This week’s news and gossip

Photo Gerald Widhalm

Tetsu

It was confirmed over the weekend that former Faces bass player Tetsu Yamauchi, has died at the age of 79. News of his death was confirmed by his family in a statement on X, which read: “To all of you who have always supported us. On December 4, Reiwa 7 [The year 2025 in the Japanese calendar], Tetsu Yamauchi passed away peacefully, surrounded by family. We sincerely thank everyone who enjoyed Tetsu’s music and offered kind words until now. Those were fun times. It’s a long time, but a short time.”

World Cup draw

Just after we posted the N & G on Friday the 2026 world cup draw was done in arguably the most exciting day in the pre-tournament build-up as the qualified teams learn their opponents for next summer’s competition.

The Americans spared no expense at the Kennedy Center in Washington, where Donald Trump was in attendance and played a huge part in proceedings.

With performances from Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger, and Lauryn Hill. Village People, the ‘YMCA’ hitmakers who have been adopted by Trump for his MAGA rallies, brought the curtain down at the end.

England and Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand is drew the balls out of the pots alongside Al Jazeera’s Samantha Johnson.

Rod was eager to hear Scotland Scotland handed tough draw against Brazil and 2022 semi-finalists Morocco plus Haiti. But with the scramble for tickets set to crank up in earnest tonight, even multi-millionaire Rod quipped the prices could be out of his range. e said: “I find it hard that tickets are going to be selling for £2,000.

“I can’t even afford it.”

His comments come after it was revealed on Wednesday how briefs are already on sale £1,000 to a shocking £33,000.

Zürich, Switzerland

While in Zurich on Saturday Rod visited the FIFA Museum

and got to see the iconic Jules Rimet Trophy and get a great photo of it

And Giuseppe Carlo Li Pira got a great photo with Rod

As did pascalgino28

Here is the report from the museum reproduced with thanks to Media Relations Manager Patrick Tobler at The FIFA Museum

Sir Rod Stewart graces FIFA Museum in Zurich

The FIFA Museum was honoured to welcome Sir Rod Stewart on Saturday afternoon for a private guided tour. The legendary British singer, fresh from his concert at Zurich’s Hallenstadion the night before, explored the exhibitions to immerse himself in the rich history and culture of international football and the FIFA World Cup™.

A lifelong football fan, Sir Rod Stewart expressed particular delight in revisiting World Cup memories and voiced his anticipation for Scotland’s participation in the FIFA World Cup 2026™. He was captivated by the museum’s iconic treasures, including the Jules Rimet Trophy, took keen interest in the stories behind the artifacts and also enjoyed a look into the new current temporary exhibition “Innovation in Action: Football Technologies on and off the Pitch“.

What a wonderful surprise for the other visitors! Sir Rod’s visit took place during public opening hours, visitors immediately recognised him. True to his reputation as a gracious cultural icon, he posed for photographs with fans, creating a memorable experience for all present.

The FIFA Museum celebrates football as a cultural force that unites people across borders. Sir Rod Stewart’s visit reflects the deep connection between music and football as two universal languages that inspire passion and bring communities together.

to find out more about The FIFA Museum and see the original article go to https://www.fifamuseum.com/en

Hallenstadion in Zurich

On Friday it was party night in Switzerland SMILER photographer Marc Baulisch-Steines was on hand to bring us more superb photos and here are the thoughts from Martin Heidt

Even neutrality fell by the wayside: Zurich pays homage to Sir Rod
So much for neutral Swiss people. That may be true on a political level, but last night the Swiss completely abandoned their famous neutrality and took a clear stand: in favour of Sir Rod Stewart. Around 15,000 fans came to the Hallenstadion in Zurich to experience what may be the British singer’s last performance in the land of precision watches, high-quality chocolate and cheese fondue. And in the end, no one had any regrets about spending their hard-earned francs.

Sir Rod proved once again in the city of 400,000 inhabitants on Lake Zurich that age is just a number. In high spirits, the singer, who will turn 81 in a few weeks, walked onto the stage at 8 p.m. sharp, like Swiss clockwork.

From the very first beat, the Swiss, otherwise known for their reserve and reticence, switched into full party mode, with a man with tousled hair and a rough voice providing the musical accompaniment.The audience danced and sang along at the top of their lungs, with some fans even going completely wild when . At the front, many fans wearing jerseys from Stewart’s favourite club, Celtic, pushed closer and closer to the stage.

