The lord mayor who was blamed over Rod Stewart's concert blunder broke his silence amid fans' complaints.
Stewart serenaded his fans at Home Park Stadium Saturday as part of his summer shows in the UK. However, his performance at the Plymouth venue was cut short, with the singer revealing that it was due to the imposed curfew in the area.
Rod Stewart's Show Cut Off: Should Lord Mayor Be Blamed?
Lord Mayor Mark Shayer broke his silence in an interview with Plymouth Live after the singer and the concertgoers pointed their fingers at him as the reason behind the concert's sudden ending.
According to Shayer, he was left horrified to be associated with the blunder, especially since he suffered verbal abuse from the public. He added that he is also a fan of Stewart, sharing that the background song of the only video he had with his late father was the singer's "Sailing."
"To say I stopped Rod Stewart singing what is one of my favorite songs ... it's ridiculous," he said. "There are even some words from 'Sailing' on [Dad's] headstone. So how could I stop something as important as Rod singing that song?"
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On the other hand, the Plymouth City Council also defended its group and clarified that the council nor the operators ordered the venue to end the show. It said in a statement, shared by Ultimate Classic Rock and Culture, that the local authority or the venue has no say if a performer wants to end the set before the curfew.
According to the City of Plymouth's website, the current curfew hours offer exceptions for different reasons, including sponsored recreational activities, emergencies, and First Amendment-protected activities.
What Rod Stewart Said About His Concert's Sudden End
Both the lord mayor and Plymouth City Council shared their statements after Stewart stormed off the stage after being told he would not be able to complete his prepared set for his fans, per The Independent.
Some fans shared their testimonies online and said someone indeed told Stewart to abrupt the show.
"It was a fabulous night, but what an abrupt end. A guy dressed in black came onto the stage and ordered Rod off because of a curfew," one said, with another writing, "After attending the Rod Stewart concert yesterday evening, he finished his second to last song - the finale being We Are Sailing - to be told it was 10.30 pm and he couldn't continue."
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