Master class: Uruguay also celebrates Sir Rod

Last Wednesday, all eyes, especially those of the Uruguayan media, were on Montevideo Airport. Rod Stewart arrived at Aeropuerto Internacional de Carrasco in his private jet from the Dominican Republic and climbed out of his plane in visibly good spirits. A limousine took him straight to the Sofitel Hotel, where the singer was staying. On Thursday, Sir Rod was out and about in the city, visiting the Maritime Museum, among other places.
This was not Stewart's first visit to the Uruguayan capital. He had already performed in Montevideo in 1989 and 2014, with the show on 28 February 1989 in particular going down in the country's history as it was the first concert in Montevideo's Estadio Centenario, which had already hosted the World Cup in 1930.

Yesterday, Friday, Rod was back on stage at the stadium, presenting one of the ‘most energetic shows of 2025,’ as the news portal montevideo.com put it.
The visitors were greeted on the huge screen in the middle of the stage: ‘Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. It's wonderful to be back in Montevideo. Enjoy it to the fullest, we certainly will. It's Friday night, let the party begin,’ it read. The lovingly written text is signed by Rod Stewart and his band.

When Stewart then takes to the stage with his band, a murmur ripples through the audience of 18,000 and cheers erupt.
"Stewart, wearing his tiger-print jacket and sporting the same blond hair he had in his heyday, sets out determinedly on a conquest. Not only does he sing with that mixture of suppressed anger and sensuality that characterises his rough voice, but he also immediately dominates the stage: he makes little jumps, moves his hips and arms with ease and dances around with the microphone stand as if he were James Brown. He is 80 years old and his energy is unbroken," sums up montevideo.com.

Rod gets the crowd going right from the start. ‘Infatuation’, ‘Havin' A Party’ and ‘Tonight I'm Yours’ get the masses dancing. Those who aren't into jumping around sing along loudly and euphorically.
The fans are having fun, as are the singer and his musicians on stage, and that makes the two hours or so a unique happening.

‘It's Friday night, it's a party. Let's go!’ Stewart had called out to the audience, and they followed the singer's instructions to perfection.

The set list offered the audience the usual mix of rock hits and soulful ballads. Sir Rod did without any special surprises or highlights in the programme this time.

Nevertheless, the 80-year-old turned the evening into a ‘masterclass party’ (montevideo.com). During ‘Da Ya Think I'm Sexy’, signed footballs flew into the audience, and he performed ‘Sailing’ as always with a captain's hat on his tousled head.
After 100 minutes, the visitors made their way home, thrilled by a night in a class of its own, but saddened because it might actually have been the living legend's last performance in Uruguay.

Set list:
Infatuation
Havin' Party
Tonight I'm Yours
It Takes Two
The First Cut Is The Deepest
Tonight's The Night
Forever Young
Baby Jane
Young Turks
You're In My Heart
Maggie May
I'd Rather Go Blind
Downtown Train
I'm Every Woman (band only)
I Don't Want To Talk About It
People Get Ready
Have I Told You Lately
Proud Mary (band only)
Da Ya Think I'm Sexy
Stay With Me
Some Guys Have All The Luck
Sailing
Love Train