This week’s news and gossip

Rod’s cancelled tour dates

As we posted our news report last week fans were still hoping that Rod would recover quickly from the flu that has been plaguing him and would be able to return to the stage at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Saturday but news was coming through that the rest of the dates on this residency were cancelled including the already rescheduled date

Rod posted on his social media “I have to cancel and reschedule my next six concerts in June as I continue to recover from the flu,” he wrote in a statement posted on social media. “So sorry, my friends. I’m devastated and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience to my fans. I’ll be back on stage and we’ll see you soon – Sir Rod.”

The canceled shows are June 7th, 8th and 10th at The Colosseum Theater at Caesars Palace, as well as June 14th at Lake Tahoe. Travelling fans that had already gathered in Vegas made the most of it ..with the help of some Wolfie’s whisky!

June12th in Rancho Mirage, California has been rescheduled to September. 20th, and June15th in Paso Robles, California was rescheduled to September 21th.

On June 29th Rod is still expected to perform during the Legends slot on Sunday afternoon of the legendary British music festival Glastonbury.

More Big Breaking News from Vegas..

Although Rod’s fan’s in Vegas were able to find some Wolfie’s whisky they were not able to find Wolfie’s cut out Rod..Where has he gone?..Have you spotted him anywhere? pictured above is Daniel Beirne and Wolfie’s cut out Rod before he vanished…Let’s hope he turns up!…Wolfie’s ?

BBC Radio 2

Ahead of this year’s Glastonbury festival, Zoe Ball sat down for a chat with this year’s Legends Slot performer, Sir Rod Stewart. They spoke about Glastonbury, his new Ultimate Hits release, Vegas, songwriting, family, fitness and lots more!
Listen to the full show on BBC Sounds https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002ddp3

Rod on TV

Now 80’s is showing Rod in the 80’s – 7 big raspy Rod anthems, from ‘Tonight I’m Yours’ in 1981 to ‘Downtown Train’ right at the end of 1989

From 6:00 AM to 6:30 AM on Saturday 7 June

Rod Stewart in the 80s! airs on NOW 80s at 6:00 AM, Saturday 7 June.

And on Tuesday 10 June Now 70’s will be showing Rod Stewart: 1971-1979 – With 14 top 10 hits, Rod was beaten only by Elvis & Abba in the 70s. Here are 10 great videos, in order, from Maggie May onwards including a couple you may have forgotten from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Rod Stewart: 1971-1979 airs on NOW 70s at 4:00 PM, Tuesday 10 June.

This week’s Rod Art

This week we feature the work of artist Leonor Feijó from Porto, Portugal.

Leonor told SMILER this week “I used to study photography in London.
My mom was a big fan of Sir Rod. She used to cut her hair like him in the 80’s! Some of my memories of my childhood was hearing Rod Stewart in her old red Opel Corsa out loud . Me and my sister singing along on the back seat while mom was driving”

And the good news is you can get prints or posters of this design, To DM for more info or to order and see more of Leonor’s FACES collection go to https://www.instagram.com/leonor_feijo_faces

Beverly Hills

On Saturday Rod was at The Polo Lounge in The Beverly Hills Hotel and Katrina Viray Goldberg was also there and got a fantastic photo taken with him.

The following day Rod went to Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills Kimberley and Sean for lunch.

And on Tuesday Rod went to dinner at Spice Affair Indian Restaurant in Beverly Hills he spoke to waiting reporters saying he had to pause his concerts due to the flu and said he was still weak but his illness was not contagious and he was not bed ridden but he still had to eat.

Lets all pray the voice is back to full strength for 29th June.

Meanwhile Penny was back in the UK ..Hard at work!

First of all on duty at Guild Hall for the City of London Police family day

And then a big announcement..

On Tuesday Penny excitedly announced that she’s written a new autobiography titled Someone Like Me.

The book explores her untold life, including her upbringing, how she coped with undiagnosed dyslexia, a terrifying sexual assault, her career in the fashion industry, her family life with her rocker husband Rod Stewart, and her campaigning efforts for women’s health and safety.

