Writing’s on the wall as Rod signs off
IF anyone else had done it, it would have been classed as graffiti – or even vandalism.
But when Rod Stewart scrawls his name on the wall of the newest music venue in Scotland, he gets away with it.
The rocker left a lasting impression on Glasgow’s Hydro last week by signing his name on a backstage wall.
He played four sell-out shows at the flying saucer-shaped venue to officially open the 13,000-seat arena.
Before jetting out of Scotland, Rod, 68, left a farewell message in a corridor.
As well as his signature, he included a tribute to his football team Celtic by writing ‘C’mon the Hoops’ under his name.
He is a well-known Celtic fan and was spotted shedding tears during last season’s 2-1 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League at Parkhead.
A photograph of his signature appeared on Twitter and has been retweeted nearly 100 times by fans.
Rod made history last week when he became the first act to play at the Hydro.
He made sure that it was a show worthy of such an occasion as he belted out 23 of his biggest hits.
He also sang some material from his new album, as well as performing a duet with his daughter Ruby.
The rocker waved a Celtic flag as he sang Maggie May and kicked footballs into the crowd before finishing with Do You Think I’m Sexy?
Speaking to the crowd at the gig, he said: ‘Thank you for making it. We’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.
‘It’s going well so far, the building’s not fallen down.’
A Hydro spokesman confirmed the signature was genuine.
It is hoped that the Hydro, which cost £125million to build, will host about 140 events annually and inject millions of pounds into the city’s economy.
The venue will also host the gymnastics and netball during the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Last night, Hydro bosses said they had decided to turn the location where Rod signed his name into a ‘Wall of Fame’ for other artists to autograph.
A spokesman said: ‘We will be keeping it. Rod was the first to sign and we are hoping all the other artists coming to the venue will do the same.’