Main photo thanks to Katherine Klimitas
Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, Alpharetta
On Friday it was a hot evening in Alpharetta but amerisbank.com were on hand at there tent with fans and sunglasses
Michael Thompson and Debra Thompson attended the show and the following day Michael has a good tale to tell..
August 2, 2025 –Alpharetta, GA – In an unprecedented act of nostalgic bravado, Debra Thompson, 56, of Roswell, Georgia, stunned absolutely no one who knows her by pulling out her phone mid-concert at the Ameris Bank Amphitheatre last night and ordering a pair of roller skates—complete with pom-poms—on Amazon Prime. This critical decision took place during the opening chords of Rod Stewart’s “Infatuation,” thus setting in motion what some are calling the most unplanned Olympic comeback of the century.
For those unfamiliar with Debra’s storied past, her skating resume includes the famed Starlite Skating Rink in Albany Georgia, where she rose to local legend status for her ability to skate backwards in tight denim and Aqua Net. “When Rod hit that first chorus,” Debra later recalled, “I felt something stir deep in my soul… and also maybe my L4-L5 disc in my back.”
Rod Stewart, now 80 and still rocking harder than most people half his age, performed 23 greatest hits—proving yet again that age is but a number, and red leather pants never go out of style.
The concert featured a poignant moment during “Forever Young,” which doubled as a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and to Stewart’s Scottish heritage. In a move that briefly confused the crowd, a trio of women appeared in the background performing a Riverdance-style routine, bagpipes blared, and the emotional resonance was not lost on local Roswell neighbor Dave Canty, who attended the concert with his wife Ann Marie and daughter Molly. “It’s beautiful,” Dave murmured through tears, “even if I’m Irish and this is Scottish—I still feel it deep in my potatoes and kicking futbol balls into the audience, it was legendary!”
The Cantys weren’t the only ones moved. Michael Thompson, Debra’s husband and self-appointed late-night crooner, ended the evening by softly singing “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” to Debra as they headed to bed.
Debra, pulling back the covers and rolling her eyes, muttered, “Rod’s 80 and still moves better than you—and he doesn’t even have to sing.”
At press time, Debra was seen testing out her new skates in the driveway, holding on to the mailbox for balance and whispering, “Starlite never dies!”
David McDaniel and SMILER regular Roland Macher was also on hand to get more great shots and as usual we have the thoughts of Martin Heidt
As loud as Celtic Park: Rod Stewart’s Alpharetta show becomes a home game
We know how it is. You want to watch a concert in peace, just enjoy the songs the singer presents, and then you end up going home completely exhausted and with a hoarse voice because you just couldn’t stay in your seat and sang along to every song, every line of lyrics, at the top of your lungs and without interruption.
That’s what happened last night in the US state of Georgia, when around 12,000 people in the city of Alpharetta, population 70,000, made their way to the Ameris Amphitheatre to see Rod Stewart’s show as part of his One Last Time tour.
It was not a relaxed evening for the audience, because before Sir Rod took to the stage, Cheap Trick had already warmed up the music lovers and ensured the right atmosphere in the vast arena.
When Stewart took to the stage right on time and officially opened the evening with ‘Infatuation’ and his 1981 hit ‘Tonight I’m Yours,’ no one could stay in their seats.
The 12,000 fans in the sold-out amphitheatre danced their hearts out and sang along loudly and confidently to every song. The organiser of the evening also noticed this. The Ameris Theatre praised the audience on its Instagram channel: ‘It takes two – Rod Stewart and an audience that knows every word.’
It was a home game for Rod – the football fan must have felt at times like he was at Celtic Park, where the Green Brigade sets the tone. In Alpharetta, it was less the battle chants from one corner and more Stewart’s own songs that gave the whole thing a bit of a stadium atmosphere.
