Is there such a thing as retirement for Rod Stewart? After celebrating his 200th performance at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in March, the raspy-voiced rocker, knight of Buckingham Palace and owner of the most famous shag haircut in rock history is returning for six additional dates for The Encore Shows. Each performance promises hits spanning six decades, deep cuts for the die-hards and no shortage of Vegas glitz.
The musician, who once declared, “I shall never retire! I was put on this Earth to be a singer and will keep doing so for as long as the good Lord lets me,” has survived every genre swing from folk rock to disco to crooning the Great American Songbook. He’s sold more than 250 million records worldwide and still struts across the stage in leopard-print jackets. Stewart need not ask, “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” because his fans clearly think so.
When retirement rumors swirled in 2023 after a BBC interview, Stewart quickly set the record straight. “I could never turn my back on the songs that I’ve written and sung over the last six decades. They are like my children. I created them and I love them,” he clarified on Instagram.
Still, Stewart has been signaling major changes, noting on the social media platform last November: “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 meters in 18 seconds at the jolly old age of 79.”
If retirement is imminent, even if far in the future, the possibility of a Vegas sendoff is poignant and fitting. His relationship with Sin City, going on 13 years now, has been pure romance. “I mean, I can’t imagine not going back there again,” he told ABC Audio. “Caesars are the best. I mean, they really looked after me. Best place to play.”
Whether this marks your first encounter with Sir Rod or your hundredth, his music has undoubtedly been the soundtrack to our lives. We’ve slow-danced to “Have I Told You Lately That I Loved You,” fist-pumped to “Hot Legs” and belted out “Maggie May” into hairbrush microphones. Few artists can claim a catalog lodged this deep into our collective memory. He’s also among the rare artists to score chart-toppers in every decade of his career, a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (Faces, then solo), Grammy Living Legend and New York Times bestselling author. In 2016, Queen Elizabeth knighted him for his music and charity work.
So, could this be goodbye, or another farewell tour in the grand tradition of rockers who come back time and again and give fans what they want? Stewart’s own words remain elusive. After all, he signed his November Instagram announcement with “The Ambiguous Sir Rod Stewart.”
If you’ve ever wanted to see Stewart in full live glory, this Vegas run might be your best shot. And if it is his last, you’ll brag forever about witnessing the knight of rock ’n’ roll leave everything on that stage.
Caesars Palace. caesars.com
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