Rod Stewart and Ron Wood made international political news on May 11 when they were caught on an open mic bashing Donald Trump to King Charles following his visit to America. “Hello, Sir, may I say, well done with the Americans,” Stewart told King Charles in a receiving line at the Royal Albert Hall. “You were superb, absolutely superb. You put that little ratbag in his place.”
But the former Faces bandmates also made music news that day when they reunited onstage as part of the King’s Trust Celebration concert at the Royal Albert Hall to perform “Ooh La Laa” and “Good Rockin’ Tonight” with house band Jools Holland & His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. Wood did most of the vocal lifting in “Ooh La Laa,” just as he did on the original 1973 Faces recording, and Stewart sang lead on “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” which he recorded with Holland in 2024 on their collaborative LP Swing Fever.
The Prince’s Trust is an organization founded by King Charles in 1976. It supports young people across England facing economic uncertainty. The first Prince’s Trust fundraising concert took place at the Royal Albert Hall in 1982 and featured performances by Kate Bush, Phil Collins, Pete Townshend, Madness, and Robert Plant. Mick Jagger, Elton John, George Michael, Sting, Eric Clapton, Tom Jones, and Mike and the Mechanics have played at follow-up events. The mini Faces reunion was the highlight of the event this year, which also included performances by Rita Ora, Craig David, and Anne-Marie, along with an appearance by George and Amal Clooney.
Rod Stewart and Ron Wood have been toying with the idea of recording a Faces reunion album with drummer Kenney Jones for many years. In a recent interview with The Telegraph, Jones said they’ve already recorded 11 songs. “Not all of them are going to be right [for the album],” he said. “But most of them are good. I can’t see it coming out this year. But I can see it coming out next year. Everyone’s doing different things. We do little snippets [of recording] here and there. Then all of a sudden, the Stones are out [on tour] again, Rod’s out again…”
It should be noted that a Faces reunion album is the classic rock equivalent of Donald Trump’s healthcare plan. It’s been on the verge of coming together for the better part of a decade. Whenever the members of the band speak about it, they say it’s about a year off.
Jones is correct that Rod Stewart has a busy schedule. He resumes his residency at Caesar’s Palace on May 27, and then plays amphitheaters and arenas all across North America over the summer, before heading back to Vegas in August. He’s not right about the Stones’ touring schedule being an issue. They haven’t played a show since July 2024, decided against touring Europe in 2025 and 2026 after venues were already on hold, and have no plans at the moment to play shows in support of their upcoming LP, Native Tongues.
“Oh, I mean, we can talk next year,” Keith Richards told the AP when asked about a Stones tour. “I mean, possibly, you know, I mean, at the moment, we’re just sort of saying we finished the record, let’s do this. Not this year anyway.”
In the meantime, Ron Wood has booked a handful of solo shows in Europe this summer. But he still has plenty of time on his schedule to get back in the studio and finish that Faces album.
