Banter and ballads for barnstorming Rod
Rod Stewart Hydro, Glasgow JJJJ
As ever, the Rod Stewart live greatest hits experience landed somewhere between timeless and time-locked. The dress code for women on stage appeared to involve blonde hair and short skirts, but these days, rather than being employed as simply backing singers or dancers, the musicians are a genderbalanced group.
“They're all wonderful musicians and they've got great senses of humour,” said Stewart of his female bandmembers. “Which is very important to be in this band.” Nobody was more weirdly sexualised here than the 77-year-old Rod himself, shaking his bum for the camera in zebra-print suit jacket and tight trousers.
Do Ya Think I’m Sexy? was preceded by an “embarrassing picture of me in 1979, with my right tit showing” at Studio 54, “where I would go and do naughty things.” His lycra suitwasapparentlyapproved by the late Olivia Newtonjohn, to whom tribute was paid, alongside socially conscious influences.
The Impressions’ People Get Ready was covered alongside overt reference to its civil rights connections, with Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and the late Senator John Lewis appearing onscreen, while Rhythm of My Heart’s little-known heritage as a song about the Vietnam War was adapted for the current invasion of Ukraine. “What a guy,” said Stewart, as an image of Volodomyr Zelenskyy appeared.
Closer to home, You’re in My Heart honoured the Lisbon Lions (apparently Frank Mcavennie was in) and the Irish ballad Grace paid tribute
to his own roots. Much of the rest of the show wasn’t nearly so deep, taking in pop hits like Young Turks and Baby Jane, misty-eyed crowd-pleasers including Maggie May, Tonight’s the Night and Sailing, and soul standards, which illustrate how, even at an elder age, Stewart’s voice remains strong.
The First Cut is the Deepest, I’d Rather Go Blind (despite having to be restarted) and Have I Told You Lately were all given understated renditions, which meant they were among the highlights here.