Rod Stewart tells Glastonbury it is "rightly so" people are talking about Middle East but doesn't address Kneecap jibe

Daily Record

29-06-2025

Rod Stewart, 80, performed the teatime slot on the Pyramid Stage on Sunday evening but did not address a jibe directed at him from Irish rappers Kneecap yesterday.
Rod Stewart weighed into the controversy over the conflicts in Gaza dominating Glastonbury as he took the Pyramid stage on Sunday, saying it was only right to bring the Middle East to people's attention at the festival.
Rod, 80, performed Sunday evening's teatime slot delivering a hit packed set with several special guests.
‌
Having been the subject of ribbing by West Belfast rappers Kneecap during their set on Saturday, and just 24 hours after punk duo Bob Vylan led controversial chants of 'free, free Palestine' and 'Death to the IDF' at the Worthy Farm weekender, Rod didn't shy away from a political message of his own.
‌
Believing that another disastrous case of humanitarian suffering was being overlooked in another part of the world, he told the packed crowd who had come to check out his show, 'Thank you very much. This is lovely. I'm so excited I can hardly breathe.
'There has been a lot of talk recently about the Middle East, rightly so, and I want to draw your attention to Ukraine.'
Rod recently helped a family of six from Ukraine to escape the war with Russia, putting them up in a home in Berlin.
Kneecap 's sets.
The BBC have since removed Bob Vylan's performance from the iPlayer and didn't broadcast the set by Kneecap.
In the wake of surprising some with his belief that people should give Reform leader 'Nigel Farage a chance", Kneecap had described Stewart as 'Rod, the Prod' and 'older than Israel'.
‌
But for the most part, his own performance was pure entertainment and packed with his biggest hits and stuck almost entirely to the music.
Taking to the stage to the sound of bagpipes playing Scotland The Brave, he ran through Tonight I'm Yours, Some Guys Have All The Luck, a version of the soul classic Love Train and other covers including Ike & Tina Turner's Proud Mary, Bonnie Tyler's It's A Heartache and his classic version of Cat Stevens' First Cut Is The Deepest complete with harp accompaniment, and a version of the blues classic I'd Rather Go Blind which included a tribute to the late Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac.
‌
With pictures of Rod through the years playing football and a Celtic crest on the bass drum, he danced his way through top Rod classics including Tonight's The Night, Maggie May and You Wear It Well.
Rod kept to his promise of rattling through as many of the hits as he could manage during the 75-minute set.
‌
The singer, who was also joined by Mick Hucknall during his performance of Harold Melvin's If You Don't Know Me by Now, was certainly rolling back the years and seemed to be enjoying every minute and rightly so as he kept the crowd entertained throughout.
He also invited Lulu on with Ronnie Wood, before she was due to appear, then after realising his mistake, shared a nostalgic moment with Ronnie, saying, 'Come on Ronnie, let's remember the old days, my son.'
Glasgow's own Lulu looked amazing for her age, 76, as she lit up the Glastonbury stage by joining Rod Stewart for a raucous rendition of Hot Legs. The Scottish star looked sensational in a white blouse and striking cream suit, topping off the look with oversized sunglasses.
‌
Rod skipped off stage to wild applause after an impressive performance of Sailing, bringing his Glastonbury set to a triumphant close.
Dressed in a green shirt with ' Celtic' across the back, the 80-year-old paid tribute to his beloved football club, with his band also donning Celtic tops for the finale.