Rod Stewart in Shrewsbury: Music legend to play football stadium gig in June

The Maggie May singer will take to the stage at Shrewsbury Town Football Club's stadium on June 7.

Around 20,000 fans are expected to pack in to the stadium for what will be one of only two mainland Britain concerts the veteran performer will do this year in preparation for headlining the Isle of Wight Festival on June 11.

Tickets for the gig will go on sale at 9am on Friday – priced from £55.

It is the second big outdoor concert at the stadium after Elton John wowed crowds with a selection of his hits in 2011. More than 17,000 fans crammed in to the stadium to see the Candle in the Wind performer.

Having sold more than 200 million records worldwide, Sir Rod will perform a combined set of his classics spanning five decades including I Don't Want to Talk About It and The First Cut is the Deepest as well as new hits in his signature style.

Concert-goers will also be treated to tracks from his most recently released critically acclaimed platinum album Another Country, which debuted at number two.

Brian Caldwell, chief executive of Shrewsbury Town Football Club, said the gig had been a long time in the planning.

He said: "We are delighted to get another concert at the stadium.

"Since I came here 12 months ago, many people have said they were craving another event after the Elton John concert.

"Having seen pictures of that night, it looked great. It is brilliant for the club, town and county and hopefully it will put Shrewsbury on the map.

"We have always had the feelers out for another concert. The club secretary Jayne Bebb pushed this one over the line.

"It has seemed possible over the last few weeks and then suddenly it just escalated.

"The promoters have looked at the set-up and seen what we did with Elton John and they were keen to bring it here.

"I spoke to football clubs who had Rod Stewart last year and they said it was great and very successful.

"Financially, the whole deal is structured around the use of the facility. It is also good long term for the football club.

"Hopefully people will come to the stadium who may not have been before and we are hoping they will enjoy themselves and come back for a football match. There is a financial benefit but it is win win for us."

Mr Caldwell said he hoped the appearance of Sir Rod would not be the last big name act to grace the stage at the Oteley Road venue.

"We are really keen to do more if the right act is able to come to Shrewsbury. We do think we are a good location – there is a decent population and we have good links to the main cities.

"There is a craving from people to go to concerts in the area.

"It is really good news and it shows what the football club can bring to the town.

"There is a spin off to the council and county too. Hopefully lots of people come into the town, stay in hotels and spend money in the shops. It should have a boost to the economy."

The concert – as well as his performance in Durham on June 9 - is presented by Cuffe and Taylor, who promoted Sir Rod's eight-date sell-out UK Hits Tour in 2016.

Director Peter Taylor said: "We are absolutely thrilled to be working with Sir Rod again this year. These are two very special concerts ahead of the Isle of Wight Festival and we expect them to be hugely popular.

"We have now worked with Sir Rod on numerous occasions and the reception he receives is always absolutely fantastic.

"He continues to entertain both his loyal followers and a new generation of fans at every concert and we expect Shrewsbury and Durham to be no exception."

Tickets will be available from www.ticketmaster.co.uk

The Rod Stewart Fan Club pre-sale begins at 9am on Tuesday.

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