Rod Stewart @ OLG Stage (Fallsview Casino), Niagara Falls, Ontario 9-2-23

The incomparable Sir Rod Stewart graced the beautiful OLG stage this past Saturday night. The tour he is doing is appropriately dubbed “The Hits,” because we know he has a bevy of them. This was my second time taking in a Rod Stewart show so I was curious on how different it would be from the first time I saw him. That was back in 2014. Well, I can say our review tickets were impeccable, 3rd row center. Not to close where we would miss things going on but still close enough to see the sweat drip from Stewart’s brow. Just like in 2014, he had a big ensemble of a band backing him. That included a wealth of talented woman, a few who played a multitude of instruments.

Stewart took to the stage amid a round of applause as he was backed by these women who played the part as they dropped out of a Robert Palmer video. Of course, all the women were dressed in matching black sport coats with short black skirts (as they were in the iconic “Addicted to Love” video). An easy transition to the classic “You Wear it Well,” ensued. You can tell that Stewart still has his his strong raspy voice which was on display here. It also featured one of the women playing a tremendous fiddle. Next up was a tune from the “Faces in “Ooh La La.” Stewart proudly talked about his time with the Faces, actually wore a shirt that had the three remaining living members of the band (Ronnie Wood, Kenny Jones and himself). The talent of another woman from his backing band exhumed as she played the harpsicord on “The First Cut is the Deepest.” Something that Stewart is very proud of is his his love for his Celtic Club football team (soccer). That was on full display, especially during the song “You’re in my Heart.” It showed photos of Rod and his football team throughout the song on the video screen. He did four separate dedications. The first one was to his friend in Christie McVie. He dedicated the Etta James classic “I Rather Go Blind” to her memory. The second dedication was “Rhythm of my Heart,” which was to the to the Ukrainian Army. Stewart did take to talk in between songs, making jokes and telling some stories. At one point, he got serious to talk about the war in Ukraine. Stewart went on to say that he played Russia 5 times. The Russian people are wonderful but Putin is an asshole and must be defeated. The video showed support and the colors of the Ukrainian army. The third dedication was “People Get Ready” to his good friend in Jeff Beck. He called him the greatest guitar player (few can argue that point). The 4th and last dedication he did was to the memory of Tina Turner. They played “It Takes Two” in her honor. Stewart took a few breaks to put on new suits and during that time, the women led the way and sang some cool dance classics in “I’m So Excited” and “Lady Marmalade.” As in the past, autographed soccer balls made their way into the audience as keepsakes during “Some Guys Have All the Luck.” Unfortunately, a lot less of them in years past though. The ones that did go out made there way into the hands of supporters who were wearing the jerseys of the Celtic Club. As Stewart was making his way off the stage after “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy,” he joked and said, “who am, I kidding” he turned right around and the band started playing the encore which was the Faces classic “Stay with Me.”

At 78 years young, Stewart has that flair to still command an audience and the voice to hold onto one. This was fantastic show and all the bells and whistles to go along with it. This was mark or even better than the show I saw him do in 2014. Bravo Sir Rod for a job well done, bravo!

Setlist:

Addicted to Love (Robert Palmer cover)

You Wear it Well

Ooh La La (Faces song)

Infatuation

Young Turks

Have You Ever Seen the Rain? (Creedence Clearwater Revival)

Forever Young

The First Cut is the Deepest (Cat Stevens cover)

You’re in my Heart (The Final acclaim)

Maggie May

I’d Rather go Blind (Etta James cover-Dedicated to Christine McVie)