Main photo thanks to George McDonald
Old Firm
On Sunday Rod attended the Celtic v Rangers game at Celtic Park
A first-half Ryan Naderi strike was all that separated the two sides at the end of 90 minutes as Rangers recorded their second victory over Celtic in eight days.
This week’s Rod Art
This week we feature the work of German artist Painterman who painted this fantastic acrylic portrait of Sir Rod
Painterman told SMILER this week “I’ve loved Rod’s music since the 70s… ever since Faces… unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to meet him in person yet. I listen to his music quite often while I’m painting”.
To see more work by Painterman go to https://www.instagram.com/mr.paint_art/
More dates added
Another live date has been added to the 2027 leg of the One Last Time tour , Sir Rod will perform in Savannah, Georgia, on March 8th. The concert will take place at the Enmarket Arena, a 9,500-seat multi-purpose arena that opened in February 2022.
Official ticket sales begin this Friday at 10:00 AM local time, with the venue presale starting the day before.
And a date in Switzerland was announced by Rod on Thursday..
Switzerland, it’s always a pleasure. 🇨🇭 I’ll see you in Locarno on July 22, 2027 for a night of rock ’n’ roll at Moon+Stars. Tickets on sale September 28th 12pmCET.
At Home With Vanessa
Penny appeared on Vanessa Feltz’s YouTube show At Home With Vanessa, And gave an update on Rod’s recent health scare saying: ‘He’s great. He’s really good. He’d gone through a couple of incidents where he had an upper respiratory infection.
‘And then he was at a concert where there was very high altitude, so it would affect anybody. But what we didn’t know was there was an underlying heart issue.’
She continued: ‘I mean, he’s like one of the fittest guys I know. Forget being fit for 80-odd. He’s fit for someone my age in their 50s.
‘But fortunately it was at the right time, at the right place and they detected a slight blockage which needed a stent.’
But Penny also revealed Rod is now being kept under close watch by those around him to ensure his eagerness to return to normal life does not interfere with his recovery.
Asked whether she has been telling him to take things easy, she replied: ‘We are collectively.
‘There’s a team of us now between me and my brother and his trainer and doctors and everyone. We’re not letting him get away with it. He has to do as he’s told.’
Celtic FC Foundation Dinner
Celtic FC Foundation held its eighth annual fundraising Gala in London last night (Thursday) and it raised a phenomenal total in the excess of £760K.
Over 150 guests attended the special gathering in the stunning Four Seasons Hotel London at Tower Bridge – including a host of former Celts in Joe Hart, Scott Brown, Stiliyan Petrov, Brian McClair, Paul Elliott and Joe Ledley, as well as rock and roll icon, Sir Rod Stewart.
The Gala was hosted by Shebahn Aherne and included a fantastic set from Heather Small, the sensational voice behind 90s dance group, M People.
Guests were also treated to live music from Gala regulars, the Troubadours, who made their way around the tables, providing their own unique brand of entertainment and there was also a set from iconic Irish music group, the Dublin Legends, who belted out a number of Irish folk classics, getting guests on their feet and singing along.
Funds raised will support a variety of Foundation initiatives including Paradise Pit Stop in Glasgow, Community Games London, and Ability Counts in Ireland, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone involved, including our sponsors M&D Green and C&S Group.
The 2027 SMILER Calendar
The 2027 SMILER calendar is now on sale, but hurry it is already selling fast
Get yours at https://www.rodstewartfanclub.com/product/smiler-2027-calendar/
And Finally..
Sir Rod and the SMILER team would like to wish Yve Paige the lady who keeps us all in check here at SMILER and who is not only our photographer but runs all our many Facebook pages and puts together our calendar a very happy 70th birthday this week
See you next week…