I had the iHeart app open & ready well in advance, & at the 2-hours-âtil-showtime, a countdown clock started running, with an indicator of how many people were currently waiting. As the time drew near, the numbers increased to over 600, so that would be those in my time zone (9:00 p.m. CST, as Winnipeg is 2 hrs. ahead of Los Angeles).
There was also a pre-show Live Chat forum going, with a couple of SMILER members whose names I recognize, participating & sharing their eager enthusiasm. At 9:00 p.m. CST, nothing changed from iHeartâs Live Performance home page, & viewers began posting their concerns that they werenât getting the feed. Nothing. Dozens & dozens of more comments posted so quickly that I could barely keep up reading them. (I donât participate in Chat Rooms for good reason, but more on that later) FINALLY, at 9:11 pm., suddenly there was Rod & band in the midst of âYouâre In My Heartâ. iHeart obviously had technical issues, so viewers have no idea what Rod opened with, or what other couple of tracks we missed. Unfortunate, but well worth the wait!
Hereâs the Set List that was shown :
Youâre In My Heart
Some Guys Have All The Luck
Forever Young
* * * Intermission/Wardrobe Change 5 mins. * * *
Maggie May
Grace
Da Ya Think Iâm Sexy
Sweet Little Rock ân Roller
I was surprised that his set didnât include more tracks from âBlood Red Rosesâ, althoâ I like to think that he may have opened with âDidnât Iâ &/or âLook In Her Eyesâ. . .
During âForever Youngâ, a fan in the front row gave Rod a symbolic red tartan scarf, which made his performance even more special! His voice was in fine form, but struggled with a couple of high notes in the set, which simply showcases his unique voice even more so. Rod gave a lengthy intro to the 1916 Irish historic tragedy behind the song âGraceâ & repeated it at the end – his face was very serious throughout, & it was obvious he was emotional & wearing a heavy heart on his face. He then picked up the pace with âSexyâ, & his smile, strut & cheeky movements segued into a stellar finale âSweet Little Rock ân Rollerâ, with Rod & the entire band lining up at the front of the modest sized stage. The band was energized & fantastic as always, each member engaging in one big party alongside Rod, with Kevin Savigar pounding the ivories like there was no tomorrow!!
All in all, definitely a broadcast to remember !! From a promotion aspect, USA & Canada has seen such little for âBlood Red Rosesâ, we can only hope that Rod may frequently participate in more broadcasts like this, to engage a captive market and tease his most ardent fans!
Review Shanlee Johnson
Photos Shanlee Johnson
Montage Tommy Kevitt
Review from the venue coming next….