When Rod Stewart shocked the public by busking live in central London – watch here
19 March 2025, 14:17
Sir Rod surprised crowds in Piccadilly Circus with an impromptu performance of ‘Handbags and Gladrags’.
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Remember when Sir Rod Stewart busked for a small crowd in Piccadilly Circus?
Well, it may surprise you to learn that the ‘Maggie May’ singer last sang on the streets not as a rising star in the 60s, but on an unassuming Monday in 2017.
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Sir Rod’s impromptu street performance came as a surprise for everyone, and even went completely unnoticed by many tourists and locals who passed by the amazing moment – as the video below shows.
Watch Rod Stewart busking in London here!
Rod Stewart - Impromptu street performance "Handbags And Gladrags" At London's Piccadilly Circus
Rod – then 72 years old – arrived in London’s Piccadilly Circus on a wintry November day to briefly take the mic from busker Henry Facey and sing a rendition of ‘Handbags and Gladrags’.
As Henry and a small crowd looked on in awe, Rod gave a powerful performance of the 1967 Mike d’Abo song which he covered in 1969.
The ‘Sailing’ singer arrived in central London for his surprise concert via car, and disappeared the way he came after saying hello to some fans who had successfully spotted it was him singing near the famous road junction.
Rod’s performance was part of photographer Alastair Morrison and Roger Daltry’s collaborative work The Adoration Trilogy, raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America with artwork featuring over 60 male music icons.
Other stars who featured in the project were Paul McCartney, Brian May, Barry Gibb, Elton John and Tom Jones.
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Rod is unlikely to take to London’s streets again anytime soon to treat passersby to a similar one-of-a-kind surprise show, but the singer-songwriter is currently touring the world to perform for audiences at much larger venues.
The ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?’ singer announced he would be retiring from large-scale tours after performing the rest of his One Last Time tour dates.
However, Rod has no plans to retire from performing altogether, telling fans he hopes to perform at “smaller venues” with “more intimacy” in the future.
“But then again, I may not...” he added, singing off as “the ambiguous Sir Rod Stewart.”
Perhaps some of that ambiguity was Rod hinting that his next big announcement would be quite the opposite, as he later revealed he will be Glastonbury 2025’s Sunday legends set headliner.
