“Enjoy yourselves,
ladies and gentlemen,” Rod Stewart announces to the First Direct Arena in Leeds,
dressed in a black sequinned shirt, skinny jeans and trainers. “It’s later than
you think.” It’s an off-the-cuff joke underscored by a foreboding note of
truth. Stewart is no spring chicken – he turns 72 in January – and after a year
of music icons passing onto the great gig in the sky, it’s hard to not feel a
slight chill in his quip. It vanishes quickly though as he gets the party
started; one big NYE-style celebration delivered via Vegas schmaltz and
trappings by a bona-fide national treasure.
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| Rod Stewart performing live in Dublin in November, 2016. (Credit to Dan Butler Photography.) |
Entering to the
Champions League theme, Rod the Mod proclaims that he will “be here for two
hours”. He only plays one and a half but only a curmudgeon would feel
short-changed by the festive bonanza provided. From the Gaelic jig of new track Love
Is to the R&B-drenched Havin’ A Party, and all the way
back to Ooh La La, from his time in the Faces, his band leave no
stone unturned in delivering an unashamed greatest hits show. It has a
wonderful jukebox feel, complimented by the retro-dinner style chequerboard
pattern that lines the stage and curtains.
Stewart’s distinctive
rasp is still husky, but time has withered the power and range behind it. On
some of his most iconic tracks, such as the cheesy synthpop anthem Baby
Jane, he lowers his register to compensate for such shortcomings. Such
tremulous edges render other tracks more wistful; Downtown Train is
earthly, Sailing fragile. It wobbles early on – on Robert Palmer
tribute Some Guys Have All the Luck and the sweeping Tonight’s
the Night (Gonna Be Alright) – but mostly, it is good, especially for
a septuagenarian recovering from strep throat.
“Now we’re all going
to sit down at the front and pretend we’re the Eagles,” Stewart wisecracks as
he perches on a stool. It’s in this more intimate setting that he shines best;
stripped of the showbiz sheen, the acoustic working of several classics – Handbags
and Gladrags, The First Cut is the Deepest, I Don’t
Want to Talk About It – are superb high points, allowing the singer’s
gravelly tones space to breathe. He even works in videos of his beloved Celtic
FC to You’re In My Heart (The Final Acclaim) to warm laughter
from a partisan Yorkshire crowd.
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| Rod Stewart performing live in Dublin in November, 2016. (Credit to Dan Butler Photography.) |
There are
indulgences; an extended drum battle in the middle of a striding Forever
Young, and a backing vocalist cover of Tina Turner’s River Deep –
Mountain High. But these discrepancies can be forgiven, thanks to the sheer
fun factor. By the time Maggie May is giddily dispatched and Stay
With Me has brought the audience to their feet, it is infectiously
joyous as footballs are punted into the crowd to the disco-stomp of Da
Ya Think I’m Sexy? Stewart may be not the force he once was, but he remains
an excellent showman; and above all, knows how to have a jolly good time. Sir
Rod, you wear it well indeed.
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