Facing his own mortality and eager to go out with a bang, rocker Rod Stewart is digging deep into his musical glory days to reward his fans for decades of loyal support.
The 80-year-old “Maggie May” belter rewarded a raucous throng at England’s Glastonbury Music Festival with some sonic nostalgia fueled by a lineup of music luminaries, including former members of his breakout band the Faces — including singer Mick Hucknall and Rolling Stone axman Ronnie Wood — along with legendary Scottish pop star Lulu.
“Rod’s reaching into the past because the future is far from guaranteed,” says an industry source. “It’s his way to pay back the fans for sticking with him since the ’60s.”
The June 29 performance came after the “Forever Young” singer was forced to cancel four shows and reschedule two dates on his last tour because of illness, leading him to announce that the run would “be the end of large-scale world tours for me.”
As the National Enquirer previously reported, the hard-partying rocker was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2000, leading to throat surgery. He was also diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2016, entailing yet another surgery, this time to remove malignant tissue.
Still, he has plans to cut one last album with the Faces, and sources are saying he’s treating it as a parting gift.
“He’s clearly giving fans the big farewell they’re desperate for,” says the source.
