Sir Rod Stewart’s pomp and peculiar night of reflection as tour stops off in Birmingham-Richard Franks-Entertainment – Metro

Sir Rod Stewart, pictured here in November, brought his tour to Birmingham (Picture: Redferns)

In recent interviews 77-year-old music legend Rod Stewart hinted at the end of his rock and roll touring days, admitting he no longer wants to sing controversial songs like Maggie May and Hot Legs.

Nonetheless the show must go on and Stewart’s did indeed, ebbing and flowing through ballads, acoustics and disco stompers at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena. 

Renditions of Faces’ Ooh La La, The Persuaders’ Some Guys Have All the Luck and Sam Cooke’s Twistin’ the Night Away set the tone for a celebratory evening, while the sprightly Young Turks and even the aforementioned Maggie May from his solo records stood out in a sea of covers.

But this felt like a night of reflection rather than celebration; Marc Jordan’s Rhythm Of My Heart was dedicated to the people of Ukraine, while Etta James’ I’d Rather Go Blind was in memory of the late Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac.

McVie grew up in nearby Bearwood; her then-blues band Chicken Shack covered the song in 1969.

After 60 years of belting out classics, stripped-back versions of I Don’t Wanna Talk About It and Have I Told You Lately inevitably have potential to exhibit Stewart’s most vulnerable side, but that signature raspy singing voice hit all the right notes.

It was a peculiar night of pomp and reflection as Sir Rod took a trip down memory lane (Picture: Getty Images)

Could this be Sir Rod’s swansong? (Picture: Getty Images)

Despite the show’s pomp it was peculiar in places, and none more so than during costume changeovers.

His glamorous backing singers killed time by performing Donna Summer’s Hot Stuff and LaBelle’s Lady Marmalade in full, with Stewart later insisting on dragging the two pregnant singers to the front to show off their figures.

With no introduction, 70s disco hit Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? fell a little flat, but the penultimate set closer Sailing made up for it. Big screen images of the late Queen, who was a great fan of Stewart, accompanied what turned into an impromptu phone torchlight vigil.

It’s true that HMS Stewart is not as smooth a sail as it once was, but if this is to be his UK touring swansong then it’s an enjoyable, if not slightly strange, way to bow out.

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