KITCHENER — British rocker. Pop icon. Poster boy for peroxide blondes.

A one-time paper boy and grave measurer turned gravel-voiced legend and hockey dad.

Rod Stewart, who headlines Big Music Fest 2015 at McLennan Park on July 10-12, is all those things. But, at 70, is Rod the Mod still bawdy and beautiful enough to sing his old hit "Do ya think I'm sexy?" before a Kitchener crowd of tens of thousands?

"Oh, yeah," said 21-year-old Leanna Bailey of Kitchener as she checked out a bigger-than-life Rod Stewart poster at city hall Tuesday as the lineup for the second edition of the all-ages three-day festival was revealed. "He kicks ass."

He kicks soccer balls too, even though his son Liam punts pucks as a pivot for the major junior Spokane Chiefs of the Canadian Hockey League.

The lifelong Celtic football fan and raspy balladeer will boot those balls into the crowd gathered on top of what used to be known as Mount Trashmore, a rehabilitated landfill that brought Aerosmith and Bryan Adams to the inaugural event last July.

Sixty thousand faces also came to McLennan Park, packing an estimated economic wallop of nearly $7-million for the area. So Round 2 is on its way.

Stewart surely played some dumps early in his London-launched career. Now, between stops in New Zealand and Las Vegas, he'll visit Kitchener to play at least one more old dump, alongside old punkers Blondie.

They'll take the stage on the Sunday after gritty grunge rockers Soundgarden headline with Jane's Addiction, Monster Truck and Extreme play on the Saturday.

Other events — including a food festival, short film screenings and live entertainment at a city hall stage-- will run in downtown Kitchener in the four days leading up Friday's Breaking Bands contest at McLennan Park. Then, the high-priced help takes over.

What did it cost to bring the septuagenarian Stewart and his Hot Legs to Kitchener?

"About 40 soccer balls," said promoter Mark Higgins, declining to give a dollar figure. "Seriously."

Higgins started pursuing Stewart right after last year's show. He only got final confirmation of Stewart's participation a few weeks ago.

"When you're reaching for the stars, they don't move quick," he said.

But you may have to move quickly to get tickets. They go on sale at www.bigmusicfest.com on Friday. That's Friday the 13th. Is that an omen?

You may have to dig deep too. A two-day general admission wristband is $150, according to the website. To afford it, you Maggie May have to steal your daddy's cue and make a living at playing pool.

Big acts, Higgins confirms, cost big money. And alongside the annual downtown blues and alternative music festivals, they give Kitchener a sense that bigger truly is attainable and viable venues exist outside the centre of the city.

"We want to make Kitchener 'Music City'," Coun. Bill Ioannidis said.

Higgins plans to keep reaching for the stars as Big Music Fest plays on.

"The goal is to reach Coachella status," he said, referencing one of the largest, most famous long-running music festivals in the United States.

"And we can do it here."

Music from the headliners

Rod Stewart

Blondie

Jane's Addiction

Soundgarden