It was a packed house, if not quite sold out (I purchased tickets at the box office...no service fees) on a hot Summer night at Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati on Tuesday, July 12th, as the long-awaited Rod Stewart/Cheap Trick show, rescheduled from 2020, finally took place. I drove down for a nice date night with my wife, neither of us having ever seen Stewart before. I've seen Cheap Trick at least a dozen times over the years, and they never disappoint. Rod was a wild card. I haven't been interested in his crooner persona over the last few decades, and I never got the chance to see him in his heyday. But peeping his setlists online, and knowing he was going to be focusing on more of his classic material, I was looking forward to finally checking him off the old concert bucket list. Plus my wife was really excited to see him. You know the saying, “Happy Wife...Happy Life”?
Our timing was impeccable, as we parked, bought tickets, procured alcoholic beverages, and placed our blanket in our spot on the lawn just as Cheap Trick was taking the stage at exactly 7:30 PM. They came out swinging, hitting the crowd hard with “Dream Police” right into "She's Tight." They worked their way through a thirteen-song set, which is the same number of songs that many bands play for a headlining show. They seemed aware of the average age of the attendees this evening, and focused on a nice selection of their MTV-era songs. Always a big bang for your buck with the boys from Rockford, IL. The band is still made up of the original frontline of Rick Nielsen on guitar; Robin Zander on lead vocals; and Tom Peterson on bass; with Rick's son Dax Neilsen on drums and Robin's son, Robin Taylor Zander (known in the band circles as RTZ) on keyboards, second guitar, and vocals. RTZ in particular is doing some heavy lifting these days, as he is now doubling his father on lead vocals, and even took the lead all by himself centerstage for “Downed”. I remarked to a friend the next day that I have never seen an off night for Cheap Trick, and this set was no different. They remain one of the most consistent and reliable bands ever in the history of Rock And Roll. And I believe their inclusion on this tour is giving the headliner something to compete with. I think Cheap Trick are keeping Rod on his toes, as he has to follow such a high energy good time act nightly.
Cheap Trick Setlist: Dream Police, She's Tight, In The Street (That ‘70's Song), If You Want My Love, Light Up The Fire, Tonight It's You, Baby Loves To Rock, Downed, I Know What I Want, The Flame, I Want You To Want Me, Surrender, Goodnight.
After a 30-minute break, Sir Rod arrived onstage with the sounds of Scottish bagpipes, signalling the royal affair we were about to witness. Four identically clad women carrying guitars strutted onstage, joined by the Master of Ceremonies himself (who received one of the loudest ovations I've ever heard for a walk-on), for a rendition of Robert Palmer's “Addicted To Love.” He peppered the set with a few other unique cover selections later as well. Was there a covers album by Rod that slipped my radar? It was an odd choice of opener, but an interesting way to start the show. I remarked to my wife that there were probably a fair amount of intoxicated people in the audience who were thinking “I didn't know he did that song!” After virtually recreating Palmer's iconic video, the band was revealed behind him, and the ladies took their places as backing vocalists, with one of them remaining on with the band as violinist. Apparently the tour usually utilizes two violinists, as Rod apologized for the absence due to illness of another woman who regularly fills that role. Kicking into “You Wear It Well,” the Rod Stewart party was now on. The crowd was on their feet for most of the night, dancing and singing along, and there was a feeling of Summer Celebration in the air.
A lot has been made over the years of Rod “abandoning” Rock, I even heard a radio DJ somewhat disparaging this tour by saying “What Rod Stewart does these days has nothing whatsoever to do with Rock.” And for years he admittedly experimented with adult contemporary, and more notably The Great American Songbook. but I'm here to tell you that on this night, Rod ROCKED. His voice was in fine form, if a little extra raspy at the beginning of the night, but he quickly found his range and sounded flawless for most of the night. He looked phenomenal, like a man thirty years younger than his actual age of 77, and he moved back & forth seductively on the stage, keeping command of the audience at all times.
He still has his trademark shag of hair and his moves still made the ladies swoon. As if to prove that he still has the goods vocally, he performed an acapella rendition of “Maggie May” before the band kicked into the version we all know and love. Rod did take two short breaks during his set for a bit of a wardrobe change and a breather. During these breaks, the ladies performed songs on their own backed by Rod's band...first “Call Me” by Blondie, and later “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer. This kept the energy high while Rod recharged his batteries. He also performed an extended acoustic set in the middle of the show, which allowed him to sit down for awhile. For this part of the show the band all sat as well. It was a much better visual than the recent Genesis tour where Phil Collins sat for the entire show on his own (still singing well however). The song selection was a nice overview of Sir Rod's extensive catalog. Highlights for me included “Young Turks,” “If Ya Think I'm Sexy,” “The Killing Of Georgie (Part I and II),” the audience singalong “You're In My Heart,” and of course The Faces song “Stay With Me” to finish the night.
In the end, I was left wishing that I had seen Rod around thirty years ago. And I don't mean that as a criticism. On the contrary, this show was so satisfying that I regret not seeing him when he was in his youthful prime. My older sister informed me the next day that Rod Stewart was the very first concert she ever saw...in 1972. Not many artists can even claim a career half that long, let alone still perform at such a professional level after fifty years. Here's hoping Sir Rod has a few more tours left in him. I'll be there, singing along, if he does.
Rod Stewart Setlist: Addicted To Love, You Wear It Well, Some Guys Have All The Luck, Having A Party, It Takes Two, Forever Young, The First Cut Is The Deepest, Have You Ever Seen The Rain?, Maggie May, I'd Rather Go Blind, Young Turks, Do Ya Think I'm Sexy, Rhythm Of My Heart, Call Me [performed by the ladies], The Killing Of Georgie (Part I and II), People Get Ready, Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright), You're In My Heart (The Final Acclaim), Have I Told You Lately, Hot Stuff [performed by the ladies], Hot Legs, Stay With Me.