces in 1969, alongside Ronnie Lane on bass, Ian McLagan on keyboards, and Kenney Jones on drums.
Stewart would go on to huge solo success while Wood achieved similar with The Rolling Stones, with their paths crossing considerably across the intervening decades.
As to whether Stewart’s ‘announcement’ constitutes an official engagement or is simply Stewart ruining a surprise by being a little loose-lipped is up for debate, however. News of Wood's participation comes not via official channels but rather through Stewart’s appearance on Peter Crouch’s That Peter Crouch Podcast.
When asked which of his famous buddies he keeps in touch with, Stewart replied: "Woody, I do a lot. Just recently, 'cause we're gonna do Glastonbury together." Oops.
And Wood might not be the only Faces alumnus who could join Stewart on stage. Bandmate Kenney Jones recently told The Telegraph that the band had been working together on "about 11 tracks," but that fans shouldn't expect a new album anytime soon.
"Everyone's doing different things," Jones explained. "We do little snippets [of recording] here and there. Then all of a sudden, the Stones are out [on tour] again, Rod's out again."
Stewart joins a long line-up of legends who’ve played Glastonbury’s now famous Sunday afternoon slot, with the Gran-pleasing wind-down spearheaded by Tom Jones in 1992, then being followed by Neil Diamond, ELO, Lionel Richie, Tony Bennett, Barry Gibb, Diana Ross and Shania Twain among others.
This year’s slot with Stewart and Friends is scheduled to kick off Sunday, 29 June at 3:15pm.
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