They wanted to look the master straight in the eye, to high-five him.Stewart enjoyed this evening, as he had enjoyed all the others before, and left hardly anything to be desired with his selection of hits. Whether ‘Forever Young’, ‘Maggie May’, ‘Baby Jane’ or ‘Young Turks’, the set list in Zurich was also a cross-section of 60 years of a magnificent musical career. At an age when his peers tend to spend their twilight years with a cup of tea in an armchair in front of the television, Sir Rod dances and swings across the stage, swings his hips and blows kisses to the crowd, who can’t get enough of it all.Of course, at almost 81, he had to take a little break here and there and refresh himself backstage, but then the once again magnificent band (it cannot be mentioned often enough) took over and did not allow the good mood in the arena to diminish even slightly

before Stewart returned in a new outfit.Time flew by, and when Rod, wearing a captain’s hat on his tousled hair, sang ‘I am sailing, I am sailing, home again, cross the sea…’, some realised that the end of the show was near.During ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy’, the obligatory signed footballs had been thrown into the crowd, and during ‘Love Train’, the finale of this sensational evening, large, colourful balloons rained down from the ceiling.

After about two hours, Sir Rod left the stage with a quick wave to the crowd. The lights came on, the show was over. And there was not one among the 15,000 who would not want a repeat performance.The fans made their way home, still buzzing with excitement. Claudia K. couldn’t stop raving as she headed for one of the exits of the Hallenstadion: ‘I’m still floating on air! What a great concert! Just WOW!’ And Claudia M. simply said: ‘I bow down to that voice, that man, unbelievable.’

Set List

• Infatuation
• Tonight I’m Yours
• Twistin’ The Night Away
• It Takes Two
• It’s A Heartache
• The First Cut Is The Deepest
• Tonight’ s The Night
• Forever Young
• Baby Jane
• Young Turks
• Maggie May
• I’d Rather Go Blind
• Downtown Train
• I’m Every Woman (Band only)
• I Don’t Want To Talk ABout It
• People Get Ready
• Have I Told You Lately
• Proud Mary (Band only)
• Da Ya Think I’m Sexy
• Some Guys Have All The Luck
• Hot Legs
• Sailing
• Love Train

Olympiastadion München Spiridon-Louis, München

On Sunday Rod was in Munich

Before the concert the band celebrated the birthday of Andrea Young

Then it was show time and SMILER photographer Marc Baulisch-Steines got more exclusive shots and here are the thoughts of Martin Heidt including how two lucky fans won tickets supplied by Wolfie’s with more great added shots from Lars Knobbe

Wolfie’s ticket winners experienced Rod Stewart in Munich

Wednesday, 3 December 2025:

The lines were buzzing between the United Kingdom and the Belgian North Sea coast as the marketing team at Wolfie’s Whisky and the editors of our little Rod Stewart website busily exchanged emails. The topic: a possible collaboration on a promotional campaign to boost sales of Wolfie’s at Lidl in Germany. Ideas were exchanged and then discarded. Then they agreed on a spontaneous ticket raffle for Rod Stewart’s concert in Munich a few days later and discussed how to proceed. By 7 p.m., everything had been discussed and the competition went ‘on air’.

At the same time, Manuel Steiger sat relatively desperate in front of his computer in his hometown of Bad Wimpfen, a community of 7,000 inhabitants located about 80 kilometres from Stuttgart. After the die-hard Rod Stewart fan had attended the singer’s concert in Mannheim at the end of November, he had been gripped by fever and was trying to get tickets for the show in Munich the following Sunday at the last minute.

But all his attempts were unsuccessful; the concert in the Olympiahalle had been sold out for weeks. Tickets were no longer available.

Just as he was about to give up, he stumbled across the Wolfie’s Whisky campaign, which was giving away two tickets for the Munich show in cooperation with Lidl Germany and Storyteller.

Last chance

Manuel seized what was essentially his last chance to get tickets and ordered a bottle of whisky from the Lidl online shop via the link provided on the Storyteller website. This put Steiger, who describes himself as a Stewart fan ‘since I was born’, into the prize draw.

