‘The show must go on,’ 81-year-old rocker Rod Stewart says after pausing Utah show for oxygen

I had strong doubts Rod Stewart was going to take the stage for his Utah show this past Friday.

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The 81-year-old rocker had canceled three shows in the week leading up to his tour stop at Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre. Citing an acute upper respiratory infection that had resulted in laryngitis, Stewart canceled his June 12 concert in Chula Vista, California, just 45 minutes before showtime.

The next day, he was at a World Cup game in Boston cheering on Scotland.

A couple of days later — amid some backlash he got for attending the game so soon after canceling a show — Stewart pushed back his June 15 and 16 Red Rocks shows in Colorado to September of 2027.

Utah was his next tour stop, on Friday, June 19.

Throughout the week, I regularly checked for news of a cancellation. I repeatedly checked on the day of the concert — even while my husband and I were heading to the West Valley City venue — since Stewart had canceled so close to showtime just a week before.

To my absolute surprise and joy, the “Maggie May” singer did in fact take the stage and put on a show.

But it took a big toll.

Rod Stewart pauses Utah show for oxygen: ‘The show must go on’

Stewart showing up wasn’t even the first surprise of the night.

Richard Marx, the singer behind the soft rock ballad “Right Here Waiting,” was supposed to be the opening performer. When we arrived at the venue shortly after the 7:30 showtime, we were confused — and slightly intrigued — to see bagpipers on stage.

The bagpipe ensemble — which at one point performed Stewart’s hit “Rhythm of My Heart” — sounded great. The crowd seemed to love it, too.

I figured the bagpipes were part of a preshow opening, giving both Marx and Stewart a little more time for the sun to go down and the air to cool.

But to my surprise, when the curtain rose around 8 p.m., it was Stewart, not Marx, on stage (Marx’s absence was apparently announced shortly before the show, although it appears a number of fans, including myself, missed this update).

Following the bagpipes/no Richard Marx plot twist, the next surprise of the night came right away: The 81-year-old Stewart sounded especially great considering he had been suffering from laryngitis just the week before (it probably also helps that his voice is naturally raspy).

In fact, he was so high energy as he kicked off the show with the song “Infatuation” that I joked to my husband that maybe it was an impersonator.

But Stewart’s stamina waned gradually over the next two hours.

Fairly early on in the show, he asked the crowd what the elevation was — with numbers coming at him in all directions, Stewart was able to figure out it was between 4,000 and 5,000 feet.

About two-thirds of the way through his show, the rocker was visibly struggling while performing “Young Turks.” As he stood on the stage singing, he switched between holding on to the piano for support to leaning on the drum set. At the end of the song, Stewart stood off to the side of the stage as a few people from his crew gave him oxygen.

“The show must go on,” he said to supportive cheers from the crowd, adding through jokes and colorful language that he had nearly fainted during the song.

Should Rod Stewart retire?

As footage of the moment has circulated online, some have commented that maybe it is time for Stewart — who is nearing the end of his “One Last Time” farewell tour — to call it good.

But considering the singer asked about the elevation early on during his Utah show, it’s likely the incident was more connected to altitude sickness than his age or ability to perform.

The same thing happened to Willie Nelson at the same venue in 2017. Nelson, then 84, cut his Utah show short after saying the high altitude made him feel sick, CBS News previously reported. Now, at 93, the singer continues to release albums and maintains a robust performance schedule.

Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth, 57, has also previously shared that she was “extremely nervous” to perform at a high altitude in Utah — she once used a tank of oxygen to help get her through her show at the Deer Valley Music Festival in Park City, as the Deseret News reported.

For being 81, Stewart’s vocals are still in pretty good shape. He also has a fantastic band — including three great backup singers who performed high-energy covers of “Jolene” and “Proud Mary” — to give him time to catch his breath.

Just as he promised, the show went on after his brief oxygen break. Stewart performed five more songs, and although he was sitting in a chair by the end of it all, he was still singing, engaging with the audience and tapping his leg to the beat.

So this oxygen incident doesn’t necessarily mean Stewart needs to say goodbye to performing — maybe just to Utah.

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But if he does return, we’ll have a chair waiting for him.