Rod Stewart has announced that 2027 will bring his final tour, drawing the curtain on more than six decades of life on the road — just weeks after a heart procedure forced him to cancel the rest of his farewell concerts.
The 81-year-old revealed the news in a video posted to Instagram on 28 September. “Ladies and gentlemen, after much deliberation and sadness, I have to announce that next year will be my last tour ever, ever,” he said. “I’m not retiring, but this will be the last rock and roll tour.” In a statement shared with Billboard, he added: “After more than six decades, The Final Encore will most definitely be my last.”
A 21-date European farewell
The Final Encore opens at Dublin’s 3Arena on 23 April 2027 and travels through the UK and Ireland — Belfast, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester and a London date on 11 May — before crossing mainland Europe and closing in Hanover, Germany, on 24 July. Howard Jones will support the UK and Ireland shows, and public ticket sales opened on 2 October, following the announcement of the 21-date run.
Stewart’s announcement adds another major name to a 2027 live-music calendar already filling with veteran touring acts, as veteran acts map out extensive farewell runs.
Health scares behind the decision
The announcement follows a difficult summer. In August, Stewart underwent what his team described as a routine coronary stent procedure, forcing the cancellation of his remaining One Last Time dates across North America and Mexico plus a six-night Las Vegas residency, with doctors ordering four weeks away from performing.
Earlier in the year he had battled a sinus infection and laryngitis, and in June he paused a Utah show after nearly fainting and needing supplemental oxygen. Stewart, who has sold more than 120 million records since the early 1960s, was careful to distinguish touring from music-making: the road ends, the songs do not.