‘I didn’t really expect to win,’ the Kraichgau native admitted in an interview with Storyteller. ‘But I wanted to at least give it a try.’ And in the end, he was lucky enough to be picked as the winner from the well-filled lottery drum. Let’s take a look back at the event manager’s experiences over the last few days.

Friday, 5 December 2025

5 p.m.:

Wolfie’s Whisky’s ticket campaign ended at 5 p.m. sharp, and from then on, nothing more could be done. All participants registered up to that point were now entered into the prize draw. The Wolfie’s team then proceeded quite quickly with the draw. A few minutes later, an email popped up in Manuel Steiger’s inbox. Sender: Wolfie’s Whisky. The prize notification. At first, Steiger, who had just finished work, had no idea how lucky he was. It was only about an hour later that he noticed an unread email in his inbox. ‘Oh my God. Did I really win? I had to fight back a few tears,’ the Stewart fan replied to the team at Wolfie’s, adding that he would love to travel to Munich with his partner.

The two names were immediately added to the guest list, with a note that Manuel would have to pick up the tickets on Sunday at the box office at the Olympiahalle.​​

8 p.m.:

Sir Rod Stewart took to the stage in Zurich and played his show to a sold-out Hallenstadion. In Bad Wimpfen, the overwhelmed ticket winners were still winding down the evening with a glass of wine. The anticipation for the trip to Munich grew by the minute.

Saturday, 6 December 2025

8 a.m.

Bad news early in the morning from Bad Wimpfen! Manuel’s partner Verena had fallen ill overnight, making it impossible for her to travel to Munich. Manuel immediately contacted the organisers and asked if it would be possible to transfer the second ticket to another person.

Sunday, 7 December 2025

5:33 a.m., Bad Wimpfen: At the crack of dawn, the smartphone rang in the Steiger household. The transfer of the second ticket to another person was confirmed by Wolfie’s and added to the guest list. Nothing now stood in the way of the trip to Munich. The Steigers now entered a hectic phase. The fan shirts had to be found, as they wanted to adhere to the correct ‘dress code’ in the Olympiahalle. Once a Rod fan, always a Rod fan, and Manuel and his father Kurt, who was now going to enjoy the concert, wanted to show that. Father Steiger was particularly excited, as he is a percussionist in the cover band SROF Revival, which has been performing Rod Stewart songs for 32 years. Seeing the man whose songs he plays time and again live filled him with great pride.

3.30 p.m., Munich: Rod Stewart, who had flown in from Zurich the day before, left his hotel in Munich city centre and made his way to the Olympiahalle quite early. Once there, he immediately retired to his dressing room and turned on the television. A technician from his crew had set up the Celtic TV stream on the television, so the die-hard Celtic fan could now watch the top match of the Scottish Premiership between the Hoops and the Hearts of Edinburgh. At this point, Manuel and his father Kurz had just set off from Bad Wimpfen on the 300-kilometre journey to Munich.

4 p.m.: Kick-off in Glasgow. Rod’s relaxed attitude was gone, and the tension rose with the kick-off in Glasgow. Celtic went into the game in second place and wanted to climb to the top of the table with a win. The match against Hearts was also the first game for new manager Wilfried Nancy.

4:22 p.m.: Rod was satisfied. Celtic were clearly superior in the early stages of the game, playing with determination and creating the first chances. The opening goal for the Bhoys was in the air.

4:44 p.m.: But then: a fixed stare, his mouth reduced to a thin line – Sir Rod had to watch as Claudio Braga scored the opening goal for Hearts. Shortly afterwards, it was half-time and Celtic were behind. The singer’s mood had certainly been better.

5:05 p.m.: Referee Don Robertson blew the whistle for the second half at Celtic Park in pouring rain. Rod shifted nervously back and forth in his chair.

5:25 p.m.: Another mood killer from Glasgow. The Hearts scored their second goal through Oisin McEntee. Rod watched in disbelief on TV as the Hearts formed a jubilant huddle on the pitch for the second time.

5.30 p.m.: Meanwhile, on stage at the Olympiahalle, the band checked the sound, without their boss, who was suffering along with his Hoops just a few metres away. After a good 25 minutes, everything was perfect, the sound was right, and the lighting technicians also reported that everything was okay!

