Concert Dates, Concert Tour News, Artist Information

Faces to tour with a Rod replacement

Okay, so they asked nicely, they badgered and whined in the press, and all to no avail. It looks like fans of the Faces, who have hoped since the ‘70s that Rod would rejoin them for another tour, aren’t going to get their wish. Well, at a certain point, you have to let the dream die. The Faces are apparently reuniting without Rod, and are currently looking at a number of stand-ins for him from various British bands.

The one that seems to have the most cachet with them, according to Rolling Stone, is Simply Red’s Mike Hucknall, though Squeeze’s Paul Carrack has also earned their respect. Both singers have actually appeared on stage with Faces in the recent past performing Rod’s role, so we may see a Faces tour sooner than anyone expects. The big question is how extensive will it be, and where will they be touring in the U.S.? It’s a shame Rod can’t be a part of that, but he’s on his own tour. For that, get Rod Stewart tickets at StubHub.

More about the Rod Stewart suit

The AM Law Daily has a brief up about the legal troubles of the King of Pop and Rod Stewart that makes for interesting reading. The King of Pop’s troubles are very well known, and even after passing on, his estate is mired in legal entanglements. But Rod’s troubles seem to just be beginning.

A law firm that represented him in three cases claims they were never paid for their work, which was on behalf of Rod’s management company, the cutely named Stewart Annoyances. One case we know about is the Rio hotel and casino, which sued Rod after he canceled a show he was supposed to play there. He lost that case and a jury decided he owed a couple million dollars to the hotel.

But the two other cases are now detailed in this story: “Stewart also allegedly owes the firm another $960,346 for nearly six years of work representing the rocker in a fraud suit filed by a contract group. Lastly, the firm claims Stewart stiffed Glaser Weil $159,000 for defending him in a trademark infringement suit filed by a music studio.”

Let’s hope he goes on tour to pay for all his legal fees. Then we’ll see more Rod Stewart tickets at StubHub.

Rod sued for $3.3 million

Looks like those skipped concerts are going to be costing Rod Stewart some big bucks. The AP is reporting that Rod hired a prestigious Los Angeles law firm, Glaser, Weil, Fink, Jacobs, Howard & Shapiro (whew!), to defend him for three different cases, including one where he was being sued by a Las Vegas hotel for not appearing at a concert there. Stewart had agreed to perform at the Rio hotel and casino in 2000, but canceled the show, and was hit with a lawsuit as a result. A federal grand jury ultimately decided he deserved to pay $2 million in retribution.

Perhaps Rod was upset about it. In any case, the law firm claims he hasn’t paid them for their services on the three cases they represented him on, and they are now suing him for $3.3 million. That’s a hefty price tag. If he loses, maybe he’ll have to go back out on tour to earn back the money. That means Rod Stewart tickets will be appearing at StubHub.

Another review of the Soulbook

Rod Stewart’s Soulbook has earned quite an even mixture of praise and scorn from critics around the country. The praise comes from picking some great songs to cover and working with some awesome collaborators, including Smokey Robinson and Jennifer Hudson. But the scorn kicks in whenever the critics remember that Rod hasn’t released any original material for years and years.

The San Jose Mercury News has a review that doesn’t go too deep into the problems or successes of the record, noting only that Rod is “respectful” of the originals. Over all, he seems to have done pretty well. “The opening of ‘The Same Old Song’ frames the album as nostalgia; its first minute sets aside the Four Tops hit for a piano-and-guitar ballad as Stewart calls himself ‘a sentimental fool,’ before the Motown drumbeat kicks in. But most of the arrangements emulate the old hits. Stewart sings as if he has long considered every phrase: here a croon, there a rasp, landing straight on the beat (almost mechanically in ‘Wonderful World’ and ‘What Becomes of the Broken Hearted’) or pulling away from it.”

Looking for Rod Stewart tickets in the future? Go to StubHub.

How do Rod and Penny stay in such good shape?

The Mirror asks the tough questions, probing into how Penny Lancaster and her husband, Rod Stewart, keep looking in such great shape. Apparently, they asked Penny herself, because they have a quote attributed to her, and they spoke to a personal trainer that has worked with both of them for years. If there are any surprises here, it’s the length of this article—the thing seems to go on and on, though it does offer some helpful tips about dieting and exercise that those in the 40 and above crowd will find pretty useful.

They share a lot especially about Penny’s diet, that would be helpful for anyone: “On Gary’s recommendation she now eats a low-fat, high-energy diet - and really enjoys it. She tucks into five small meals with a high water content such as fruit, veg and soup. ‘I ensure food isn’t cooked in loads of fat,’ says Penny. ‘I’ll eat grilled fish or roast chicken and a bit of red meat. But I avoid white bread and sugar and limit pasta - I have rice and potatoes.’”

If you want to get a closer look at how healthy her husband looks, get Rod Stewart tickets at StubHub.

