Rod Stewart fans are forever young
August 8, 2008
By GLORIA CARR
‘Absolutely,” said St. Charles resident Karen Carroll.
That was her reaction when singer Rod Stewart, dressed in a black blazer, tipped his hat to the Sears Centre Arena audience this week and began singing one of his trademark songs, Do Ya Think I’m Sexy? Stewart still has that coolness factor. He rocked out the arena, proving baby boomers are redefining age, a comforting thought for a 39-year-old in denial.
Rod Stewart performed Tuesday at Hoffman Estates’ Sears Centre Arena.
He sang his classics, such as Maggie May, Young Turks and Forever Young.
It’s funny that I still remembered the lyrics. Maybe it’s because I find myself listening to The Lite, 93.9 FM a lot more nowadays.
The moment he started singing, it took me back to a summer night as an 18-year-old sitting on the lawn of the long-gone Poplar Creek Music Theater in Hoffman Estates.
Tuesday night’s crowd at the Sears Centre Arena, which is less than a mile from the old Poplar Creek site, almost was filled to capacity. I looked out into the crowd and realized these are my people, not quite middle age but well beyond the legal drinking limit.
One row over sat a well-dressed man, sporting the perfect salt-and-pepper hair. He sat with an age-appropriate redhead who wore really cute glasses. I wondered what they were like 20 years ago.
Does anyone remember what they were like as an 18-year-old?
Odd question to ask yourself at a concert, but hearing Stewart’s music transports you to different times in your life.
The show started with a video bemoaning how live concerts have been replaced by iPods. The video then introduced Stewart — 1984 style. A whole series of memories came back.
Throughout the concert, the 63-year-old singer danced with as much energy as your average 45-year-old guy, doing his signature jumps, albeit not as high. He could be a candidate for TMZ’s “Good genes or good docs” poll. I’d vote good genes.
At one point, he left the stage and came back in the coolest pair of jeans, silver and white tennis shoes, and a white shirt accented with silver.
“Wow, he looks good,” said Carroll, sitting in the row behind me.
It sounds silly, but how many rock stars are there whose music provides a backdrop to your life? Stewart’s music transcends generations. Mary Novello of Lisle went to see Stewart for the first time on Tuesday. Her son, Bill, 30, bought her the tickets for her 64th birthday. She noticed the mix of audience members.
“I expected to find all grey hairs, but it’s not,” she said.
If you really listen to Stewart’s lyrics, they tell stories about the different stages in life — being young, being in love for the first time, becoming a parent and getting older. Some rock aficionados may argue Stewart is too commercial, but it doesn’t matter. His lyrics and music resonate with many generations for good reason.
Now, the lyrics to Young Turks take on a whole new meaning, especially the lines “time is a thief when you’re undecided. And like a fistful of sand, it can slip right through your hands.”
Carroll, 42, said the song brought back memories for her. Like the characters in that song, she left home at 17 and became a single mom. She went to the concert with her sister-in-law, Michelle Vermaat. The two danced to the encore, Do Ya Think I’m Sexy.
“Oh, yes,” said the 39-year-old Vermaat when asked if she thought Stewart was sexy. She giggled, adding she and Carroll also admired his, uh, posterior.
The concert was “awesome,” Vermaat said. “He’s awesome for a 60-something-year-old.”
As long as Rod Stewart can rock an arena and still be sexy, all of us can be forever young.
Reproduced with thanke to The Courier News and Gloria Carr