Sir Rod Stewart: Moves better than Jagger

So, this past Friday evening, I had just witnessed a blistering set by Cheap Trick, and I was watching the stage get changed over for Rod Stewart’s headlining appearance. That’s when I noticed that the front row was mostly occupied by young supermodel quality blonde ladies with rather long legs and large breasts, who weren’t even alive when Stewart last had a top ten hit. I don’t want to say that they were placed there by the tour, but it was curious considering that most of the rest of the joint looked fat and old.

Then, the show started with a cover of the Robert Palmer smash, “Addicted to Love,” and on the stage, surrounding Rod Stewart were five even better-looking young supermodel quality blonde ladies with rather long legs and large breasts who weren’t even alive when Stewart last had a top ten hit. At first, I thought they were just for show, acting out the video for “Addicted to Love.” As the show continued, it became clear that they were more than scenery.

Three of the hottest ones were backup singers who also did everything from drum banging to Irish river-dancing, while one was a fiddle player and the other was a keyboardist/harpist/percussionist. They were joined by a hot brunette fiddle/mandolin player and a regular band who wore matching white jackets and black trousers. They were all top-notch and filled the place with an undeniable tight as balls show, one of the best backing bands I’ve ever seen.

But really, from the moment Sir Rod grabbed the microphone, it could have been the Chuck E. Cheese band for all the capacity crowd knew. He may be closing in on 80, but holy shit. Rod still has all the moxy, the vocal chops, and the pure FUCK energy he has had since to 60s. I don’t even think Jagger could move like that anymore. It was a feel-good set from a man who knew exactly how to feed off of and feed a crowd. Hell. There were a couple of times during the set where I was choked up, particularly during “Maggie May.,” and I was not alone.

He covered all the various phases of his career. Early stuff like “I’d Rather Go Blind,” “You Wear it Well,” and The Faces’ “Ooh La La” sat comfortably alongside mid-period sleazed-out cocaine anthems like “Infatuation,” “Young Turks,” and of course, “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy.” The heart of the show came during a sit-down “unplugged” portion where he did absolutely perfect renditions of war-horses like “Reason To Believe” and “Have I Told You Lately.” Stewart ended the show with a knockdown drag-out version of “Hot Legs,” where Rod kicked soccer balls into the back of the pavilion. It was an effortless display of vitality, which permeated the entire performance and left us all with the euphoric feeling you get when you witness a beautiful force of nature in action.

Cheap Trick opened at the show, and did alright despite being virtually ignored by most of the crowd. I’ve seen this band dozens of times, and they never disappoint. But the last three times I’ve caught them, they were openers. So “I Want you to Want Me,” “Surrender,” and “The Flame” literally make up half the set. But they always throw in a couple of deep tracks. This time around, “Downed” and “Auf Wiedersehen” scratched my inner fanboy itch.

Even though many fans have declared the band dead to them after the departure of drum god Bun E. Carlos, Rick Neilsen’s boy Daxx does a pretty good job behind the kit. Rick is, as always, a master showman, but when he is obviously struggling to walk out with the five-neck guitar, it might be time to retire that particular cheap trick. I highly doubt anybody would miss it.

­Jeff Napier

Deep red lipstick and painted pine cones to: [email protected]

Photo by Mark Sheldon

Reproduced with thanks to Jeff Napier

Review first published on the brilliant Nuvo

https://nuvo.newsnirvana.com/arts/sir-rod-stewart-moves-better-than-jagger/article_d0327f06-0655-11ed-b6d7-ef8628577c51.html?fbclid=IwAR0MtL5dTJe5LsGIts1PHbvaaLh86S-8VeAuhe1NuO8pJjdA9Z09PGhwH0g