About 20,000 fans are ready to rock with Rod Stewart and hear him say: “Tonight I’m yours”.

The football-mad superstar will bring the biggest crowd in years to Carlisle United’s Brunton Park home this evening.

And it’s set to be an unforgettable occasion as the newly-knighted icon brings the curtain down on his Hits tour.

Finishing touches are being put in place in Brunton Park’s transformation from sports stadium to concert venue.

Giant cranes yesterday lifted rigging for the stage into place as the pitch was turned into a sea of seats.

Music promoters Cuffe & Taylor have worked with Rod and Carlisle United to stage the event, one of the biggest nights of music that Cumbria has seen in years.

Director Peter Taylor said: “Carlisle is the last night of the stadium tour so this is going to be a huge night for the city to remember.

“The reaction at the other venues has been absolutely amazing and we have no doubt the people of Carlisle and those who travel to the concert are going to have a wonderful evening.”

Excitement ahead of tonight’s gig is building with people in the city keen to give Rod a special welcome in thanks for the support he gave in the wake of Storm Desmond, donating £10,000 to Cumbria’s flood appeal.

In a News & Star interview, he later described the scenes of the county that he saw on television as “heartbreaking”.

Related article: Rod Stewart: Heartbreaking floods coverage made me give £10,000

Sir Rod’s latest visit to Brunton Park will be a different occasion to his last, when he played in a celebrity football match in 1992 that also featured former United owner Michael Knighton.

Blues bosses can’t wait to welcome him.

Club spokesman Andy Hall said: “Everything’s going fantastically well.

“It’s just over a year since we first made contact with the promoters and it could not have gone so smoothly.”

And, with Carlisle preparing to cash in on the influx of visitors coming to the concert, United hope the concert will put the city on the musical map and urge other acts to follow Sir Rod.

It’s also hoped that the event will be a morale booster to the surrounding community, with houses surrounding the ground still being gutted after being deluged by the floods.

“A football club is at the heart of the community and being able to stage a concert like this is, when you look back to what happened in December, is good and given everyone something to look forward to,” Mr Hall added.

“For us, it shows we can put on large-scale concerts at Brunton Park. If anyone’s interested in talking about anything like this in the future, we’re here.

“We’re proud to be putting on something like this.”