Rod Stewart shines in spite of himself
By Christopher John Treacy
Saturday, August 16, 2008
It’s hard to knock a hard-working 63-year old British rock vet like Rod Stewart.
Sure, his Clive Davis-inspired four-volume raid on the American songbook grew tedious, but it also commercially rejuvenated his career. Since then, however, he’s unleashed a less compelling collection of classic rockers that makes the Songbook discs seem like pure genius.
Last night at the Comcast Center, Stewart put on a set that remained impressive and entertaining despite his reliance on material that isn’t particularly flattering to him.
In a shiny silver blazer and white button-down with skinny tie, he opened with “Some Guys Have All the Luck,” one of his more annoying ’80s radio hits, although it made for a spirited party-starter once some sound issues got hammered out. A stage set constructed of billowy white curtains gave the show a slightly surreal feel, as did the amusing (but egomaniacal and creepy introductory video advertising a fictitious film titled “The Rodminator.”
From there he strolled the extraordinarily enthused but less-than-capacity crowd through time-tested favorites like “The First Cut Is the Deepest,” “You Wear It Well” and a churched-up “You’re In My Heart” with an able trio of backup gals. They also proved a great showcase for the fiddling talents of J’Anna Jacoby. A pared-down “Tonight’s the Night” retained most of the original’s sexual tension, while “Stay With Me” and “Hot Legs” strutted with abandon.
But the covers were a curious lot. At least the Songbook series presented him in a new light (in the beginning). But Stewart doesn’t bring anything fresh to John Fogerty’s swampy “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?” or “It’s a Heartache,” which could just as easily be croaked out by Bonnie Tyler or even Kim Carnes; alas, last night, Stewart’s readings of both were inconsequential. Cat Stevens’ sentimental “Father & Son” went over better thanks to some home movie clips and retro stills of Stewart with family. Sam Cooke’s “Havin’ a Party” and the Holland-Dozier-Holland classic “This Old Heart of Mine” got a significant lift from Bavarian bombshell Katja Rieckermann on sax.
Overall, Stewart would’ve done better to fill that space with sorely missed tunes like “Every Picture Tells a Story,” “Young Turks” and/or “Reason to Believe.” The 18-selection set ended predictably with “Maggie May” followed by “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy,” all fine and well, but no measure for last year’s gigs, which averaged 28 songs.
Singer/songwriter Josh Kelley, husband of actress Katherine Heigl, warmed up with an assortment of sexy, soulful blues that showcased his impressive pipes. On guitar he and his three-piece band soared, but the piano tunes bordered on schmaltz.
Christopher John Treacy is an arts and entertainment writer for the Boston Herald.
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Reproduced with thanks to Christopher John Treacy/Boston Herald.