Sir Rod Stewart to dedicate anti-war song to Ukraine on tour

Virgin Radio

24 Oct 2022, 09:28

Sir Rod Stewart has said he will be dedicating an anti-war song to Ukraine during his upcoming tour, and feels the conflict is “beyond belief now”.

Next month, the singer will be setting out on an arena tour of the UK playing cities including Nottingham, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Manchester and London.

This comes as Sir Rod recently revealed he has been supporting a family of seven Ukrainian refugees by renting them a home and paying their bills. The singer said he broke his usual stance of not discussing his charitable work because he wanted to inspire others to help people from the war-torn country.

Speaking to PA News, Sir Rod said he will be performing his 1991 hit Rhythm Of My Heart, which he described as an “anti-war song”, during the tour, which kicks off on 16th November.

He said: “I dedicate that to the Ukrainians, and we bring up a Ukrainian flag and Zelensky (on the big screen).”

Reflecting more on the conflict in the country, he added: “I use some vulgar words when describing Putin.

“And I try and say, ‘Listen this is not the Russian people’s fault’. A lot of people have been arrested and put in prison.

"This is a man and his regime so don't blame all Russians. I've been to Russia many times and I've found the most friendly people on earth, I really have. So it's not their fault, it's this asshole."

The singer and his wife Penny Lancaster said they were inspired to take action after watching the events of the war unfold on the news.

Sir Rod said: "When the war started, in this household we were shocked beyond shock. Because I was born just after the war and so my family came through the Second World War, and to see another ground war with tanks, I never thought we'd say the day, it was just shocking and it's just beyond belief now."

When the war broke out, the singer and his family sent three trucks filled with supplies and had them driven to border of Ukraine. He then used the same vehicles to transport a group of refugees to safety in Berlin.