A new review of Rod’s Soulbook

The Sturgis Journal has a column called “The Farr Side” by David Farr, who turns a critical eye on Rod’s recent Soulbook. He’s got quite a few criticisms, but he opens the review with the biggest one: The fact that Rod has done way, way too many albums of covers. This is yet another installment from the “Songbook” series, and Farr argues that Rod really needs to get back to making his own music. But he does have some nice things to say about his efforts to craft some moving soul songs, with his collaborations standing out in particular.

“There are a few immediate standouts, including his cover of The Everly Brothers’ ‘Let It Be Me,’ which Stewart sings in duet with Jennifer Hudson. This interpretation deserves a gold star. Hudson and Stewarts’ voices blend beautifully on the delicate ballad, whereas Stewart and Mary J. Blige fall in sync with one another on ‘You Make Me Feel Brand New.’”

Sadly, Farr says that Rod’s collaborations with Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder fall a little flat. Still, Rod brings plenty of talent to his live show, so get Rod Stewart tickets at StubHub before they sell out.

Rod gives a little TMI

It’s already been reported that Rod Stewart and his wife, Penny Lancaster, have been keen on having one more child. After a lifetime full of wild partying and the rock and roll lifestyle, Rod has decided that it’s high time to play the daddy role. The Skinny reports that Rod wants to add one more to the family, and isn’t shy about sharing his progress with the media.

“Yes, we’re trying - we actually tried last night. One more and then we’re going to close the office,” he apparently told them. We’re not sure how Penny feels about him sharing so much.

But Rod’s time has largely been spent with Alistair, his youngest son. He’s been trying to pass his passion for sport on to the lad, but it hasn’t been going very well as of late.

“He’s just a sweet kid at the moment. I did take him out on the football field the other day. He put all his kit on, I said, ‘Come on, let’s get running out there,’ and he went, ‘Oh, there’s some flowers for mummy - must collect them.’ He spent about two hours collecting flowers in a basket for his mum!”

Maybe he should stick to teaching the kid music. Get Rod Stewart tickets at StubHub.

Rod Stewart is a star on the field as well as the stage

Anyone who knows Rod Stewart knows that the man is a football nut, kicking balls out to his crowd during shows and frequently showing up to games throughout the U.K. He’s even spent some time with major players. At heart, he’s a regular guy, and he likes to bond over sports. So naturally, he has his own celebrity football game that he throws on in L.A.

Fall Out Boy star Pete Wentz apparently received an invite once, but decided to turn it down, according to the Sun: “I did get an invite once but I had to turn down one once as I had broke my ankle a few years back and I was scared I wouldn’t be good enough. I knew I’d get frustrated if I couldn’t play at the level I know I can. Rod is just so good still. Didn’t he used to be a pro? He’s also got great hair. Hopefully I’ll get another invite and I won’t say no this time. I’d love to play against him but I’d want to practice!”

That just might happen. Root for the elder statesman of rock when he’s on stage by getting Rod Stewart tickets at StubHub.

Another take on Rod’s Soulbook

The Guardian hits Rod Stewart’s latest record—the Soulbook—pretty hard in a capsule review that’s out recently. You may recall that the Guardian recently reviewed it, and while they gave props to Rod as the “greatest white soul singer,” they also gave him demerits for not bringing enough of an original spin to this classic material.

In the new capsule review, they actually allege that he’s just trying to cash in on the Christmas season. “Stewart has talked it up as the start of a long-term homage but there’s a whiff of yuletide money-spinner about this soul covers project. It amounts to a kind of Radio 2-sanctioned take on The X Factor; credible voice, classic tracks but just enough slow dance balladry to induce tipsy liaisons under the mistletoe.”

It might actually be a good stocking stuffer, in fact, especially considering the big names he got to perform on the record, including Smokey Robinson, Jennifer Hudson and Missy Elliot. But they also give it a disparaging review. Well, true believers will pick it up, then purchase Rod Stewart tickets from StubHub.

Ouch! The Guardian slams Rod for Soulbook

You can’t please all the critics. In fact, a good amount of the time you can’t please any of them, if you’re Rod Stewart. The man’s Soulbook record, which recently came out, got bashed pretty hard by the Guardian recently. Well, maybe “bashed” is too harsh a word: There’s a difference between a reviewer who is clearly hating on the material and one who had high hopes but is simply disappointed. Reading the review, you can’t help but feel it’s the latter.

The reviewer points out that the album had enormous amount of potential, even going so far as to call Rod “arguably the greatest white soul singer.” But the problem ends up being the man’s laziness. He doesn’t push himself to really turn up the energy, and all the songs sound either over-produced or slowed down to the point that they drag.

Maybe the problem is that the songs aren’t being heard live. Supposedly, Rod was mulling over the decision to tour and promote this record, so there might be Rod Stewart tickets coming to StubHub. If they do, grab them quick and you’ll hear a different side of Rod.