“YOU’RE in a singing mood, huh?” Rod Stewart asked – just six songs into the Inverness set celebrating what nearly 50 years of hard graft and a natural-born talent can achieve.
No wonder.
The grim grey weather battering the Highland capital in the run-up to Saturday’s show had turned into warm sunshine.
And even teething problems like the long queues for the shuttle bus and getting into Inverness Caledonian Thistle’s stadium, raised few grumbles.
The truth is, the crowd had really been on the Love Train since Rod and his talented big band’s version of the O’Jays’ song had opened the show and the first round of applause erupted.
Serious singalong broke out in song two, Some Guys Have All The Luck.
Maybe grateful not to be singing into a rainstorm for his third date in Scotland, Rod was the man in the golden jacket, full of smart lines, knowing jokes and moves decades livelier than the OAP birth certificate would suggest.
After we’d sung our hearts out to You Wear It Well he joked: “What a splendid response – and it’s not even raining!”
But it had been one of the only moments of the night when his amazing band had almost drowned his voice out.
The patter kept on coming.
“You can beat an egg, you can beat a carpet, but you can’t beat Saturday night!” he yelled – and the whole event did have a Saturday night party atmosphere, carefully set up by Rod’s choice of songs.
By third song We’re Havin’ A Party, he was slapping his behind and giving big kicks – just the start of the moves that would have tested a man half his age in the marathon two hour set.
It was an impressive workout – butt-slapping, high-kicking, twisting, slip-sliding his feet, crouching at the mike, pirouetting and hefting his big white mike stand from one side of the 40 foot stage to the other.
And the 65-year-old spring chicken got a laugh when he reminded the crowd: “Feel free to use your seats!”
Rhythm Of My Heart written for his Vagabond Heart album was an inspired choice halfway through – seeing as Runrig’s cover of it meant the crowd was already well trained in overhead clapping.
But with his current set majoring on every period of Rod’s long career, there are so many five-star songs to sing that he’s spoiled for choice.
Full marks then for putting in a few wilder cards alongside the ones everyone knows – Tom Waits’ Downtown Train (a number three song in the US for Rod in 1990) and It’s A Heartache, borrowed from that other honorary member of The Gravel-gargler’s Club, Bonnie Tyler.
With his female talent – three backing singers, fiddler, saxophonist and trumpet player matched by the boys on guitars, piano, two drum sets and Jimmy Roberts introduced on sax, even the moments when Rod was offstage changing into waistcoat, purple suit and red jacket, were prime entertainment.
And though it was hard to tell at the back of the main stand, Rod the mod’s wearing well.
“I shake my moneymaker,” he improvised in Twistin’ The Night Away with a bottom-shake to match. Maybe it’s what earned him the big bouquet he politely thanked the crowd for.
Was there a lady in the house asked Da You Think I’m Sexy? who said no. I don’t think so.
But it doesn’t seem like Rod’s too bothered about his age. He was certainly pretty upfront about revealing he’d last played Inverness in 1962 with Long John Baldry.
And in the 10th anniversary year of Caley’s drubbing of his beloved Celtic, lifelong Celtic fan Rod was in forgiving mood.
You’re In My Heart was a slideshow of big Celtic moments on the screen behind.
On the huge stage backdrop the Caley team logo gave way to Celtic’s – and there was a big boo from the crowd.
“I expected that!” he laughed. “At least you’ve got a sense of humour.”
Which might be just as well depending on how his team do at the stadium when Caley meets Celtic again in the first game of the season on August 14! Rod revealed earlier in the set he was hoping Caley manager and old pal Terry Butcher would invite him back as guest of honour.
And at least it means he wouldn’t have to pay for a ticket… but Rod was pretty generous with the 48 signed footballs he kicked into the crowd during Hot Legs.
By the time he settled us into the one that kickstarted his solo career – Maggie May, a big emotional singalong with a to-die-for mandolin solo from fiddler J’anna Jacoby – there had already been a few contenders for best song of the show.
Mod, rocker, soulboy, we’d got ’em all, but it was killer balladeer Rod who hijacked the heart-strings.
Both First Cut Is The Deepest and I Don’t Want To Talk About It were way up there – Rod standing listening to the second singalong, hands on his hips, delighted.
It was just after 10pm as encore Sailing shifted into Baby Jane and Rod left the stage waving, but not looking back.
Rod doesn’t look ready for goodbyes.
Reproduced with thanks to Margaret Chrystall and Highland News