Whether it was the Faces song ‘Ooh La La’, ‘Forever Young’, which Rod once again dedicated to Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away a few days ago, or Maggie May, everyone, and I mean everyone, sang along – sometimes badly, sometimes well. But always with the greatest euphoria. The only time it gets louder at Celtic Park in Glasgow is when Celtic scores the decisive goal in extra time against the Rangers.
Alpharetta experienced an evening that no one who was there will forget anytime soon. Around two hours of partying with Sir Rod – many visitors wished that this show would never end.
Not everything went down well at the show as some fans were left horrified after Rod played an AI video of Ozzy Osbourne meeting dead musicians in heaven on the large screen. The Prince of Darkness could be seen smiling as he held a selfie stick and posed with the likes of George Michael, Amy Winehouse, and Kurt Cobain. It played as Sir Rod once again dedicated the track Forever Young to the late Black Sabbath legend, but many felt the AI video was too ‘tacky’ and simply too soon.
We won’t post the fans comments here but SMILER continues to warn fans off clicking on any AI posts as most are designed to scam you into clicking on them so they can clone your facebook accounts.
Set list:
- Infatuation
- Tonight I’m Yours
- It’s A Heartache
- Havin’ A Party
- It Takes Two
- The First Cut Is The Deepest
- Tonight’s The Night
- Forever Young
- Ooh La La
- Young Turks
- Maggie May
- I’d Rather Go Blind
- Downtown Train
- Lady Marmalade (band only)
- If You Don’t Know Me By Now
- You’re In My Heart
- Have I Told You Lately
- Proud Mary (band only)
- Da Ya Think I’m Sexy
- Hot Legs
- Some Guys Have All The Luck
Amphitheater, Birmingham, AL
On Saturday the show hit Alabama and Jessie Helms and Theresa Yates Poe had a sign waiting for Sir Rod..unfortunately the set list was already decided and here are the thoughts of Martin Heidt along with the set list
And to go with it we have some great photos from Michael Pyle and Rich Grehalva
Sweet Home Alabama: Rod Stewart takes Birmingham by storm
If you didn’t know that Sir Rod Stewart had already celebrated his 80th birthday, you wouldn’t believe it when you see this somewhat ageing ‘stage teenager’ on his current major North American tour.
Rod Stewart dances across stages in the United States like a whirlwind, throwing his microphone stands into the air like in his heyday, twirling them around his head and singing his hits from over half a century as powerfully as ever.
At a time when videos of a certain Axl Rose are haunting the world, who can barely get a sound out during the current performances of the US metal band Guns’n’Roses and whose screeching and croaking singing attempts are causing fans to flee in droves, Sir Rod thrills the crowds day after day, in every city and on every stage.
This was also the case at yesterday’s performance in Birmingham, a city with a population of just under 200,000 in the US state of Alabama, located about 147 miles west of Atlanta.
‘Sold out!’ announced the organiser – around 11,000 visitors did not want to miss the chance to spend an evening with Rod Stewart. And as always, Sir Rod did not disappoint.
From ‘Infatuation’ and ‘Tonight I’m Yours’ to ‘Young Turks’, ‘Maggie May’ and ‘Forever Young’ to ‘Hot Legs’, ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy’ and ‘Some Guys Have All The Luck’ – the Brit didn’t leave out almost any of his numerous hits. ‘I Don’t Want To Talk About It’ also made it into the starting line-up at the Coca Cola Amphitheatre once again, and Stewart showed just how good he is when he breathes his numerous schmaltzy songs into the microphone, especially with ballads like ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’. ‘Have I Told You Lately’ is probably the best proof of this at every show.
In Birmingham, Sir Rod knew better than almost anyone else how to take the audience on a journey through his career. As a born entertainer, the moments when he communicates with his audience have become one of the highlights of his shows. Some funny remarks from the 80-year-old, delivered with his characteristic Stewart humour, had the audience laughing and further lifted the fans’ spirits. It’s understandable that many fans wished that this evening would last longer than the obligatory two hours.