Speaking on social media Penny said “I’m so excited to announce that my new book, Someone Like Me, will be publishing this September!

At times I’ve felt alone and overwhelmed by some of the most difficult experiences I’ve had, but I’ve found that delving deeper and sharing these moments has not only helped me, it’s also had a positive impact on others.

Writing this book has been a challenge, but it’s shown me that we’re all going through something, overcoming difficulties and re-discovering parts of ourselves that we might have lost along the way. Life is full of ups and downs – we’re all learning as we go and embracing this process is where growth and healing happens.

Join me as I reflect upon my lessons in life, love and the importance of staying true to yourself though it all.

I simply can’t wait to share my story with all of you.”

As Penny understands the struggles of dyslexics she is releasing a dyslexia friendly format and she will also voice the audiobook herself rather than employing an actor.

For more details and to preorder your copy for 25th September click on the link below.

In a show of support for Penny Rod proudly wrote: “The light of my life’s new memoir,” on his official Instagram page.

On Thursday Penny was at St James Palace to present Patrick Holden with The Advocate Of The Year award at the Kings Federation Awards

Rod Stewart-Ultimate Hits Signed postcards

We hope you are enjoying our low down of all the hits that are featured on the new upcoming album Rod Stewart Ultimate Hits and don’t forget we gave you a full seven days notice on the free signed postcards offer from the Dig! Store, and there is still time to get one but hurry and don’t miss this exciting opportunity to get your hands on a limited number postcard when you Pre-order any format of Rod Stewart Ultimate Hits album from the Dig! store, while stocks last! https://shop.thisisdig.com/gb/dig/artists/rod-stewart/?j=6802169&sfmc_sub=43199723&l=124447_HTML&u=175212722&mid=6126539&jb=2002&eml=2025June11/6802169/6126539&etsubid=43199723

Ronnie Wood 50th Anniversary

Last week we told you about the new Ronnie Wood exhibition of Ronnie’s original artwork, iconic guitars, and stage-worn costumes – each piece reflecting the spirit and style of one of rock ’n’ roll’s most enduring legends at at RS No. 9 Carnaby, The Rolling Stones Official Store, located at 9 Carnaby Street, London. Luc van der Hoeven went along and took some photos.

Joanne Shaw Taylor

This week we learned about the release of one of the best Faces covers we have ever heard by British blues-rock guitarist and singer-songwriter Joanne Shaw Taylor who has officially released her highly anticipated new album Black & Gold via Journeyman Records.

To mark the occasion, she’s also sharing the album’s latest single, “Love Lives Here“—a soulful reinterpretation of the classic Faces track and a fitting final chapter in the album’s rollout.

“I’m a huge Rod Stewart fan. This is one of my favorite Faces songs,” Joanne shares. “Again, moving forward into what I see as another chapter in my life and music after ten albums, I wanted to put a lot of things behind me but I also wanted to move forward on a positive note. Love lives here, says it all really.”

Produced by Kevin Shirley (Black Crowes, Journey, Aerosmith), Black & Gold finds Joanne pushing her sound into bold new territory, balancing fiery blues-rock with elements of soulful pop, introspective songwriting, and sweeping cinematic textures. The 10-track album features a mix of originals and covers—including a shimmering take on Sam Sparro’s “Black & Gold“—and showcases Joanne’s evolution as a songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist.

Powdefinger

And talking of cover versions exciting news this week is that Rod has recorded a version of Neil Young’s Powderfinger for his next solo album

RIP Brian Wilson 1942-2025

The music world lost a true legend this week, what better tribute could we pay ..

And Finally…

Next up Glasto..

This week all the gear was starting on it’s journey for the big Glastonbury Festival event on 29th June 2025 where Rod is set to become the first artist to both headline the festival and play the Legends Slot

Rod is still trying to get an extra 15 minutes beyond his allotted hour and a quarter..Who are his three guests?..Will you be there?..Are any SMILER‘s going?..Let us know.

See you next week…