Rod Stewart placed on vocal rest amid huge tour and ahead of Glastonbury headline show

However, after performing at Milan’s Unipol Forum on Saturday, it’s been confirmed that he has to be on total vocal rest before each performance.

According to The Independent, he was spotted wearing signage around his neck displaying, "Sorry. Cannot talk. Having vocal rest."

Voice rest is a relatively common requirement for singers and long-time performers while on tour, helping them prevent strains on their vocal cords so they’re at their best on stage.

Stewart, who has been performing since 1961, is particularly known for his raspy vocal tone.

The vocal rest for the star comes after he was forced to cancel shows in Las Vegas and California at the beginning of this year, testing positive for Covid and developing strep throat at the same time.

The One Last Time tour, with Cheap Trick as support, includes an 18-date residency in Las Vegas's Colosseum, and is meant to be one of his final large-scale tours of his career.

However, he was keen to note that it didn’t mean he was retiring.

Announcing the shows, Stewart said: "This will be the end of large-scale world tours for me, but I have no desire to retire.

"I love what I do, and I do what I love. I’m fit, have a full head of hair, and can run 100 metres in 18 seconds."

"I’d like to move on to a Great American Songbook, Swing Fever tour the year after next – smaller venues and more intimacy," he added. "But then again, I may not…"

He signed off the sentiment as "The Ambiguous Rod Stewart".

• Find out where to catch Rod Stewart and buy tickets to his shows

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