Singer Rod Stewart has finally explained why he attended a FIFA World Cup match just hours after canceling a sold-out California concert, admitting the optics “weren’t a good look” but insisting he did it for his sons.
“I really shouldn’t have gone to the Haiti game. You know, I had to cancel a show the night before because I just had no voice left,” Stewart told TalkSPORT, Talk and Virgin Radio UK.
“But the truth is, Jim, I wasn’t going to let my two sons down. I promised them since they were born that we were going to go to a World Cup. And this is the first one that’s come about. And it wasn’t a good look, I admit, but I’m going to have to just take the stick. So I did it for the boys,” he added.
The 81-year-old rock legend was responding to backlash that erupted after he was spotted cheering on Scotland during its World Cup clash against Haiti less than 24 hours after abruptly pulling out of a scheduled performance in San Diego.
Stewart had canceled his June 13 concert at the North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre just 40 minutes before he was due to take the stage, citing illness.
Organizers initially said he was suffering from a sinus infection, while Stewart later revealed doctors diagnosed him with an acute upper respiratory infection that caused laryngitis.
Fans were left furious when the singer posted a video the following day showing himself boarding a private jet with sons Aidan and Alastair en route to Boston for the World Cup match.
“Here we are flying off to Boston to see Scotland in the World Cup,” Stewart said in the clip before breaking into song with his sons.
Photos from the match showed the singer smiling in the stands decked out in Scottish colors as Scotland took on Haiti.
The appearance prompted a wave of criticism from disappointed concertgoers, many of whom questioned how Stewart could travel across the country and attend a high-energy sporting event after claiming he was too ill to perform.
A representative for Stewart previously defended the cancellation, telling media outlets that the singer’s medical condition was legitimate and that he had undergone multiple rounds of treatment in an attempt to save the show.
According to the representative, Stewart had arrived at the venue but was unable to speak properly and was communicating by text because he had lost his voice.
Speaking this week, Stewart acknowledged the criticism and conceded that attending the match immediately after canceling the concert created a poor impression.
The singer said the trip was the fulfillment of a long-standing promise to his sons, who joined him at the tournament as Scotland chased a place in the knockout rounds.
During the interview, Stewart also expressed confidence in Scotland’s chances at the World Cup and praised the team’s supporters, calling them “the greatest supporters in the world.”
Despite the controversy, Stewart appeared in good spirits during the interview and said he was recovering from the illness that forced him to cancel the San Diego show.
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