Rod Stewart Little Rusty In Platinum Party Show But Crowd Still Goes Crazy

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations included a performance by Rod Stewart on Saturday night at Buckingham Palace’s Platinum Party. For his set, Stewart performed two songs, his own hit “Baby Jane,” and a rather raspy interpretation of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.”

The 77-year-old Stewart led fans unimpressed with his take on the latter’s song, and viewers didn’t forget to comment about it. They say that the performance totally ruined the iconic track and that Stewart’s way of singing “butchered” it.

“This is a fun one for me to sing, the BBC made me sing it,” Sir Rod tells the live crowd after a sweet take on “Baby Jane.” “Join in, make it comfortable for me.” The live audience adored the rendition, waving flags and singing along. The streaming audience? Not so much.

“I’m so happy just to be part of it,” Stewart told BBC in an interview before the performance. “Because there was a point where I thought, ‘Oh no, they don’t want me.’ And I was over the moon when I was signed on. I’m singing a song that I never ever sang before. It’s going to be nerve-wracking because usually, I like to rehearse thoroughly, but this time I won’t have a chance.”

Nevertheless, it takes courage to be perform like none other than Sir Rod Stewart, and charisma to look charming in a bold yellow suit. You can watch his performance of “Sweet Caroline” here.