5.53 p.m.: A loud cry came from the Stewart dressing room. Kieran Tierney had just scored for the Hoops at Celtic Park, 1,800 kilometres away, reducing the deficit to 1-2. However, it was only in injury time, with only a few minutes left to at least get a draw. And shortly afterwards, the final whistle blew, and Rod trudged out of the dressing room in a foul mood.

6.30 p.m.: In front of the Olympiahalle, the fans’ wait is over, the doors open and long queues form at the entrances. The first bags and tickets are checked.

7 p.m.: While Sir Rod warmed up his voice backstage and prepared for the show, Manuel and his father Kurt had arrived at the hall and treated themselves to some refreshments at one of the numerous snack stands. Picking up the tickets at the box office went smoothly, and then they took a look at the merchandise stand before taking their reserved seats to the side of the stage. Kurt and Manuel soaked up the atmosphere, just like the Celtic players had done a few hours earlier when they stepped onto the turf at Celtic Park for the first time. The Olympiahalle filled up more and more with every passing minute.

​7.30 p.m.: The countdown was on, and in front of the stage a group of fans, all wearing Celtic jerseys, stood together in a circle and chatted animatedly. Others leafed through the tour programme they had just bought, while others rushed outside again to get a drink or two. Shortly before 8 p.m., the Olympiahalle, where Rod Stewart was performing for the 17th time this year, was filled to capacity. 12,000 fans had come – the Olympiahalle was sold out.

8 p.m.: The obligatory bagpipe music sounded, ‘Scotland the Brave’ blared from the loudspeakers, and then the red curtain rose. Manuel and Kurt enjoyed the approximately two-hour show from the first to the last second

‘It was a great evening, Rod was in an extremely good mood, despite the football result,’ Manuel told the Storyteller the next day. ‘The set list left nothing to be desired. We had a really great time.’

Father Steiger sang along fervently. Despite the party atmosphere, Manuel didn’t forget to take a few souvenir photos with his smartphone. ‘Unfortunately, I didn’t get a ball, one landed right next to me with the person sitting next to me.’ But in the end, that was secondary. ‘We are infinitely grateful to Wolfie’s for allowing us to experience this show. You never know if it was the last concert in Germany.’

With that, he hurried back to the car with his father in tow through the Munich rain. Leaving the car park at the Olympic Stadium wasn’t without its problems, ‘you know how it is in Munich when events at the Olympic Park end,’ said Manuel, but then they got on the motorway without further delays and drove the 300 kilometres back home, where they arrived at around 2 a.m. and sank into bed, feeling elated.

‘We would like to take this opportunity to thank Wolfie’s and his partners once again for organising the competition,’ said Manuel the next day. ‘Basically, it still feels a bit like a dream that we were in Munich yesterday.’ But dreaming is allowed, and so the two Stewart fans are hoping that the concert in Munich was not the British singer’s last appearance in Germany. ‘If he really does come back, we’ll be there again, and my partner will be coming too.’

​Party under the tent roof: Rod Stewart at the Olympic Hall in Munich​​

Superstar Rod Stewart ended his German tour with another magnificent show in Munich, which took him to Hamburg, Leipzig, Mannheim, Cologne and, of course, the Olympic Hall under its world-famous tent roof over the past two weeks. We look back on another spectacular concert in Munich.

It is 7.30 p.m. on Sunday evening. The hall is already noticeably full, and in front of the stage a group of fans, all wearing Celtic jerseys, are standing together and chatting animatedly. Others are leafing through the tour programme they have purchased, while others are rushing outside to get a drink or two. Shortly before 8 p.m., the Olympiahalle, where Rod Stewart is performing for the 17th time this year, is filled to capacity. Around 12,000 fans have come and are eagerly waiting for the red curtain in front of the stage to finally rise.

8 p.m.: The lights go out, ‘Scotland The Brave’ booms from the loudspeakers – it’s showtime. After a few moments, the curtain rises and Sir Rod and his band kick off: “Infatuation” is today’s concert opener, and things continue at a similarly rapid pace with ‘Tonight I’m Yours’ and ‘Twistin’ The Night Away’. The Munich audience is already at operating temperature after the first few bars, which also dispels any lingering bad mood Sir Rod may have had after the Celtic defeat.

