Rod Stewart in Las Vegas: final date of The Encore Shows series has been canceled
Rod Stewart was scheduled to perform on August 29, 2026, at 7:30 PM at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, as the final date of the summer "The Encore Shows" series. That concert, however, will not take place. After six additional performances from August 18 to 29 were announced in March, the entire August block in Las Vegas was subsequently canceled.
According to information published on August 11, 2026, Stewart canceled the remaining dates following a medical procedure and his doctor's recommendation that he take four weeks to recover. The cancellation also includes all six performances at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The status of the individual August 29 date has also been marked as canceled.
This is the most important information for anyone who was planning a trip to Las Vegas specifically because of this concert. If you already have a ticket, check the message or confirmation associated with the original purchase and the instructions you received regarding a refund. If you booked transportation or accommodation primarily because of the performance, it is also worth checking the modification or cancellation conditions for those reservations before departure.
Why the August 29 performance was important in Stewart's relationship with Las Vegas
Although the concert will not take place, its position in Stewart's career was interesting. This was not a random Las Vegas stop on a major tour, but a continuation of one of the longest-running relationships between a performer and The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
Rod Stewart launched the "Rod Stewart: The Hits." residency at the venue in 2011. Over the following 13 years, he performed more than 200 shows. The original residency ended in 2024, but he returned as early as 2025 with the "The Encore Shows" concept. For 2026, a series of concerts in late May and early June was initially confirmed, and the schedule was then expanded with six additional dates in August.
That continuity explains why The Colosseum is much more than just another stop on Stewart's schedule. When announcing his return for 2026, the performer himself pointed out that the year would mark 15 years since the beginning of his relationship with the venue.
The August series was supposed to look like this:
- August 18 - Las Vegas
- August 20 - Las Vegas
- August 22 - Las Vegas
- August 25 - Las Vegas
- August 27 - Las Vegas
- August 29 - Las Vegas
All of those dates at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace have now been canceled.
What The Encore Shows was supposed to sound like
"The Encore Shows" was conceived as a concert overview of Stewart's catalog, but not as a strictly fixed retrospective. The series announcement emphasized major hits, deeper cuts from the catalog, surprises and newer production elements. Stewart has been known for years for adapting the selection of songs to each individual performance, so it would not be justified to claim that there was a pre-guaranteed set list for August 29.
The list of songs that accompanied announcements of the residency nevertheless clearly shows the musical framework the audience could have expected. Titles mentioned included "Maggie May", "You Wear It Well", "Hot Legs", "Infatuation", "You're in My Heart", "Some Guys Have All the Luck", "Rhythm of My Heart", "Young Turks", "Sailing", "Tonight's The Night", "Forever Young", "Have I Told You Lately" and "Broken Arrow".
It is a repertoire that spans different phases of his career. Stewart's voice became distinctive back in the rock and blues period, but his solo catalog has long since outgrown a simple genre label. It brings together rock, soul, R&B, pop, folk, interpretations of the American standard repertoire and swing.
Precisely because of this, his Las Vegas audience has never been limited to just one generation of classic rock fans. For longtime listeners, the greatest attraction lies in songs spanning several decades of musical history. A broader audience often recognizes the choruses even without detailed knowledge of the albums, while fans of vocal pop and soul get a completely different entry point into the same catalog.
The announced concerts were supposed to include Stewart's large backing band and backing vocalists. This is important because his songs live are not built solely around his characteristic raspy vocal. Saxophones, guitars, the rhythm section, keyboards and multi-part backing vocals allow transitions from energetic rock to slower ballads without requiring the concert to remain in a single sonic register.
From rock classics to swing: the current phase of his career
Stewart's more recent discography further demonstrates the breadth of his musical interests. The studio album "Swing Fever", released in 2024 with Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, was devoted to songs from the swing and big band tradition.
The album has 13 songs, including "Lullaby of Broadway", "Pennies from Heaven", "Ain't Misbehavin'", "Almost Like Being in Love", "Night Train" and "Tennessee Waltz". The project is not an attempt to modernize Stewart's old rock catalog, but a deliberate return to music that preceded rock and roll and strongly influenced generations of performers who came after it.
That phase of his career also helps explain how his concerts of recent years should be viewed. Stewart does not perform only as an artist repeating a string of hits from the 1970s and 1980s. His repertoire has long included standards, soul, R&B and swing, and the concerts use the contrast between different musical eras.
At the same time, the biggest hits remained the foundation of the Las Vegas residency. "The Encore Shows" was not announced as a concert of the "Swing Fever" album, but as a continuation of a format in which the broad catalog is adapted to a more intimate venue and to an audience that often comes specifically for the familiar songs.
The Colosseum at Caesars Palace changes the feel of a concert
The Colosseum at Caesars Palace has approximately 4,300 seats. In a world of performers capable of playing large arenas and outdoor stadiums, that size changes the audience's perspective.
The venue was designed for residencies and limited runs of performances by major artists, and its relatively compact configuration means that a concert does not have the same sense of distance as a performance in front of tens of thousands of people. That is precisely one of the reasons Stewart has chosen the same venue so many times.
For the audience, the appeal lies in the combination of Las Vegas's high production standard and a space that still makes it possible to feel a theatrical closeness to the performer. A concert can have a full band and elaborate production without losing the connection between the stage and the auditorium.
