Rod Stewart played The RDS Dublin last night, June 29th.
What a beautiful day for a stadium show we had yesterday! The warm weather and blue sky made the whole area around The RDS feel like a big city-festival. Thousands of hats and T-shirts with âI â„ Rodâ and tons of beer were sold hours before Rod Stewart stepped onto the stage.
The stadium slowly filled as Moya, Rodâs guest, finished her set. Probably because not many people knew Moya, or maybe because they just wanted to see Rod Stewart, the British singer-songwriter didnât make the strongest impression on the Irish audience. The only notable reactions were when she talked about Rod. If you want to find out more about her, check out her Facebook page. Moya supported Rod Stewart on all the shows in his European Tour.
Anticipation built as Rodâs appearance was getting closer. Around 8 PM, band members started appearing on stage and the giant screens at the back and side of the stage lit up. In the centre of the giant stage a white microphone stand was waiting for the star of the night. Soon after the music began, Rod joined his band in a wave of excitement that came from the full stadium and opened his set with âThis Old Heartâ. âYou Wear It Wellâ, the 1972 hit from the album âNever A Dull Momentâ followed and the crowd was already singing along. A few more hits such as âTonightâs The Nightâ, âTwistinâ the Night Awayâ, or âCanât Stop Me Nowâ went by, adding to the already high energy level in the crowd (and on the stage), as the sun was setting.
By the seventh song, âThe Killing Of Georgieâ, Rod told his Irish fans âItâs gonna be a good night! Iâm feeling it.â.
The following tune had the band wearing leopard-print outfits, to match the leopard-print drums for a percussion filled version of âForever Youngâ. Like a true rock star, Rod was already wearing his third outfit: a green suit and bright yellow tie and matching socks. A bride and groom emerged from the crowd at one point, stealing the spotlight for a couple of minutes. The newly married couple left with a nice souvenir from their stadium party: Rod Stewartâs aforementioned yellow tie.
âHave I Told You Latelyâ, Van Morrisonâs 1989 tune, got the whole stadium singing along again, as couples were taking the opportunity to dance to Rod Stewartâs live version of the song.
As well as the classics, Rod Stewart threw some of his brand new songs into the set list. âBrighton Beachâ, one of the tracks off his 2013 âTimeâ album, was one of them. Even though few people knew the words, the new songs were enjoyed as much as the classic hits.
The women in the band had a special moment having the stage to themselves for âSoul Girlâ. Of course Rod used the short break to change into his fourth outfit of the night for âReason To Believeâ. The following track âMaggie Mayâ got the whole stadium singing, almost covering Rod Stewartâs voice.
âBaby Janeâ brought another surprise for the fans as Rod, wearing his famous Celtic scarf, started shooting hand-signed footballs from the stage throughout the entire song. Another classic Rod Stewart hit, âSailingâ got everyone singing along once more, as images from the original video were projected onto the screens.
The final song of the night was âDo Yaâ Think Iâm Sexyâ, another chance for Rod to prove that heâs still got it, jumping and lying on the floor with his legs up in the air while wearing his cowboy hat. The women in the audience who were in their teens in â78, when the song was released, seemed to agree with the title, no doubt about it.
Who wouldâve thought that after such a brilliant performance with fantastic reactions from the tens of thousands of fans, Rod Stewart would not return for an encore? A short âThank youâ was all he said at the end of the last song, then he turned around and walked away. A few minutes of âOne more tuneâ were probably not enough to get him back. Literally one more song would have turned this amazing performance into a night to remember for years to come.
1.This Old Heart
2.You Wear It Well
3.Tonightâs The Night
4.Twistinâ the Night Away
5.Rhythm of My Heart
6.Canât Stop Me Now
7.The Killing of Georgie
8.Forever Young
9.The First Cut Is the Deepest
10.Have I Told You Lately
11.Brighton Beach
12.I Donât Want to Talk About It
13.She Makes Me Happy
14.Sweet Little Rock & Roller
15.Soul Girl
16.Reason to Believe
17.Maggie May
18.Youâre In My Heart
19.Hot Legs
20.Baby Jane
21.Sailing
22.Do Ya Think Iâm Sexy
Reproduced with thanks to Lucy Ivan and Dublin Concerts
To see some brilliant photographs of Rod live in Dublin by Tudor Marian and read more great Dublin concert reviews go to this amazing site
https://www.dublinconcerts.ie/rod-stewart-at-the-rds-dublin-review-photos/