Sir Rod Stewart has claimed playing Glastonbury’s legends slot will cost him a whopping $300,000 (£237,780).
The ‘Maggie May’ hitmaker “immediately” accepted Emily and Michael Eavis’ offer to play the coveted teatime spot reserved for music royalty at the world-famous festival in Somerset, south west England, next summer, but he claims there is a hefty price to pay for the honour.
Appearing on talkSPORT Breakfast, he was asked how quickly he agreed to the gig, responding: “Immediately. It’s a great honour.”
He then added: “It’s going to cost me a fortune to do it – $300,0000.”
The 79-year-old rocker explained that he will have to foot the bill for the cost of bringing his live band over from the US, but he insists it’s worth every penny and he would be willing to shelve out a million dollars (£792,500) for the privilege.
He explained: “I’ve got to bring all my band back from America, of course Glastonbury don’t pay for that. But I don’t care if it cost me $1 million, I would have done it. This is a great honour. It really is the greatest honour.”
The music legend will be 80 when he plays Worthy Farm and will follow in the footsteps of Dolly Parton, Barry Gibb and Kylie Minogue by playing the legends slot.
And in the official announcement on Tuesday (26.11.24), he declared that he is “proud, ready and more than able to pleasure and titillate my friends at Glastonbury” next summer.
Rod will become the first artist to have headlined Glastonbury and been given legends billing after he previously topped the bill at the festival in 2002 alongside Coldplay and Stereophonics.
He wrote on Instagram: “I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that I’ll be playing Glastonbury Festival 2025! After all these years, I’m proud and ready and more than able to take the stage again to pleasure and titillate my friends at Glastonbury in June. I’ll see you there!”
Glastonbury co-organiser Emily posted: “Bringing Sir Rod Stewart back for the Sunday afternoon slot on the Pyramid Stage is everything we could wish for.
“What a way to bow out with the final legends slot before we take a fallow year. We cannot wait.”
Glastonbury will take a year off in 2026 for the traditional fallow year reserved for the rehabilitation of the land at Worthy Farm.
Rod recently declared that he is done with “large-scale world tours” once he finishes his shows in Europe and North America next year, although insists he will not be retiring.
The ‘You Wear It Well’ singer wrote on Instagram: “This will be the end of large-scale world tours for me, but I have no desire to retire.
“I love what I do, and I do what I love.
“I’m fit, have a full head of hair, and can run 100 metres in 18 seconds at the jolly old age of 79.
“I’d like to move onto a Great American Songbook, Swing Fever tour the year after next – smaller venues and more intimacy. But then again, I may not…”