Glastonbury goers have speculated that an iconic musician could step in for Rod Stewart if he drops out of the festival. The 80-year-old was recently forced to cancel a run of concerts in the US after falling ill with the flu, leading fans to question his ability to perform at the event, which kicks off next week. No definite arrangements have been made to take the Maggie May crooner out of the festival line-up, but supporters fear he won’t recover in time to take to the stage.
The rock star was “devastated” as he announced the cancellation of his gigs, stating: “So sorry my friends. I’m devastated and sincerely apologise for any inconvenience to my fans. I’ll be back on stage and will see you soon.” Stewart headlined the festival in 2002, but this year he’ll take up the teatime legend slot – previously occupied by the likes of Diana Ross and Shania Twain. Devotees remain optimistic that Stewart will bounce back, especially since he was set to rejoin forces on stage with fellow artist Ronnie Wood.
However, if the Sailing singer has to withdraw from the event, followers on the r/GlastonburyFestival Reddit page have already suggested the solution.
A curious fan posed a question: “Thoughts on Legend substitute if Rod can’t play? Do you think they move around the line up to give another act that slot, maybe Pulp? Or bring in an entirely new artist..”
A second responded: “Nile Rodgers and Chic would get bumped, and a replacement (if any) would be added earlier in the running order.”
Another agreed: “This seems the obvious answer. Getting someone suitable for the legend slot at short notice won’t be easy but I imagine bumping Nile then rearranging some other timings/stages a little or offering someone who’s already on site an extra set would be relatively straightforward.”
However, another fan optimistically noted: “He isn’t pulling out. He’s played with food poisoning. All the cancellations are so he can get better for Glastonbury.”
If Stewart does end up performing, it’s going to cost him as he will be forced to fork out thousands of pounds. In a new interview with RadioTimes, Stewart explained that the large paycheque he’ll get from festival bosses simply isn’t enough to cover his own expenses.
He said: “It was about eight months ago when I was asked to do it, maybe a little longer. But it didn’t fit with my schedule because I’ve got to bring everybody back from America.”
The musician is currently heading up his own Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace on the Strip – and to perform at Glastonbury means flying the equipment, staging and all his crew back to the UK. He added: “It’s going to cost me £300,000 to do it and they only pay you about £120,000. So it’s going to cost me.”