On August 7th, 2018, a very hot and sticky night in NYC, with the threat of thunderstorms looming over Madison Square Garden, thousands of Rod Stewart fans came forth to attend Rods 33rd appearance at MSG.
Cyndi Lauper was the first act and Cyndi never disappoints her hometown crowd. She sounds flawless and really works the stage. She touched this New York crowd with some of her greatest hits and revealed a lot of herself by sharing some of her fondest moments growing up in New York and how she started out in the music industry.
Rod Stewart always makes a grand entrance. The Garden is one of my favorite venues and Iāve probably attended at least ten of his concerts here over the years. Itās evident that he loves what he does from the moment he walks onstage. His passion is evident as he works the stage and somehow includes everyone present.
Unfortunately I was not seated as close as I usually am so I was concerned about the photos and sound since I promised SMILER a review of the show! From the beginning of the show his band is brilliant, young and sexy. What more could we expect? He goes through most of the hits with ease, 20 songs in all. āInfatuation, Some guys have all the luck, Maggie May, Having a Party, Tonightās the night, Downtown Train, You Wear it Well and all of the Classic Rod favorites. He included two from his latest album, Blood Red Roses, that is about to be released, āHole in my Heartā and āGraceā both to a standing ovation. He also brought out the women of āGood Morning Americaā who actually held their own in the line of Rods dancers to Forever Young!
Rod’s two youngest sons appeared on stage to help with the kicking (sometimes throwing) of the soccer balls into the crowd! Midway he does a few duets with Cindi and together on stage they rock! Rods 33rd performance at MSG was A Rod Stewart show! I donāt think any of his fans went home unhappy, I know I didnāt! Looking forward to many more!
Review By Deborah Buscarello
Photos By Deborah Buscarello
Montage By Tommy Kevitt