Rod Stewart has hit back at Elvis Costello following the frontman of The Attractions’ recent comments about his performance at the Queen’s Jubilee concert.
Earlier this month, the Maggie May singer was among the musicians who performed during a celebratory concert in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
During the show, he revealed he’d been asked by the BBC to cover Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline, which received a somewhat mixed response from viewers.
Among the critics was Elvis Costello, who reportedly told the crowd during his show in Glasgow he thought the event was “shite”.
“I mean, I know you all love him and he’s one of yours and everything, but Rod. What the fuck?” Elvis said. “I must say, listen we all have bad nights vocally, but for fuck’s sake, Sweet fucking Caroline? Are you fucking kidding me?”
He added: “I mean I’ve been in showbusiness 45 years so I do know a thing or two. How is it that nobody suggested Rod sing ‘You Wear It Well’?”
Hitting back on Twitter, Rod pointed out that his vocals weren’t quite up to par as he’d recovered from Covid just before he performed at the show.
He tweeted: “Yes my voice was rough cos of Covid. I apologise, I though it better it to make an appearance rather than let everyone down so sorry. By the way, where’s your hair gone mate????? [sic]”
He then signed off the message, “Sir Rod”.
Responding shortly afterwards, Elvis wrote: “Dear Lord Stewart. You know I love you. Think the Queen would have loved You Wear It Well or even Hot Legs.
“As to gigs, I had a stinker the other night in Liverpool. They come and go, like hair, which I keep sewn in my hat. Up The Republic.”
Rod’s wife Penny Lancaster previously claimed during an appearance on Loose Women that her husband “didn’t have much of a choice” when it came to performing Sweet Caroline, as it’s “the Queen’s favourite”.
Defending his performance, she added: “It was very very touch and go and he was so nervous leading up to it and he was three weeks in Vegas and caught covid just after the last show, he came home and was past the ten day period of being contagious but he lost his voice.
“So the sound check on the Wednesday he went along and wore a mask but had no voice and he was like how long can I leave it?”
“So he went for another rehearsal on the Friday but his voice is there now but he wasn’t quite on, but he didn’t want to disappoint anybody.
“It wasn’t the Rod Stewart show, it was for the nation and for everybody to come together for the Queen. He wanted to please the people so that was the song.”