Rod Stewart Says The Faces Will Reunite For One-Night Charity Gig

The Faces, a hard-partying band that launched iconic rock and rollers Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood, will reunite for a single performance to benefit prostate cancer research.

The Faces front man Rod Stewart, took a break from his solo career and from Stewarts and Hamiltons, a reality TV show featuring Rod Stewart and his family, to announce the news of The Faces reunion on his website.

“This year is the 40th anniversary since The Faces parted ways so it’s about time we got together since for a jam,” said Stewart, according to Newsmax. “Being in The Faces back in the day was a whirlwind of madness but my God, it was beyond brilliant. We are pleased to be able to support Prostate Cancer UK.”

The Faces formed in 1969, and quickly gained notoriety as a hard-drinking band with a pension for partying, leaving many busted-up hotel rooms in their wake.

Along with creating post-performance after-parties that have become the stuff of rock and roll legend, The Faces managed to churn out a few albums and a handful of hits that led The Faces to international success. The Faces was a springboard for the successful solo career of Rod Stewart and future Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood.

Songs like “Stay With Me” and “Oh la la” could be heard with regularity on rock and roll radio stations throughout the United States and across the pond in Europe and the U.K. in the 1970s.

By 1975, Ronnie Wood had made the decision to leave The Faces and join The Rolling Stones, with which he has stayed and has toured for 40 years.

Soon after Wood’s departure, Stewart dissolved The Faces and embarked on what would be a legendary solo career.

There were several attempts to reunite The Faces over the years, but gathering the original lineup never fully came together. Bassist Ronnie Lane was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and as the years went by, his participation in any reunion event became less likely with the progression of his condition.

The group did get together to perform an encore at Rod Stewart’s 1986 concert at Wembley Stadium, but Lane was only able to contribute on vocals as he could no longer play, and The Rolling Stones’ Bill Wyman subbed in on the bass.

Ronnie Lane passed away in 1997.

Any effort to reunite after that was met by scheduling conflicts or contract disputes among the surviving members.

The Faces were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Rod Stewart was notably absent from the induction, as he was reportedly suffering from the flu. And tragedy struck the band in 2014 when keyboardist Ian McLagan died after suffering a stroke.

But now it appears things have begun to gel for The Faces reunion that has been in the works for so many years.

“The years of The Faces were some of the best of my life and I’m so proud to have been part of the band. I’m unbelievably excited to have the opportunity to get up on stage with Rod and Ronnie again. Ronnie Lane and Ian McLagan will be dearly missed but we’ll raise a glass to them,” said Kenney Jones, according to Pitchfork.

Surviving members Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, and Kenney Jones will take the stage at the Hurtwood Park Polo Club in Ewhurst, Surrey, on September 5 to raise money for the charity Prostate Cancer UK.

[Image courtesy of Keystone Features/Getty Images]