And without further ado, the show continues. ‘It Takes Two’ and ‘Have You Ever Seen The Rain’ – the fans, not just those in the front rows, sing along to every line. Then the atmosphere in the hall turns romantic for the first time: during ‘The First Cut Is The Deepest’ and ‘Tonight’s The Night’, the first lighters are lit, couples lie in each other’s arms and revel in memories of the big hits from the 1970s.

After ‘Forever Young’, Sir Rod presents the audience with what is probably the biggest surprise of the evening: with ‘(I Know) I’m Losing You’, he announces a song that ‘we don’t play very often’, but which is particularly well received by those who have been attending the British singer’s concerts regularly for many years. Otherwise, Sir Rod rocks and rolls through the hits of his career, leaving out hardly any of the hits from his magnificent career, from ‘Maggie May’ to ‘Baby Jane’ and ‘Have I Told You Lately’. In between, Sir Rod changes his outfit several times, as we have come to expect from him since the colourful 80s. When he disappears briefly behind the stage, his musicians take over the stage and do so in Munich with ‘I’m Every Woman’ and ‘Proud Mary’ in their usual impressive manner.

Signed footballs then usher in the final phase of the evening with ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy’, and the soon-to-be 81-year-old singer steps on the gas once again with ‘Some Guys Have All The Luck’ and ‘Hot Legs’ before donning a captain’s hat for the grand finale with ‘Sailing’. Because the fans still can’t get enough, the curtain rises once more and Stewart – accompanied by balloons raining down from the ceiling – races across the stage with ‘Love Train’ as an encore.

10:02 p.m.: The show is over. The audience rushes towards the exits, while others, after two hours of singing along and dancing, first need something to drink and a little refreshment. For some, their feet are no longer up to the task after two hours of continuous dancing.

Set list:

Infatuation

Tonight I’m Yours

Twistin’ The Night Away

It Takes Two

Have You Ever Seen The Rain

The First Cut Is The Deepest

Tonight’s The Night

Forever Young

(I Know) I’m Losing You

Baby Jane

Young Turks

Maggie May

I’d Rather Go Blind

Downtown Train

I’m Every Woman (band only)

I Don’t Want To Talk About It

People Get Ready

Have I Told You Lately

Proud Mary (Band only)

Da Ya Think I’m Sexy

Some Guys Have All The Luck

Hot Legs

Sailing

Love Train

Wiener Stadthalle Wien, Austria 

On Tuesday it was the Austrian fans chance to see Rod , Christian Rischer and Gerald Widhalm were at the show and got some superb shots and here is the review by Martin Heidt

An evening that surpassed all expectations: Vienna lies at Sir Rod’s feet

At the risk of repeating ourselves, Sir Rod Stewart once again thrilled the crowds last night at the sold-out Wiener Stadthalle, proving once again that age really is just a number.

Shortly after 4 p.m. on Monday afternoon, the singer arrived at Vienna’s Schwechat Airport in his jet from Munich. After a short drive into the city, he checked into his hotel and spent the evening at the posh Italian restaurant Fabios.

Was it the good food? In any case, a very cheerful Sir Rod (and here we repeat ourselves) took to the stage at the Stadthalle at 8 p.m. sharp the next day, where 10,500 visitors cheered him on frenetically.

From the first beat of ‘Infatuation’, the party was in full swing, with the whole of Vienna celebrating the music legend, who danced across the stage for two hours, twirled the microphone stand and repeatedly sought contact with the fans in the front rows.

Rod Stewart is like a good wine: the older, the better.
And the audience thanked the Brit, jumping out of their seats right from the start, singing along word for word and making it easy for Stewart and his band on stage to have a good evening.
Of course, and we repeat ourselves for the third time, the Austrian capital was not deprived of the big hits that made Sir Rod the superstar he is today.

Whether ‘Maggie May’, ‘Baby Jane’ or ‘Sailing’ – the set list left nothing to be desired. The Kronen Zeitung newspaper attested that the singer was ‘in top form’ and rightly spoke of a ‘concert evening in a class of its own’.

The paper noted that some members of the audience had tears in their eyes when Sir Rod, wearing a captain’s hat, struck up his global hit ‘Sailing’, a song that has accompanied many of the concertgoers for decades and has become the anthem of their lives for many.

