Midway through last Saturday night’s performance at The Coliseum in Las Vegas, Rod Stewart gazed over yet another sold-out crowd and quipped to the audience, “it’s a pretty good show, isn’t it?”
No artist could dare get away with making such a cocky remark. Not without sounding conceited anyway — except for Stewart. That’s because the legendary singer’s boundless energy and boyish charm obliges us to accept the popular headliner for what he truly is — a take-it-or-leave-it, in-the-flesh, against-the-odds survivor of rock n’ roll’s highest summit who genuinely seems to revere every opportunity to share another trip down memory lane with his adoring fans each time he steps on stage.
How nice to see a stage performer, let alone a rock icon, actually respect his audience.
Be advised, this is a flawed show. For one thing, Rod Stewart’s best days as a singer are long gone. Still, that doesn’t stop the legend — who’s sold more than 100 million records worldwide — from continuing to churn out hits without ever having to redefine himself. Before Stewart adopted his current formula, hitting the career “re-set” button was probably best personified by Tony Bennett and Tom Jones. Then along came Stewart with his latest album titled Time which even peaked atop the U.K. music charts last year, some 34 years after his previous number-one hit. That’s what you call longevity. That commercial success took place simultaneous to this new engagement at one of the Las Vegas Strip’s marquee venues, now in his second year of shows.
Trouble is, Stewart undoubtedly set a high bar for himself with a career spanning five decades (and still counting). Now age 69, Stewart’s show not only reaches deep into the R&B vault long before he became one of the world’s most famous solo acts but also extends to his own musical influences ranging from the classic American songbook to mid-60’s Motown. Regardless of which hit record, he sings, fast or slow, original or cover tune, Stewart’s signature trademark has always been that raspy voice, an instantly-identifiable penetration of sound that’s a stand-alone instrument. No one else quite sounds like Stewart when wailing between guitar riffs.
But that sore-throated vibrato that always seemed so ideally suited for Maggie May, Some Guys Have All the Luck, Tonight’s the Night, You’re in My Heart, Have I Told You Lately, and so many other timeless classics haven’t quite been able to keep up with the singer’s unchained spirit. Parts of this most recent performance were underwhelming simply because Stewart no longer can maintain the scratchy vocals for two full hours a night, five shows a week. And who can blame him? We can’t, and therefore we don’t. We forgive, accept, and enjoy.
And so what Stewart lacks in modulated abilities due to age and the weathered storms of the pop music past is more than compensated for by the magic of his natural charisma, and then some. Stewart owns this crowd every night and he knows it. That reassurance gives the rocker-turned-crooner a powerful license to be himself and enjoy the show along with the rest of us. Oddly enough, this is what actually ends up making the show, setting it apart from others in the same peer class. Consider some of the mistakes, like when Stewart forgot the lyrics to one song and then laughed it off with the crowd afterward. Not many performers are so poised they’ll expose themselves to risks in front of thousands of fans. One has to admire the spontaneity and willingness to occasionally bomb a song. In some ways, those bloopers can be the most fun.
Stewart’s frequent remarks to the audience are also genuine. He converses freely between his songs talking to no one in particular but making us feel like it’s a one-on-one conversation with each of us. Unscripted dialogue can be tricky at times, like when he forgot the name of his saxophone player after a standout solo and then profusely apologized for the “senior” moment. But Stewart’s impromptu thoughts are infinitely more refreshing and rewarding than the canned and recycled junk that passes for “engaging the audience” elsewhere out on The Strip. To his credit, nothing in the show is pre-recorded.
The show lasts nearly two hours. Stewart works the full length of a massive stage and even jumps into the audience a few times. He’s pretty much the show during the entire time, although a couple of well-timed interludes gives other band members the chance to shine while Stewart rests and tries to recover his vocal energy offstage. One highlight, in particular, was Stewart’s daughter, who comes out and sings an original composition. She’s then joined by her proud father on the following song. Watching Stewart’s face beam with joy, there’s no doubt he’d love to see her steal the show and become the next Stewart to shine.
Stewart was equally unselfish with his fellow musicians when it came to sharing the spotlight. An eight-piece band complete with horns and three backup singers gave Stewart just the right volume and support he needs to pull off a more-then-satisfying show filled with all the hits we pay to see, plus a few surprises.
Arguably the night’s most memorable moment took place when Stewart shifted into his lounge-singer mode. One sees the unmistakable Sinatra stamp all over this three-song set, complete with a temporary orchestra made up of eight strings and two guitars. There’s even a full-sized harp that does a solo, which might be the best couple minutes of the entire evening. Stewart croons over the string section while camped comfortably on a barstool, and manages to strike the perfect harmony. All that’s missing here is the cigarette, the glass of bourbon, and a broken heart. His voice is considerably less strained by these demands, so Stewart manages to excel to his highest point during this part of the show.
The set design is simple, but ideal given the star power of our main attraction. Unlike Elton John’s hideously awful backdrop and distracting movie montage within this same arena during his “Red Piano” engagement a few years ago, Stewart bears himself raw without fancy props and flashing lights. We do have the luxury of a jumbo-sized screen posted at the rear of the stage, meaning there’s really not a bad seat in the house. That way we not only get to enjoy Stewart darting his way back and forth from one side of the stage to the other, we can also read his face and watch him laugh and smile along with the crowd while preening during Forever Young.
Which now brings us full circle.
Answering the initial question posed by Stewart — “Yeah Rod, it’s a pretty good show.”
