Rod at least had strong support from his girlfriend as he opened his latest Australian tour to strangely subdued audiences in Brisbane.
Penny dressed in a white pants suit, danced enthusiastically and exchanged hand signals with Stewart as he battled to fire up the Brisbane Entertainment Centre crowd. Stewart showed a lot more energy than most of the fans – who paid up to $184 for a ticket – as he powered through a two hour show that mixed four decades of rock hits with his latest penchant for big-band music.
The 10,000-strong crowd last night for the second of two shows in Brisbane didn’t fire up until the set closed with the ever popular Maggie May, It Takes Two, Sailing and encore song Having A Party. Although many of the audience stayed glued to their seats, Lancaster stood out dancing and arm waving as she watched the show from the mixing station area in the middle of the arena. Stewart, his distinctive voice still holding up despite his vintage, opened with You Wear It Well and This Old Heart Of Mine with his band tight and punchy after almost a year of touring. His struggle to engage the audience was highlighted in an embarrassing moment during Some Guys Have All The Luck when Stewart stopped singing to allow the crowd to take over but few knew the words.
The audience appeared appreciative but reserved and at times Stewart looked frustrated by the lack of reaction. He had numerous breaks during the show, leaving his band to take charge with back up vocalist Ester Nicholson performing a version of Proud Mary which would have done Tina Turner proud. Nicholson’s fellow back up vocalists Julie Delgado and Nastasha Pearce were also tremendous, Delgado featuring in a duet with a tuxedo-clad Stewart during the orchestral section to sing Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered. Lead guitarist Don Kirkpatrick played an inspiring solo during Sailing and cranked out the power chords when Stewart did a cover of Chuck Berry’s Carol.
Saxophonist Katja Rieckermann and fiddle/mandolin player J’Anna Jacoby were other stars in Stewart’s band. Stewart heads for sold out shows at Sydney’s SuperDome on Friday and Saturday before concerts next week in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