Rod’s violin player Andrea Young took her friends back after the show for a picture with Rod
Set list:
- Infatuation
- Tonight I’m Yours
- It’s A Heartache
- Havin’ A Party
- It Takes Two
- The First Cut Is The Deepest
- Tonight’s The Night
- Forever Young
- Ooh La La
- Young Turks
- Maggie May
- I’d Rather Go Blind
- Downtown Train
- I’m Every Woman (Band only)
- I Don’t Want To Talk About It
- You’re In My Heart
- Have I Told You Lately
- Proud Mary (Band only)
- Da Ya Think I’m Sexy
- Hot Legs
- Some Guys Have All The Luck
Brandon Amphitheater, Brandon, MS
On Tuesday the show arrived in Brandon Mix 98.7 FM, AL Moran and Brandon042 got some photos of the night and here are the thoughts of Martin Heidt
Brandon enjoys a balmy summer evening and Rod Stewart provides the best musical entertainment
There are six more concerts left on Sir Rod Stewart’s North American tour – then the singer can enjoy a four-week break before returning to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in September, probably for the last time.
Until then, however, the 80-year-old is giving it his all on stages across North America, as he did last night in Brandon at the amphitheatre in the small town in the state of Mississippi.
Around 8,500 fans turned up, the arena was sold out, and the audience was already in high spirits thanks to Cheap Trick, who opened the evening.
When Sir Rod took to the stage and kicked off his approximately two-hour show with his rock hits ‘Infatuation’ and ‘Tonight I’m Yours,’ the atmosphere in the open-air arena reached fever pitch.
The online news portal Brandon042 was also there and noted: ‘Rod thrilled the sold-out Brandon Amphitheatre with a 20-song set list.’
No one stayed in their seats, as the magazine noted. ‘Many of the visitors sang along enthusiastically to every song,’ wrote Brandon042. ‘The place was packed to the rafters and it was a wonderful experience for everyone on a beautiful summer evening.’
Indeed, Sir Rod and his band once again delivered music at its finest and made the time fly by.
Too quickly for some fans, who would have liked a little more, but who ultimately went home completely thrilled. Melinda Atwood summed it up for many: ‘Probably the best concert I’ve ever seen at the Brandon Amphitheatre, and I’ve seen some very good ones.’ Kim Wavrin added: ‘Best concert I’ve ever seen. What a wonderful evening!’
Many other concertgoers echoed these comments, with Mary Brown also emphasising Rod’s age: ‘He did a great job, this man is already 80 years old, it’s hard to believe.’
After the show SMILER‘s old friend Katherine Klimitas met up with Rod and got a brilliant photo
Rod’s Sexy 12 Incher
Rhino this week announced a new exciting releases – They are doing a limited run of a 12″ single of the Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? Jim Burgess Special Disco re-mix that is released exclusively with Amazon Music.
A special disco mix of Rod’s hit Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? Jim Burgess was a popular DJ and producer in New York in the 70s, and also one of the most influential remixers for the disco era. He played at the hottest clubs including Studio 54, The Saint, Underground & 12 West.
Penny’s Shoot
On Tuesday Penny did a photo shoot in Malibu with photographer Jonas Mohr
And Finally…
Out Of Order
Wolfie’s is not for everyone. It’s for the bold ones.
The ones who drink whisky how they want
- no rules, no snobs, no apologies.
Wolfie’s isn’t trying to fit in.
It’s built to stand out.
It’s not a quiet dram.
It’s a backstage pass in a bottle.
SMILER.. Proud to be Rascals!!
Sorry we are a bit shorter than usual this week..But thanks to the help of our great photographers and Martin’s thoughts helping us out at least we made it.
Don’t forget anyone going to Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre on Saturday, Ruoff Music Center Noblesville, IN on Sunday or Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI on Wednesday please send in any photos or reviews.
See you next week…