Sir Rod Stewart was forced to cancel a concert at the very last minute after falling ill, leaving disappointed fans already gathered outside the venue.
The music legend, 81, had been due to take to the stage at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre in Chula Vista, California, on Friday night. However, as concertgoers queued to enter, news emerged that the performance had been called off.
In a statement shared on Instagram, his team explained: “Rod Stewart very regretfully has had to cancel his show tonight in Chula Vista, California.”
They added: “He travelled to the venue and made every effort to perform, but on the advice of his doctors and following a diagnosis of an acute upper respiratory infection that has resulted in laryngitis, he is unable to take to the stage this evening.”
Despite receiving treatment and feeling better, the veteran singer admitted his voice had not recovered enough for him to perform.
Sharing a poignant photograph of himself standing alone on the stage inside the empty venue, Rod told fans: “Well here I am in beautiful Chula Vista as the stage is being taken down around me. Following treatment, I’m feeling much better, but my voice is not.”
He continued: “I’m very disappointed and sincerely apologise for any inconvenience to my fans.”
“I did everything I could to make the show happen tonight, but unfortunately it just wasn’t possible. I will do my utmost to reschedule.”
The last-minute cancellation left many fans devastated, with some revealing they had already arrived at the venue after long journeys.
One disappointed concertgoer wrote: “We arrived to the gate and they told us it was canceled 5 minutes ago. There was even people inside already waiting!”
Another added: “Oh man, I just got turned away at the gate! Hope everyone is ok.”
A third fan said: “We spent 4 hours driving down in the traffic and waiting around.”
The setback comes at a significant time for the singer, who is currently performing his One Last Time tour, which began in 2024 and has sparked speculation that it could be his final major tour.
Speaking to TalkSport last month, Rod hinted that he may soon step away from large-scale touring.
“I’ve got 40-odd shows this year and that’s not really a lot. And I’m touring the U.K. next year and doing the O2 and that will probably be it, I think,” he said.
“I’ll have to do something new… come on your show more often!”
With retirement rumours continuing to swirl, fans will now be hoping the rock icon makes a swift recovery and returns to the stage soon.