Some of those present may well have looked at the stage with a touch of envy. Right from the start, the almost 81-year-old whirled across the stage like a whirlwind to his hits ‘Tonight I’m Yours’ and ‘Twistin’ The Night Away’. And this energy hardly waned throughout the entire two hours, apart from a few short trips backstage to freshen up or change into a new outfit.

The Kronen Zeitung newspaper noted that Rod ‘is a prime example of how enjoying life is probably the most important factor’ and paid tribute to the singer: ‘Rod Stewart gave Vienna a gala evening that exceeded all expectations.’

Set List

Infatuation
Tonight I’m Yours
Some Guys Have All The Luck
It Takes Two
Twistin’ The Night Away
It’s A Heartache
The First Cut Is The Deepest
You’re In My Heart
Forever Young
(I Know) I’m Losing You
Baby Jane
Young Turks
Maggie May
I’d Rather Go Blind
Downtown Train
I’m Every Woman (Band only)
I Don’t Want To Talk About It
People Get Ready
Have I Told You Lately
Proud Mary (Band only)
Da Ya Think I’m Sexy
Hot Legs
Sailing
Love Train

While in Vienna Rod visited FABIOS a Mediterranean restaurant and bar with Italian spirit in the heart of Vienna

Arena 8888, Sofia, Bulgaria

On Thursday the band were in Bulgaria SMILER photographer Marc Baulisch-Steines was attending and got more exclusive photos and here are the thoughts of Martin Heidt

An evening of great emotion: Rod Stewart in Sofia
​​
​For the very first time ever, and if the tour slogan ‘One Last Time’ is to be believed, then possibly for the last time, superstar Sir Rod Stewart performed in the Bulgarian capital Sofia yesterday evening.

Bulgarian fans, who due to political circumstances in recent decades have not necessarily been blessed with a multitude of performances by international artists, were probably even more ‘on fire’ than visitors to the British singer’s previous concerts and celebrated to their hearts’ content.
Sir Rod, in high spirits, which was to change over the course of the evening, but more on that later, kept to English punctuality in Sofia and opened the evening at 8 p.m. sharp with his 1980 hit ‘Infatuation,’ which he quickly followed with other smash hits. ‘Tonight I’m Yours’, ‘Some Guys Have All The Luck’ and ‘Twistin’ The Night Away’ quickly brought the fans in the sold-out arena up to operating temperature. The 12,000 or so visitors literally soaked up Stewart’s performance, ready to enjoy this moment for eternity from the first to the last second.

Here and there, the language barrier may have made it a little difficult to sing along, but the people in front of the stage and in the stands more than made up for it by dancing along constantly.

The gratitude of the people was evident on many faces, grateful that they could be part of this unique experience for the city of Sofia.
​And the man on stage, who as usual changed his outfit a few times during the evening, did his very best to ensure that everyone in the hall had an unforgettable two hours.

The 80-year-old played almost all of his greatest hits, from ‘Maggie May’ to ‘Baby Jane’ and ‘Forever Young’ to ‘Hot Legs’ and ‘Sailing’ – everything the fans wanted to hear. When he rocked the stage to ‘Young Turks’ after about an hour, his favourite club Celtic’s home game in the UEFA Europa League against AS Roma was kicking off in distant Glasgow. Rod, usually a regular at home games at Celtic Park, was kept up to date during his performance in Sofia by his crew members, who signalled to him and occasionally glanced at the television provided backstage to see what was happening some 3,000 kilometres away. And although he probably didn’t like the news from Paradise (Celtic were already 0-3 down at half-time at 9.45 p.m.), the undoubtedly frustrated Celtic fan didn’t let it show, jumping from side to side as in the best of times, throwing his microphone stand through the air, blowing kisses to the audience from all corners of the stage and waving to the fans.

A true professional. If the Bhoys in Glasgow had brought as much energy to the pitch as Sir Rod did to the arena stage in the Bulgarian capital, the match would probably not have been lost so decisively.

