Sir Rod Stewart announces ‘the last’ of his rock ‘n’ roll shows

Sir Rod Stewart has revealed that his upcoming Edinburgh gigs will be ‘the last’ of his rock and roll shows.

The 78-year-old is scheduled for two gigs at Edinburgh Castle in July but has admitted it’s time to drop the curtain on his rock performances.

Known for albums like Blondes Have More Fun and Vagabond Heart, Sir Rod now wants to focus on the more traditional pop sound of his 2002 album It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook.

Although born and raised in London, Sir Rod has had a long-running adoration for his Scottish roots, with his father hailing from Leith, Edinburgh.

Now ready to return to the city, Sir Rod explained his decision during an appearance on BBC Breakfast, saying: ‘My forthcoming concerts at Edinburgh Castle will be the last of rock and roll shows.

“I want to move on and I’ve always wanted to do The Great American Songbook live. It sold 38 million copies.

“I also made a fantastic swing album with Jools Holland that is more Louis Prima than Frank Sinatra. I just want to change something.’

It comes after Sir Rod was in the mood to party when he stepped out with wife Penny Lancaster on Thursday night, shortly after putting his Los Angeles mansion up for sale.

London-born Sir Rod wants to stay close to his roots after growing tired of the ‘toxic culture’ of the Southern California city – and he was in his element attending a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the celebrated nightclub Annabel’s in his home city.

The veteran star looked suitably groomed in an extravagant gold and black striped suit, paired with a casual loose leopard print tie.

Sir Rod paired the bold look with a smart white shirt, while eye-catching gold-patterned loafers caught the eye as he entered the Mayfair venue.

His wife Penny, 52, joined him at the event and turned heads in an ivory silk evening gown with a cinched waist – a look she paired with silver strappy heels.

Apparently in good spirits, Sir Rod planted a kiss on Penny’s cheek as he posed for photographers, but the petite rocker seemed to strain his neck trying to connect with the statuesque model and photographer.

Other guests on the night included actress Ellie Bamber, Liam Gallagher’s youngest son Gene, a rugged Liam Payne and socialite Emma Weymouth.

Sir Rod has made his Atlantic Crossing – and he has no plans for a return trip after deciding to quit his life in Los Angeles once and for all to settle back in the UK, DailyMail.com has learned.

This week, the UK-born singer severed a major ties with California when he put his sprawling Beverly Hills home on the market for a whopping $70 million — and now sources have revealed he has no plans to build another family base in the city. .

According to two well-placed insiders, Sir Rod has grown tired of what he sees as the ‘toxic’ culture in Los Angeles – where he feels he has ‘no privacy’ – and has chosen to return to his home full-time in England to support his wife Penny and their sons, who no longer want the “burden” of traveling back and forth.

Sir Rod and Penny, who tied the knot in 2007, have two sons together – Alastair, 18, and Aiden, 12 – who are both currently enrolled in a school in Essex, while their mother has been working as a volunteer police officer in London for the past years.

“Penny loves the life she’s built away from America and away from LA. She loves nothing more than working for the police,” a friend of the family told DailyMail.com.

“She also finds travel more annoying than anything else and just wants to live her life as a working mom.”

The former model – who married Sir Rod in 2007 – was inspired to become a special constable for the City of London Police by the TV series Famous and Fighting Crime, in which she appeared. She completed her training in April 2021 and started volunteering at the forcing soon after.

But as well as supporting his wife’s career aspirations, Sir Rod has also chosen to return to the UK, knowing this is where his two sons want to be.

“In addition, there is no way her and Sir Rod’s boys want to leave their school and friends in the UK to come to America,” the insider continued.

The move marks a major shift for Sir Rod, who has shuttled back and forth between Los Angeles and his childhood home in Essex for nearly five decades — a massive estate called Durrington House, which he and Penny bought for $5.8 million in 2016.

But a second source shared that the hit star – who has eight children by five women – has the full support of all his children, daughters Sarah Streeter, 59, Kimberly, 43, Ruby, 35, and Renee, 30, and sons Sean, 42 , Liam, 28, Alastair and Aiden.

“They all know how happy he and Penny live there and that’s all they want is for their dad to be happy.”

DailyMail.com reached out to Sir Rod’s spokesperson for comment.