Rod Stewart Under the Stars in Southampton

Written by:

Christine Schott

Photographs by Lane Oliveri

07/31/2026

“It’s pure extravaganza.”

That was PALMER Editorial Director Stefano Tonchi’s verdict after Thursday night’s TeachRock benefit, held on the twenty-acre Southampton beachfront estate of Lauren Day Roberts and Bob Roberts, where more than 200 guests, almost all dressed in white, gathered for an unusually intimate performance by Sir Rod Stewart.

The evening raised $1.7 million for TeachRock, the education nonprofit founded by Stevie Van Zandt, whose free curriculum uses the history of popular music to teach subjects ranging from history and language arts to science. Today, the program reaches more than one million students nationwide.

Guests were welcomed with cocktails and dinner by Daniel Boulud before taking their seats on the lawn, where Stewart and his band performed beneath the stars. Between songs, supporters bid on extraordinary experiences: dinner with Stewart and Lady Penny Lancaster, dinner with Van Zandt and members of The Sopranos in Little Italy, and an evening at Andrea Bocelli’s villa in Tuscany followed by a private concert.

The moment everyone will remember came near the end of the evening, when Van Zandt walked onstage to join Stewart for We’re Having a Party and Stay With Me. In a recent conversation with PALMER, Van Zandt spoke about the artists who shaped his life and approach to music, naming Stewart as one of his longtime heroes. Watching the two perform together, it felt as though the audience was witnessing a genuine full-circle moment.

After the show, Stewart invited Van Zandt to join him again the following evening at Jones Beach, extending the collaboration beyond a single night and, perhaps, marking the beginning of a new friendship between two rock legends.

Mark Aldridge, who curated the evening produced by the BlueDog Group, shared a personal note with us after the event, saying “Sir Rod spoke to me after the show, and said, with real feeling, that it was one of the most special performances he could remember. It’s rare to play that close to an audience so beautifully turned out, and so present and so alive. And to share a stage in the Hamptons with his old friend Stevie—it moved him in a way he didn’t expect.”

The guest list stretched across music, fashion, media, and philanthropy, including Georgina Chapman, Chris and Christina Cuomo, Maria Bartiromo, Penny Lancaster, Maureen Van Zandt, Fern Mallis, Jonathan Steinberg, Dr. Garry and Steve Boxer. Palm Beach was well represented as always, not least by Stewart himself, who has long called the island home.

For a few hours, one of Southampton’s grandest lawns became a concert venue. TeachRock’s impact will last far longer. The funds raised will help expand the nonprofit’s free curriculum, which uses music to bring history, language arts, science, and other core subjects to life for more than a million students.