Rod enchanted the audience – once again. During ballads such as ‘I Don’t Want To Talk About It’ and ‘Have I Told You Lately’, the arena was transformed into a sea of hundreds of lighter lights, while during ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy’, there were real ‘battles’ among the audience as they jostled for the signed footballs that were thrown from the stage into the crowd. And those who were lucky enough to catch one of these highly coveted balls jumped around with excitement, clutching the signed leather ball under their arms like little children – an early Christmas present.
​The Bulgarian media also celebrated the music icon’s performance to the fullest. The online news portal Fakti.bg wrote: ‘Rod Stewart transformed the arena into a place of great emotion, where the audience shed all seriousness and could enjoy themselves and simply celebrate without any pretensions.’ The paper attested to Stewart’s ‘enviable fitness’ at his age and described the entire evening as a ‘declaration of love to the Bulgarian audience.’

At 10 p.m. sharp, the curtain fell with ‘Love Train,’ and Rod rushed off stage to watch the second half of the Celtic game in his dressing room. He probably didn’t like what he saw, even though the Hoops performed a little better in the second half than they did before the break. Let’s hope that the 0-3 defeat didn’t ruin Sir Rod’s whole evening after he had given so many people so much joy for two hours.

Setlist:

Infatuation
Tonight I’m Yours
Some Guys Have All The Luck
It Takes Two
Twistin’ The Night Away
It’s A Heartache
The First Cut Is The Deepest
You’re In My Heart
Forever Young
(I Know) I’m Losing You
Baby Jane
Young Turks
Maggie May
I’d Rather Go Blind
Downtown Train
I’m So Excited (Band only)
I Don’t Want To Talk About It
People Get Ready
Have I Told You Lately
Proud Mary (Band only)
Da Ya Think I’m Sexy
Hot Legs
Sailing
Love Train

​Rod Art

This week we feature the beautiful art of Virginia based artist Lucy Lennon who did this oil painting of Rod

Speaking to SMILER this week Lucy said “Rod’s portrait was done with oils. It was inspired very much by “Atlantic Crossing”, being one of my all time favorite albums; I’m just so taken by the energy of it, Rod’s voice, his fashion sense and the cover art, which all propelled me to want to paint him with a similar energy”.

To see more of Lucy’s work go to https://www.instagram.com/wateredcosmos/

Young Rod

In a new promotion for his unique book Young Rod Stewart Chris Southwood has put together this new video of Rod in a short 60 second clip using existing photos to video..We think you will like it!

My Life At Christmas

Well done to Anita Rani who did a fantastic job interviewing Rod and Penny on the first episode of series two of Anita Rani’s My Life At Christmas, It was great to get an incite into life in the Stewart household

Penny was overcome with emotion as she repeatedly broke down throughout the interview, while Rod even shed a tear himself.

If you missed it you can catch up on the BBC iPLAYER

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002nc79/my-life-at-christmas-with-anita-rani-series-2-1-anita-rani-meets-rod-stewart-and-penny-lancaster

Kings Trust Carol Service

On Monday Penny joined Pierce Brosnan and Dame Helen Mirren attending the King’s Trust Carol Concert 2025

The event was held at St Paul’s Church in Knightsbridge and Penny later did a reading at the sell out event.

The 2026 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

The 2026 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival lineup has been announced and it will feature some big rock ‘n’ roll headliners including Sir Rod.

As well as Rod, The Eagles, Stevie Nicks, David Byrne and the Black Keys are all scheduled to perform at the multi-day event that will take place at the New Orleans Fair Grounds April 23 through May 3.

Four-day passes will be available for purchase starting Today [Dec. 12th]. Like last year’s festival, discounted tickets for Louisiana residents will be available on Thursdays (April 23 and April 30, 2026).

A complete list of performers and the dates they’re slated to play can be found on the festival’s website.

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Penny ended the week with Aiden and her brother Oliver attening the London premier of Avatar: Fire and Ash marking the third entry in James Cameron’s long-planned series, following the record-breaking original film of 2009 and the 2022 sequel Avatar: The Way of Water.

And the premiere drew in a huge crowd of television personalities, sports stars and models at BFI IMAX Waterloo

And Finally..

We always knew SMILER was a work of art but the superb ‘Tonight’s The night’ by Martin Sonnleitner that was based on our SMILER logo was on show in the Maringer Gallery in Austria and also The Vienna City Hall!

And if any fans are going to Telekom Center Athens, Greece on Saturday or Etihad Arena, Yas Bay, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on Wednesday have an amazing night and please send in any photos for next weeks news [email protected] ..see you next week