HE IS a world class entertainer who is ranked among the biggest selling artists of all time.

Now Rod Stewart will be performing to his legion of Hampshire fans when his tour rocks into the county next year.

The Daily Echo can reveal that the superstar has fixed a date in Southampton where he will be belting out his array of hit songs at Southampton's Ageas Bowl.

His tartan army of fans will be able to see the 70-year-old perform at the venue on June 10 as part of an eight date UK stadium tour.

The announcement comes hot off the heels of his triumphant Hyde Park Radio 2 show, where he played to more than 50,000 people, and on the eve of releasing a brand new studio album 'Another Country’.

The announcement is a coup for the Hampshire Cricket Club ground which has ploughed millions into developing the stadium into an all-purpose sports and entertainment complex.

Rod Bransgrove, Hampshire Cricket Chairman, said: “We are delighted to be able to add Rod Stewart to the string of great artists who have performed here at the Ageas Bowl.

“We have recently completed the development of this magnificent stadium into a world-class sports and events venue which will provide the perfect location for world-class performers such as Rod.

“Together with all the many music fans of the south coast region, we can’t wait to welcome him here next June.”

The fully seated outdoor tour is being presented by Cuffe and Taylor whose director Peter Taylor said: “We are thrilled to be working with Rod Stewart and his team yet again. In 2014 we worked on three dates and I am delighted we are the sole promoter of the Rod Stewart Stadium Tour for 2016.

“The venues stretch right across the UK giving tens of thousands of people the opportunity to see one of the best live acts in the world. It is great that all but two of the venues are new to Rod Stewart and we are confident there will be a lot of excitement as summer approaches.”

Tickets go on sale from 9am on October 2.

Pre-sale and fan club tickets will go on sale 9am Wednesday September 30.

With his singular voice, narrative songwriting and passionate live performances, Rod Stewart has built one of the most successful and enduring music careers of all time. In a career spanning more than five decades, he has amassed sales of more than 200 million albums and singles worldwide.

The many timeless hits include: Da Ya Think I’m Sexy, Maggie May, Tonight’s the Night and You Wear It Well.

Tickets are priced at £55, £75 and £95 plus special VIP packages are available from www.

ticketline.co.uk.

Throughout his career Rod’s garnered two inductions into the coveted Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, won a Grammy, the ASCAP Founders Award for songwriting, and in 2007 was bestowed Commander of the British Empire (CBE) by the Queen.

The new album ‘Another Country’ is co-produced by Rod and Kevin Savigar and is released 30th October. It follows the huge success of 2012’s ‘Time’ which entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 1, setting a new British record for the longest gap between chart-topping albums by an artist - while in the US, it marked Stewart’s highest-charting album of original material since 1979.

In 2012, Stewart became a New York Times Bestselling author with the release of his autobiography ‘Rod’.

http://www.rodstewart.com