Rod Stewart rocks Lisbon – hundreds of thousands join in

Music legend Sir Rod Stewart threw a spectacular party in Lisbon yesterday evening. As part of the Rock in Rio festival, Stewart performed at the event for the first time since 2008 and thrilled the crowds with a set lasting just under two hours, which was kicked off by atmospheric fireworks and songs such as “We Will Rock You”.

There was no sign of any vocal problems or other health issues for Sir Rod Stewart as he took to the stage in the Portuguese capital at around 11.40 pm Central European Summer Time, wearing a white jacket and dark-striped trousers. The audience, who had already enjoyed performances by Cyndi Lauper, the 4 NonBlondes and Shaggy, were fully engaged from the very first note. The joy of experiencing the evening’s grand finale live was written all over the faces of many of the attendees.

By the second song, ‘Having a Party’, at the very latest, the theme of the evening was clear: celebrating together and simply having fun. Rod Stewart didn’t forget the Portuguese people’s great enthusiasm for football either. After the second song, he turned to the audience and asked: “Do you think Portugal can win the World Cup?” The response was a thunderous cheer. Stewart then assured the fans that he, too, was keeping his fingers crossed for Portugal as the tournament progressed.

Despite the summery temperatures, Rod Stewart gave it his all on stage. On the night of the concert, it was a sweltering 26 degrees in Lisbon – and under the blazing spotlights, it quickly got even warmer for him in his white jacket. He soon took it off, without even slowing down for a moment.

Unlike his recent concerts in North America, Rod Stewart made a few changes to the setlist. “I Don’t Want to Talk About It” returned to the set, as did the 1975 global hit “Sailing”, which provided the emotional finale to the roughly two-hour show. During these songs, tears of joy streamed down the cheeks of some in the audience; during “I Don’t Want to Talk About It”, the crowds sang along at the top of their voices – something that never fails to bring a beaming smile to Rod’s face.

In addition, the audience were treated to numerous other classics. Stewart opened the evening with “Infatuation”, followed by, amongst others, “Tonight I’m Yours”, “Forever Young”, “Hot Legs”, “Maggie May”, “Young Turks”, “People Get Ready”, “Baby Jane”, “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” and “I’d Rather Go Blind”.
Lisbon was treated to hit after hit in a fantastic atmosphere. An impressively lit stage, around 100,000 spectators in front of the stage, a band in superb form and a Rod Stewart at the very top of his game made for an unforgettable concert evening.
At around 1.25 am Central European Summer Time, Rod Stewart finally brought the musical evening to a close with “Love Train”. For many fans in the audience, this was likely the signal to rush to a television as quickly as possible. Just a few minutes later, the Portuguese national football team’s final group match at the World Cup was due to kick off. Following a goalless 0–0 draw against Colombia, Portugal progressed to the round of 32, where they will face Croatia this coming Friday.
Fans in Valencia, Spain, can now look forward to a similarly fantastic show. Rod Stewart will make the next stop on his short but high-calibre European summer tour there on Tuesday. The singer will then take a break from concerts for several weeks before the tour continues at the end of August with further performances in the USA.

Setlist Rock In Rio Lisboa 27/6/2026

• Infatuation

• Having A Party

• It's A Heartache

• Tonight I'm Yours

• It Takes Two

• Forever Young

• The First Cut Is The Deepest

• I Don't Want To Talk About It

• Hot Legs

• Maggie May

• I'd Rather Go Blind

• Young Turks

• Rhythm Of My Heart

• Jolene (Band only)

• People Get Ready

• Have I Told You Lately

• Proud Mary (Band only)

• Baby Jane

• Da Ya Think I'm Sexy

• Sailing

• Love Train (Encore)