Reviewed on Wednesday April 1 (photo by Ashley Mar)
Growing up, our family home was filled with the pleasant rasp of Rod Stewart (and sometimes – if my father overrode objections – Patsy Cline, but I don’t like to talk of those dark days). As such, I expected that seeing the septuagenarian in the flesh was going to begin and end with nostalgia. I even brought along my mother for good measure who, since her friends call her Maggie, has a special affinity for the tossled-haired crooner.
Yet Stewart delivered one of the most memorable sets I’ve witnessed in some time. After 50 years of touring a performer can either kick back and phone it in, or draw on every stage trick in the book to bring their gig to unabashedly fun, kitschy life. From the front row to the distant specks you assume are people at the rear of the arena, Stewart had everyone charmed from the moment the lavish curtains rose and his impressive entourage launched into Sam Cooke’s ‘Having A Party’. It was a nice, if safe gambit (opening with a cover always strikes me as a strange move) that immediately established the band as a multi-talented bunch. It made for a busy stage; backing singers, saxophonists, violinists, multiple percussionists (featuring, all too fleetingly, a cowbell), a harpist, guitarists, and most of these interchanging roles at some point throughout the night.
But it was the hits that this crowd was there to witness, and Stewart did not disappoint. From gentler numbers (‘Sailing’, ‘Have I Told You Lately’, ‘The First Cut Is The Deepest’) to his more celebratory repertoire (‘Maggie May’, ‘You’re In My Heart’, and a particularly poignant ‘Rhythm Of My Heart’, dedicated to the Commonwealth Armed Forces for the centenary of ANZAC Day), it was an evening of unalloyed delight.
Most impressive was Stewart’s voice. There was but one instant over the roughly 100-minute set where his vocals wavered; for the most part, his gravelly register is as impressive as ever. His audience rapport is something any emerging artist could take lessons from, and sure, while no doubt much of his banter is tried and tested, he delivers it with such relish it is impossible not to be romanced by the spectacle of it all.
I still don’t know if I’m ready to start breaking out ‘I Don’t Want To Talk About It’ at karaoke, but Lord, what an exceptional entertainer. If he ever comes this way again, don’t even think twice. The man can move an audience, gold pants and all.
