Recently, Rod Stewart commenced his series of UK summer shows at Home Park Stadium in Plymouth. The acclaimed singer, who had previously graced the venue twice before, was greeted by enthusiastic fans; however, the evening took an unfortunate turn when his performance was unexpectedly cut short, leading to disappointment among his fans and audience.
Stewart performed his second-to-last song of the encore around 10:30 pm, only to be greeted by darkness shrouding the stage. However, reports claimed that the abrupt conclusion of the show was attributed to a strict curfew imposed on the venue by the Lord Mayor of the city.
Fans react to the abrupt ending of Rod Stewart’s concert
Despite delivering an excellent performance, fans of the singer were perplexed and expressed their dissatisfaction. Several individuals expressed their discontent on social media, venting their anger and demanding accountability from the Lord Mayor, who they claimed was responsible for the termination of the show.
RELATED: What To Know About Singer Rod Stewart’s Big Family—Meet His 8 Kids
“At 10.29 pm he [Rod] is called to the side of the stage, was told ‘the mayor says you have gone over your curfew’, to which Rod shouts, ‘tell the mayor to f*** off!’, and then boom, stage in darkness and that’s that,” a fan wrote on Facebook. “Everyone was waiting for an encore but spotlights came on and cleaners start moving in. So no We Are Sailing which would have been the encore. For Plymouth that was a must, a Naval town that was home to The Ark Royal that is so poignant to anyone here with that connection.”
“What an utter t*** to have @PlymLordMayor and @plymouthcc to abruptly end @rodstewart concert at @homeparkstadium last night just because of a curfew is totally rude and disrespectful,” another wrote on Twitter. “I sincerely hope Sir Rod takes this further and those responsible are dealt with accordingly!”
“This will make other big name bands think twice about coming to Plymouth,” a third person expressed their concern. “What an utter embarrassment.”
However, some others criticized the singer over the poor management of his time. “Rod Stewart would have known the curfew times,” someone wrote, “and he would have known his set time.”
“He would have chosen the songs he was going to perform and how much time he would have needed between songs to chat to the crowd,” another fan commented. “Seems to me this is down to poor time management.”
Plymouth City Council responds to claims that the Lord Mayor was responsible for the show’s abrupt end
To debunk the allegation that the Lord Mayor of Plymouth, Mark Shayler, pulled the plug on Stewart’s show, the City council issued an official statement. “Despite social media rumors and inaccurate, unsubstantiated reports online – Plymouth City Council and Home Park did NOT ask Rod Stewart to stop his concert on Saturday night,” the statement read. “Any allegation that the lord mayor asked the performer to stop are also untrue. The lord mayor was not at the concert.”
The council also further explained that Plymouth City Council is committed to promoting arts and culture. “Arts and culture are very important to Plymouth City Council and an integral part of growing our local economy,” it added. “The venue had an 11 pm special events certificate, issued by the Safety Advisory Group, which the venue made clear to the artist’s promoter.”