Rod Stewart Tribute by Bob Wyper

Only four more shows to go on this marathon tour for Rod Stewart and his Dream Team of musicians, and he finally admitted to having a slightly sore throat.

No surprise, really, having belted out over two hours of hit songs in every show, some of them recently in pouring rain when he hit the few outdoor gigs on what was essentially an indoor arena tour.

A packed SECC at Glasgow welcomed Rod in the usual vociferous manner as he worked his way through all the big songs past and present.  Love Train, Some Guys Have All The Luck, This Old Heart Of Mine, Hot Legs, Sailing, Baby Jane, Maggie May ... they all got that special Rod treatment.   Then so did hosts of singalong classics like I Don't Wanna Talk About It , First Cut Is The Deepest, You Wear It Well and the always joyful, loud and controversial You're In My Heart which also drew the usual mixture of cheers and derision from the mixed audience from Glasgow and beyond.  Such is the love for Rod and the love/hate for certain football teams in this part of the world.  Some people just change the words that matter to them... that works best.

Anyway... back to what matters most... the music and the concert.

The whole stage was an immaculate piece of showbiz which Rod commanded throughout.  The huge electronic LED backdrop showed film clips and graphics to enhance every song.  The centrepiece was a huge screen with close-ups of Rod and his musicians when in action, blending into the background when not.   Superb colour blends and spotlights made sure that each song had the right mood, all performed on a beautiful white-stepped stage.   A lot of this work behind the scenes usually goes unnoticed, but it added such an extra dimension to the show, it is worth special mention.   The sound, on the other hand lacked any real punch, but equally did not threaten the eardrums, so very much a middle ground in that area and no real complaints for choosing to go that way.

Rod's performance was actually very polished, despite his sore throat, delivering his trademark vocals on what was a set of very safe and somewhat predictable songs, but perhaps that is exactly the right way to approach a massive 37 date tour at the age of 65.   It means we all get to see Rod and he can deliver at that level for a long time to come, by pacing himself so intelligently for the long haul.  It might also be why a reunion with his old Faces pals should be avoided, as all those bar-room songs would push Rod so hard that any idea of a long tour would be virtually suicidal.  He has taken his classic hits and mellowed them a little for this tour...  even Maggie May has become almost a soft country number instead of the raw rasping rocker that it once was.   It's a fair measure of where Rod Stewart is today, and this is today's concert.  He did all the harder edged stuff over the last 40 years and we all enjoyed it.   Now we can enjoy the softer versions with him as we grow a little older together.  The Faces may continue to try and find their lost youth... Rod never really lost his, merely putting on the brakes a little and moving out of the fast lane to avoid the wreckage that can sometimes be found there.

This SECC show did not include Purple Heather, Every Beat Of My Heart or Handbags and Gladrags which Rod had done so well in other shows on this tour, but the inclusion of Reason To Believe almost brought the house down and Sweet Little Rock 'n' Roller showed that he can still move it like the old days... even if not so fervently or quite so often.  As one girl in the audience remarked, probably on behalf of a few thousand others, "He's still got all the moves"... and for a song supposedly not liked by some diehard fans, Rod's rendition of It's A Heartache got the biggest response of the whole tour from this packed audience.

All in all, a most enjoyable evening in the company of a greatly talented showman with superb musicians all around him.  Jimmy Roberts on sax stood out as the real class in the team, but that is not to say the others were any less proficient.  We have come to expect the sweet presence of Janna Jacoby at Rod's side as she enhances every song with the flourishes of violin and mandolin that matter on Rod's songs.

The solid backing on the night came from a superb band of musicians.   Rod's dream team are:

Paul Warren (Lead guitar) Don Kirkpatrick (guitars), Conrad Korsch (bass), Dave Palmer (drums), Matt O'Connor (drums/percussion), Chuck Kentis (keyboard), Jimmy Roberts (saxophone), Katja Rieckermann (saxophone), Anne King (trumpet), Janna Jacoby Harrold (violin/mandolin/vocals), and the three vocalists providing visual and audio enhancement were Bridget Cady, Lorelei McBroom and Di Reed (Lead vox on Proud Mary).   As a side comment, Chuck Kentis, so I discovered, worked with Janna on the Ziroq album in 2002... well worth a listen for inspirational gypsy rock tunes.

So the dust settles after another heartwarming trip to Scotland, and Rod's fans are left with a sweet taste on the palate having savoured a feast of  sumptuous main course hits and a full pudding of tantalising new soulbook songs with a sprinkling of velvety singalong classics, all served up by the Master Chef himself... that's a true M&S concert   Here's to the afters at the O2.

From top left to right:

Matt O'Connor (drums/percussion)

Paul Warren (Lead guitar)

Conrad Korsch (bass) 

Don Kirkpatrick (guitars)

Anne King (trumpet) 

Katja Rieckermann (saxophone)

Janna Jacoby Harrold (violin/mandolin/vocals)

Chuck Kentis (keyboard) 

Jimmy Roberts (saxophone)

Di Reed (vocals)

Lorelei McBroom (vocals)

Bridget Cady (vocals)

Dave Palmer (drums)           Special thanks to Hazel Hutton and Yve Paige for use of their fantastic photos.

