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Rod Stewart, 81, Announces His ‘Last Tour Forever, Ever’

After canceling 2026 shows to recover from a heart procedure, the singer plans a final run in 2027

2-minute read

Donna Freydkin,

AARP

Published September 28, 2026

Rod Stewart performing with backup dancers.

Rod Stewart, seen here performing on April 26, 2026, has said his 2027 tour will be his final one “forever, ever.”

Tim Mosenfelder/WireImage/Getty Images

Key takeaways

Rod Stewart says his 2027 “Final Encore” run will be his last tour after more than six decades on the road.
He says he is not retiring from music. In a 2025 AARP interview, he discussed more recording projects and performing with an orchestra.
Stewart canceled the rest of his 2026 tour after undergoing a coronary stent procedure, announced Aug. 11.

Rod Stewart, 81, is preparing to leave the rock ’n’ roll touring life behind. The singer announced Sept. 28 that his 2027 “Final Encore” tour will be his last after more than six decades on the road.

But Stewart drew an important distinction: He is not quitting music.

“Ladies and gentlemen, after much deliberation and sadness, I have to announce, next year will be my last tour forever, ever,” he said in a video posted on Instagram. “I’m not retiring, but this will be the last rock-and-roll tour.”

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The announcement comes less than two months after a heart procedure interrupted his 2026 tour. On Aug. 11, his representative said Stewart had undergone a “routine coronary stent procedure” after medical evaluation. Doctors advised him to take four weeks off to recover, forcing him to cancel his remaining tour dates, including six shows for his Las Vegas residency.

The heart procedure followed other health issues that had disrupted Stewart’s touring schedule earlier in 2026, leading to several postponed or canceled shows. According to the Mayo Clinic, the coronary procedure opens a clogged heart artery with a small balloon, then uses a tiny mesh stent to help keep the artery open so blood can flow more easily.

In a 2025 interview with AARP, Stewart was asked whether he envisioned a farewell tour. “I can’t make my mind up, because I’ve got so much more music to do,” he said. He told AARP he wanted to perform his Great American Songbook material with a large orchestra and said he was working on a covers album and a country album.

At the time, slowing down held little appeal. “I enjoy doing concerts more than I did back then,” he told AARP. “Maybe I’ve come full circle to appreciate how lucky I’ve been.”

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Stewart’s website lists 28 shows for 2027, beginning March 8 in Savannah, Georgia. After four U.S. dates in March, he heads to Europe for shows beginning April 23 in Dublin and running through July 24 in Hannover, Germany. He is then scheduled to return to the U.S. for two shows at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Sept. 2 and 3.

Stewart was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He’s best known for hits such as the Grammy-nominated “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” and “Forever Young.”

The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.

Donna Freydkin has spent 10-plus years interviewing celebrities for major publications, and has written for a variety of outlets such as USA Today, Allure, Yahoo! and CNN covering topics such as films, family and favorite meals.