Rod Stewart to return to Cork for Live At The Marquee gig

INTERNATIONAL star Rod Stewart will be back in Cork this summer to perform at the Live At The Marquee series.

The popular British singer will be returning to the iconic Cork stage for the first time in 14 years to perform a greatest hits show on June 20th.

Speaking at the announcement, Peter Aiken from Aiken Promotions said that Stewart was extremely excited for the concert, and that the night 14 years previous was one of the best they have had.

'He came off the stage after that gig and said that "nights like this are the reason I got into the business."'

Stewart joins a diverse group of acts set to perform across the summer, with artists such as Aitch and Bell X1 also booked to perform.

Providing a variety of acts is important to Aiken, who said that he was looking forward to what will be the 17th year of the Live At The Marquee series.

Aitch is a 23-year-old rapper from Manchester who Aiken said he had never heard of prior to this year, but is extremely popular among a younger crowd having sold out the venue when tickets went on sale in November.

'I had honestly never heard of Aitch, and I think even they are blown away by how quickly Cork sold out,' said Aiken, who noted the ever-present appetite for live music for people from Munster and beyond.

While recent times have been difficult for the music industry, Aitken says he is cautiously optimistic that things are back to the pre-pandemic normal.

The company have had to change with the times since they first started Live At The Marquee, with Facebook, Instagram and now TikTok becoming more important than ever for getting the word out.

'We didn't do any traditional press [for Aitch] but we did spend a lot on Instagram and TikTok,' he said.

TikTok is huge among younger audiences. Aitch made a video to promote his concert and now even Rod Stewart is joining in on the fun, with plans to record promotional videos exclusively for the platform.

'It's another medium of getting to people, you know,' Aiken said. 'It's changed so quick, I would have thought we should have been spending a lot of money on Facebook but in the last five years it has become more for older people.'

Rod Stewart is one of the best-selling artists in history, with an estimated 250 million records and singles sold worldwide.

With a sell-out expected and no further dates in the pipeline, this summer could be one one of Stewart's last Cork shows.

Tickets go on sale this Thursday at 9am.