Sir Rod Stewart brings his final tour to Utilita Arena Birmingham on Tuesday 4th May 2027. With Howard Jones joining him as special guest, it promises to be a night of songs that have followed generations of fans through their lives.
Some voices need no introduction. A few notes of Maggie May, and you know exactly who is singing. Rod Stewart’s unmistakable rasp has carried rock songs, tender ballads and gloriously theatrical pop hits for more than six decades. Next spring, Birmingham gets one more chance to hear it on a major tour.
Rod has announced The Final Encore, which he says will be his last tour. That is a farewell to life on the road, rather than a retirement from music: he has left open the possibility of performing again. For fans who have grown up with his records, though, the Birmingham arena date will feel like a moment to savour.
The tour begins in Dublin on 23rd April before visiting Belfast and Glasgow. Birmingham follows on Tuesday 4th May 2027, ahead of Manchester and London, with European shows continuing into July. The Arena doors at 6pm and the show at 7.30pm. Tickets are due on general sale at 10am on Friday 2nd October.
Howard Jones is a fitting guest for the UK dates. His own catalogue includes What Is Love? and Things Can Only Get Better, giving Birmingham an opening set with plenty of familiar choruses before Rod takes the stage.
What will Rod sing? No setlist has been promised, but the possibilities are almost absurdly rich. There is the youthful ache of Maggie May, the swagger of You Wear It Well, the tenderness of I Don’t Want to Talk About It and the enormous communal singalong that is Sailing. Then there are The Killing of Georgie, Hot Legs, Baby Jane and Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? Few performers could move between those songs without making the evening feel like several different shows. Rod can, because that restless change of mood has always been part of the appeal.
The Final Encore also arrives while Rod is still finding new ways into music. His 2024 record with Jools Holland, Swing Fever, reached number one in the UK. It is a useful reminder that the man behind all those hits has never confined himself to singing them the same way forever.
For Birmingham, this is more than a greatest hits booking. It is the chance to see a performer who can make a huge arena feel, for a few minutes, like everyone in it is singing directly back to him.
Ten things you may not know about Rod Stewart
1. Rod is his middle name. He was born Roderick David Stewart in Highgate, London. The Scottish identity he wears so proudly comes through his family heritage.
2. He was making music before the famous bands. Rod’s early years included playing harmonica alongside folk singer Wizz Jones as they travelled through Europe, long before arena tours entered the picture.
3. He sang with Jeff Beck. Before The Faces and before his solo superstardom, Rod fronted the Jeff Beck Group, sharpening that bluesy, rough edged vocal style.
4. His solo career and The Faces overlapped. Rod did not simply leave a band and then become a solo star. During the early 1970s, both careers were gathering momentum at once.
5. Maggie May helped give him a chart double. In 1971, the single topped the UK chart while Every Picture Tells a Story was also number one on the albums chart.
6. Sailing was a four week UK number one. Its place as an arena singalong is well earned: the record spent 30 weeks on the singles chart in 1975.
7. He recorded with Scotland’s World Cup squad. In 1978, Rod joined the team on Ole Ola (Mulher Brasileira), which reached number four in the UK. Football and music have long shared space in his life.
8. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honoured him twice. Rod was inducted as a solo performer in 1994, and The Small Faces/The Faces were inducted in 2012.
9. His Jools Holland album gave Jools a first. Swing Fever became Holland’s first UK number one album. For Rod, it was his 11th as a solo artist.
10. The final tour does not mean a final song. Rod has been clear that he is ending large scale touring, rather than closing the door on making music or occasional performances. Birmingham’s show is a farewell to a remarkable life on the road.
Rod Stewart: The Final Encore is at Utilita Arena Birmingham on Tuesday 4 May 2027, with special guest Howard Jones. Tickets go on general sale Friday 2nd October at 10am, although some pre sales are happening right now. HERE.
