Sir Rod Stewart’s performance at Plymouth’s Home Park stadium was reportedly cut short due to an imposed curfew on Saturday (25 June).
The singer is said to have “stormed” off stage after seemingly being told he would not be allowed to play the final song in his prepared setlist.
Stewart’s fans shared their frustration at the 10.30pm curfew on social media. In a statement shared to social media, Plymouth City Council stated that neither the council nor the venue had asked Stewart to finish early.
Concertgoer Lucinda Maxwell told Plymouth Herald: “After attending the Rod Stewart concert yesterday evening he finished his second to last song, the finale being ‘We Are Sailing’, to be told it was 10.30pm and he couldn’t continue.
“With this Rod stormed off the stage and the concert was left without light. Hundreds of fans like myself were left in shock and waited for an iconic moment dedicated to the Navy.”
Another concertgoer, Helen Burrow, also described the incident to the publication, noting that it had been a “fabulous” night but that everyone had been “stunned” by the “rude and abrupt ending”.
“A guy dressed in black came onto the stage and ordered Rod off because of a curfew,” they recalled. “Rod, of course, immediately left and the lights came on. No goodbye to fans, no encore.
“We were at the front and poor Rod looked stunned. For an artist to have his performance cut short so rudely and abruptly at the finale is awful. We came out saying that he was amazing but we would never attend a concert at home park again because performers are dragged off stage because of a curfew.”
The Independent has contacted the event organisers and a representative of Stewart for comment.
Elsewhere on Saturday night, Lana Del Rey’s set at Glastonbury 2023 descended into chaos after the “Summertime Sadness” artist was also cut off before the end of her performance.
Fans began seranading the singer with renditions of her songs, as she walked to the front of the crowd and interacted with fans.
In a three-star review of the performance, The Independent’s Ben Bryant wrote: “It seems [Del Rey] can’t catch a break, and there’s no escaping the reality that this is a disappointing end to a promising performance.
“There appears to be little leeway for artists who want to play on past curfew at the Other Stage. Had she been headlining the Pyramid stage – well, who knows what would have happened...”
