It had been 7 years since I last saw Rod; far too long. I drove up to Glasgow with a group of mates for this concert. Baby Jane had been a big hit, and I saw it as a return to rock’n’roll for Rod. We had a drink in a proper spit and sawdust pub (I think it actually did have spittoons on a concrete floor covered in sawdust). Think it was called The Ibrox? I remember I asked for a half of lager (I was driving and that was all I was going to have to drink) and the barman told me in his strong Glaswegian accent “We dinna sell halves of lager in here”. Support came from disgraced rocker Gary Glitter who was having a little bit of a comeback at the time. From Everything2: “1982 and 1983 were spent by Glitter touring universities with his show. This appealed to Glitter as the people at university at this time were the teenagers who bought his records at the peak of his success. This success was followed by Glitter being asked to appear as a guest by his friend Rod Stewart in 1983 at his concert at Ibrox Park in Glasgow. Glitter jumped at this and appeared in front of an audience of 20,000 people [note. I am sure there were more than 20,000 people there, I would have said more like 50,000?] which was many more than he was used to at this time. At the beginning of his set, Glitter had a mixed reaction from the audience, but his unique style of working the crowd had them crying out for more by the time he had finished, so much that Stewart had to put in a very good performance to compete.”
The rest of the bill consisted of JoBoxers, who grew out of Subway Sect and had a hit with Boxer Beat and Scottish band Passionate Friends: “in the summer of 1983, following a series of gigs around the country, the band were brought to the attention of Harvey Goldsmith. Harvey was promoting the Rod Stewart gig at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, and invited the boys to play support to Rod, Gary Glitter, and Jo Boxers.” (Wikipedia) 
There was a great atmosphere at the gig, lots of Scottish flags, and a very warm welcome for Rod from his adopted home crowd. Rod had by now moved fully into rock/pop hero mode, and the set reflected his late 70s and early 80s solo work, with very little from the Faces days or his early solo outings. Favourites of mine were always “I’m Losing You”, “Mandolin Wind” and “Reason to Believe”, none of which featured in Rod’s seat at the time, although he did sing the excellent “Gasoline Alley” and finish with a rocking version of “Stay With Me”. An excellent concert, with the now traditional footballs being booted out into the stadium and onto the Ibrox turf.
Setlist: Tonight I’m Yours (Don’t Hurt Me); Sweet Little Rock & Roller; Dancin’ Alone; Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright); Passion; She Won’t Dance With Me; Little Queenie; Jimmy Z Blues; Sweet Surrender; I Don’t Want to Talk About It; You’re in My Heart (The Final Acclaim); Baby Jane; Young Turks; What Am I Gonna Do (I’m So in Love With You); Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?; Gasoline Alley; Maggie May; Sailing; Hot Legs; Baby Jane (Reprise); Stay With Me
5 Jul
Vintagerock's Weblog. 
Posted by bestcarhire on April 12, 2018 at 2:46 pm
I remember this well as I played with Passionate Friends on that day (and still do).
Beautiful day and a beautiful crowd- it
was around 20k when we went on stage
and grew to 30-40k when Rod was on
I’m sure!
Rod was given the home dressing room,
Gary Glitter the away, The Glitter Band and
Jo Boxers got reasonable rooms – but
we got the cleaners cupboard! Oh Joy!
Posted by Arlene Shearer on October 7, 2019 at 7:54 pm
I was there with my hubby we were only 20 years old. Gary Glitter had the place jumping. Rod was okay. Brilliant day xxx
Posted by Jacqueline Smith Murphy on June 8, 2023 at 8:03 pm
First ever concert of Rod when I was 21 seen him many times that I can’t remember how many , had a brain tumour 4 years ago and doing well , just seen him on 15th May 2023 at Ceasars Palace which my husband took me for my 60th birthday and going to see him at Edinburgh Castle for the very last time as it’s our weddings anniversary on that day
Posted by vintagerock on June 9, 2023 at 11:18 am
Thanks for sharing Jacqueline. Rod is always a class act. Sorry to hear about your health issues. Hope you are okay now. Enjoy Road in Edinburgh! Cheers Peter
Posted by Heather on July 12, 2024 at 7:52 pm
Remember this as my first Rod Stewart concert and one of the best. I was 18 and on a first date with my new boyfriend, who became my husband a year later. I wondered why he was so against going to concert. It turned out he was a huge celtic fan he must have really liked me 😊 Ibrox lol !. I will never forget the concert for many reasons. Rod you still rock. Rip .James G.
Posted by vintagerock on July 13, 2024 at 12:14 pm
Hi Heather. Thanks for sharing. Lovely story and great memories. I really enjoyed Rod that day. And I still enjoy seeing him today. Happy days Peter
Posted by Elaine on July 15, 2024 at 1:32 am
Rhttp://Rod I saw you at Ibrox Stadium on June 18th 1983 it was a fantastic concert. I still have the official programme. Wish I could attend your gig again 🏴🤢celtic ✨️✨️xx
Posted by vintagerock on July 15, 2024 at 8:48 am
Hi Elaine happy days Peter
Posted by Lee Osborne on June 29, 2025 at 7:19 pm
just watching Rod at Glastonbury brought back great memories of Ibox, just left school and got the train to Glasgow with a lad called Graham who lived in Glasgow, stayed with his parents (if you see this Graham hi) Lee