PHOTOS — Rod Stewart 2025 ⋆ Shows I Go To | 🎤 Florida Concerts, Festivals, & Giveaways

PHOTOS — Rod Stewart 2025

Rod Stewart • February 26, 2025 • Hard Rock Live, Tampa, FL • Photos by Randy Cook

Rod Stewart | February 26, 2025 | Hard Rock Event Center, Tampa, FL

When Rod Stewart announced his ‘One Last Time’ 2025 tour and a show in Tampa, I had the date circled on the calendar because I had missed his show last year at this same venue due to illness. There was a segment on the morning local news of the show that evening so I knew going in it would be an unforgettable night filled with legendary hits from one of the best-selling artists in history. With over 250 million records and singles sold worldwide, Rod Stewart’s unmistakable voice, distinctive style, and timeless songwriting have spanned multiple genres of music and generations of families in his nearly sixty-year career.

I arrived at the venue and took in the demographics of the crowd on hand. The doors were not yet open and the line to enter stretched around the corner of the venue entrance as far as the eye could see. I saw my friend Randy, he works security at the venue, and he said the show was sold out. Once I had gotten through the line and into the concert area, I again was chatting with Randy, when a mildly intoxicated lady approached us, seeing he was part of Security, handed us each a small Scottish flag and after some light conversation, she mentioned how she would do anything to get backstage. Talk to ya later Randy, I took a photo of them and never saw her again the rest of the night. After parting ways with them I ran into one of the DJs from the local rock station and had a great chat with him and I knew all but one of the other photographers on hand so it was a great night of friends and live music. I saw Randy after the show and we had a good laugh.

The show started right on time and for this evening we were allowed to photo for two songs, which seemed to be over in about thirty seconds, but in actuality was much longer. After stowing my gear in my car and making my way to my seat, I settled in and witnessed a fantastic show with a rocker who has been at it for longer than I have been alive, and he is still charismatic and a showman on stage. The stage set up was simple with plenty of open space, it had to be because besides the man of the evening, he had eleven members backing him in some fashion. With three dedicated backup singers as well as three additional musicians/backup singers, and a full five piece band, there was constant action all across the stage. With harps, violins, banjos, tambourines and three guitarists, a bassist, a keyboardist and a drummer there was never a quiet moment on stage, even during the slow ballads and song changeovers.

While having thirty two studio albums of material to select from, it was a twenty one song set with a majority of covers. I was curious and wanting to experience his showmanship from what I had seen in videos over the years. I came away highly impressed with his ability to captivate the whole audience, which, now I am certain he does for every show after what I experienced. As a testimony of his sex appeal to the ladies, before the show I encountered a mother and daughter duo and we chatted for a few minutes, and it turned out they were sitting in front of me once I made it to my seat. It was quite apparent throughout the course of the show that both wanted to um, have their way with Sir Rod.

The set was a flawless blend of rock anthems, ballads, and soulful classics, giving fans of all generations a show that had Vegas flair with costume changes, lighting and background that at different times gave the stage a disco feel or a small dark jazz club to a Las Vegas elaborate show. It was after the second wardrobe change for his six backup singers that it dawned on me their outfits gave me the impression they were airline stewardesses with their scarves and skirts matching the polka dotted jacket that Rod was wearing, and I had to laugh at the play on words I put together in my head with his last name, because Mr. Stewart was not dressed as an airline pilot.

The loudest sing alongs were for Rod’s solo material over the covers. When he played ‘Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)’, ‘Forever Young’, and ‘Maggie May’ in a row there was not a single person sitting that I could see. As I expected, ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?’ had some couples up dancing in their aisles and walking down memory lane to a song they may have listened to all those years ago on a date. I am certain that the daughter in front of me was nowhere near being born yet when that song was released in 1978, yet, she knew every word and both her and her mom wanted Rod to notice them. There were a couple of times during the show where Rod came down and either laid down or sat at the edge of the stage for fans to come up and take selfies with him, providing a potential logistical nightmare for security. Everyone handled it well and after the second time doing so (which had included a wardrobe change) a lady coaxed Rod’s tie off his neck, and she had a cherished memento.

When ‘Maggie May’ started, Rod let the audience take care of the singing for the first verse and this lifelong metalhead joined in loud and proud. For two of the cover songs, Rod was off stage and his band and singers had the audience singing along and again dancing in the aisles. When the ladies sang Creedence Clearwater Revival’s ‘Proud Mary’, I saw a couple who got a little rambunctious dancing being lost in the moment and security had to make sure they did not run themselves into the stage.

It was an unbelievable show and I would go again in a heartbeat if I could. There are a few more tour dates before Rod Stewart begins a Las Vegas Residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in mid-March, before continuing with upcoming tour dates around the world, see the dates here.

Rod Stewart set list for February 26, 2025 – Tampa, FL

You Wear It Well
Ooh La La (Faces song)
Having a Party (Sam Cooke cover)
Young Turks
Have You Ever Seen the Rain? (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)
Rollin’ and Tumblin’ (Muddy Waters cover)
The First Cut Is the Deepest (Cat Stevens cover)
Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)
Forever Young
Maggie May
I’d Rather Go Blind (Etta James cover)
Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?
Downtown Train (Tom Waits cover)
I’m Every Woman (Chaka Khan cover) (Sung by his backup singers; Rod was off stage)
Reason to Believe (Tim Hardin cover)
Every Picture Tells a Story
Mandolin Wind
Have I Told You Lately (Van Morrison cover)
Proud Mary (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover) (Sung by his backup singers; Rod was off stage)
It Takes Two (Kim Weston cover) (Dedicated to Tina Turner)
Some Guys Have All the Luck (The Persuaders cover)