The Colosseum is located inside Caesars Palace at 3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South, in the central part of the Las Vegas Strip. The complex is large, so visitors who have not been there before should allow extra time to walk through the resort to the venue itself.
If the performance were taking place, it would be reasonable to arrive early, especially for visitors entering Caesars Palace for the first time. The exact door-opening time for the canceled date is now irrelevant and should not be assumed.
Getting to Caesars Palace and navigating the Strip
For visitors who have already planned a trip to Las Vegas, the Caesars Palace location remains convenient for exploring the central part of the Strip even without the concert.
The resort has its own parking, and the complex includes a garage and valet service areas. Traffic on Las Vegas Boulevard can be heavy, especially in the evening and on weekends, so a car is not always the simplest way to move between resorts that are relatively close to one another.
Another option is the Las Vegas Monorail. The Flamingo/Caesars Palace station is located inside Flamingo Las Vegas, on the opposite side of Las Vegas Boulevard from Caesars Palace. From the station, the journey continues on foot toward Caesars Palace and The Colosseum.
The Monorail connects several important parts of the Strip, including MGM Grand, Horseshoe/Paris, Flamingo/Caesars Palace, Harrah's/The LINQ, Las Vegas Convention Center, Westgate and SAHARA. During most of the day, trains arrive at intervals of approximately four to eight minutes.
For Saturday, which was the day of the planned August 29 concert, the published regular Monorail operating hours run from 7:00 AM to 3:00 AM. Operational changes can still occur, so travelers intending to use it for other activities in the city should check the current status immediately before traveling.
- Venue location - The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South
- Capacity - approximately 4,300 seats
- Nearest Monorail station - Flamingo/Caesars Palace
- The station is located inside Flamingo Las Vegas, after which there is a walking section to Caesars Palace
- Caesars Palace has a parking garage, but evening congestion on the Strip should be taken into account
What to do if you organized your trip because of the concert
The most important thing is not to arrive at The Colosseum on August 29 expecting a performance. The date has been canceled and there is currently no confirmed replacement performance for that evening.
If you already have a ticket, keep your purchase confirmation and any subsequent communication you received. Information about how the refund is processed may depend on the channel through which the transaction was made.
If a separate hotel, airline or other travel reservation is connected to the concert, it generally does not change automatically just because the event has been canceled. The conditions should be checked separately for each reservation.
It is particularly important to distinguish the originally published schedule from the current status. Caesars Entertainment did indeed announce performances on August 18, 20, 22, 25, 27 and 29 in March 2026, each beginning at 7:30 PM. This explains why the date may still appear in older announcements, calendars, saved search results or previously published travel guides.
The current information takes precedence: the August concerts have been canceled.
Stewart's history in Las Vegas remains much bigger than one canceled date
The cancellation of the final August performance does not change the fact that The Colosseum is one of the key stages of Stewart's later career. More than 200 performances since the residency began in 2011 created a relationship that most performers do not have with a single venue outside their hometown.
His position in popular music is also unusually broad. He has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice, and according to data published by Caesars Entertainment, more than 250 million of his albums and singles have been sold during his career.
The numbers alone do not explain why Stewart's catalog works so well in a residency format. More important is the range of songs: from early rock and folk through soul and major pop singles to standards and swing. In a single evening, his concert can connect "Maggie May", "Hot Legs", "Young Turks", "Sailing" and "Have I Told You Lately" without making the audience feel as though they are listening to only one musical era.
That kind of overview was precisely the foundation of "The Encore Shows". The announced concept left room for hits, less expected songs and covers, but without guaranteeing that every performance would have an identical repertoire.
For the audience that wanted to see Stewart in Las Vegas on August 29, this now remains the context of what was planned, rather than an event that will take place. You should not buy travel or change plans on the assumption that the concert still exists. If Las Vegas is already part of your itinerary, the city and Caesars Palace can remain part of the trip, but the evening needs to be planned without this performance.
If you come across an old announcement, check the publication date
The situation is a good example of why, with concerts, it is necessary to distinguish an announcement from the latest status of an event. The original announcement for the August block was entirely valid: "The Encore Shows" was extended through August 29, and the final concert was scheduled for 7:30 PM.
The subsequent schedule change occurred in August. That is why a text that states the date and time but does not mention the cancellation is no longer sufficient for planning a visit.
If you added the concert to your own calendar before that change, remove it from your travel plan and check the status of related reservations. If you have only now found the August 29 date, do not treat it as an active concert date.
For fans who want to follow Stewart's future performances, the same rule applies: rely on the most recently published schedule immediately before booking travel, especially after changes that affected the remainder of his 2026 summer tour.
Sources:
- Associated Press - confirmation from August 11, 2026, that the remaining dates were canceled following a medical procedure and that the affected performances include the Las Vegas residency concerts
- Caesars Entertainment Newsroom - announcement of six additional The Encore Shows performances from August 18 to 29, 2026, start time, history of Stewart's residency and description of the planned concert format
- Caesars Entertainment, Caesars Palace Fact Sheet - The Colosseum capacity of approximately 4,300 seats, location and basic information about Caesars Palace
- Las Vegas Monorail - location of the Flamingo/Caesars Palace station, station network, operating hours and train arrival intervals
- Warner Music - information about the "Swing Fever" album, the collaboration with Jools Holland and the repertoire of 13 swing and big band songs