                                                                                                                 Created by Bob Wyper

Advertised dates are as follows... please check official site (click here) to confirm dates before booking any travel or accommodation.

Friday 7th May 2010 - DUBAI - Seven's Stadium

Tuesday 11th MAY 2010 - DUBLIN - O2 Arena

Wednesday 12th MAY 2010 - DUBLIN - O2 Arena 

Saturday 15th MAY 2010 - BELFAST - Odyssey Arena

Sunday 16th MAY 2010 - BELFAST - Odyssey Arena 

Tuesday 18th MAY 2010 - NEWCASTLE - Metro Radio Arena

Thursday 20th MAY 2010 - NOTTINGHAM - Trent FM Arena

Saturday 22nd MAY 2010 - BIRMINGHAM - National Indoor Arena

Sunday 23rd MAY 2010 - BIRMINGHAM - National Indoor Arena

Wednesday 26th MAY 2010 - MANCHESTER - Manchester Evening News Arena (MEN)

Thursday 27th MAY 2010 - MANCHESTER - Manchester Evening News Arena (MEN)

Saturday 29th MAY 2010 - LONDON - O2 Arena

Tuesday 1st JUNE 2010 - LONDON - O2 Arena

Thursday 3rd JUNE 2010 - LONDON - O2 Arena

Tuesday 8th JUNE 2010 - MOSCOW Russia - Kremlin Palace

Thursday 10th June 2010 - VILNIUS Lithuania - Vingis Park

Thursday 17th JUNE 2010 - STOCKHOLM Sweden- Ericsson Globe

Friday 18th JUNE 2010 - MALMO Sweden - Malmo Stadium

Monday 21st JUNE 2010 - VERONA Italy - Arena de Verona

Tuesday 22nd JUNE 2010 - ZURICH Switzerland - Hallenstadion

Thursday 24th JUNE 2010 - NUREMBERG Germany - Arena Nuremberg

Saturday 26th JUNE 2010 - BUDAPEST Hungary -Connection Day FREE FESTIVAL

Sunday 27th JUNE 2010 - VIENNA Austria - Stadthalle

Thursday 1st JULY 2010 - TEL AVIV Israel - Ramat Gan National Football Stadium

Saturday 3rd JULY 2010 - DORTMUND Germany - Westfallenhalle

Sunday 4th JULY 2010 - BERLIN Germany - O2 Arena

Wednesday 14th JULY 2010 - EDINBURGH - Edinburgh Castle

Thursday 15th JULY 2010 - EDINBURGH - Edinburgh Castle

Saturday 17th JULY 2010 - INVERNESS - Caley Thistle Football Stadium (NOT the castle as shown elsewhere)

Tuesday 20th JULY 2010 - SHEFFIELD - Arena

Wednesday 21st JULY 2010 - LIVERPOOL - Echo Arena

Friday 23rd JULY 2010 - GLASGOW - SECC

Saturday 24th JULY 2010 - GLASGOW - SECC

Monday 26th JULY 2010 - GLASGOW - SECC

Wednesday 28th JULY 2010 - LONDON - O2 Arena

Friday 30th JULY 2010 - BELFAST Odyssey Arena

Saturday 31st JULY 2010 - DUBLIN - O2 Arena 

Tuesday 3rd August 2010 - MALTA - 

MORE DATES TO FOLLOW.... WATCH THIS SPACE (or any of the official spaces or RSC and Smiler fanclubs)

Full details are on Rod's site http://www.rodstewart.com/ 

Rod Stewart Chronicle (RSC) site is on http://www.rodstewartchronicle.com and

Smiler fanclub site is on http://www.rodstewartfanclub.com

For those fans who await every Rod Stewart release with the same excitement as a child waiting for Christmas, this album will seem like having quite a few of them rolled into one.

Not only does Rod choose his own favourites which influenced him growing up in London, but he manages to choose some timeless classics for everyone to enjoy and then deliver them in his unique style.

See the full review of Soulbook in the section 'Rod Stewart album reviews'.

4 CD BOX SET collection of unreleased tracks which Rod Stewart recorded over the years, but it has the added attraction of many outtakes and reworkings.  Some you will love instantly, some you will grow to love, and some you won't understand why they were included... all of them show the edge that Rod has when he is working on his music. 

The album can be found on Amazon and all the usual retail sites, or direct with Rhino on http://www.rhino.com/store/ProductDetail.lasso?Number=519758

Found on a railway station.... sung a couple of songs for Long John Baldry...  recorded a song but DJ played wrong side...  it was called Maggie May...   the rest is history, as they say.

To read what really happened, and fill in all the gaps, go to the official Rod Stewart website or the fan club sites at SMILER and Rod Stewart Chronicle.

.... but really, the words written about Rod Stewart mean nothing without appreciating the music he has brought to millions of fans worldwide...  a collection of different styles that means everyone should be able to find something they like...

If you can listen behind the gravel voice, you will hear a great singing voice... only the tone is affected by the rough edge, not the soul of it...  but some people don't listen properly so they will never know...  that's what makes Rod's fans different... they can hear it...

Click on Rod Stewart album reviews for a closer look at some of Rod's albums.

Click on Rod Stewart discography for a list of albums which have featured Rod Stewart vocals.