Rod Stewart’s return to the Colosseum was a dizzying experience, and we are talking about the headliner. The knighted rock legend told his Caesars Palace crowd Tuesday that he was a little unsteady on the spindles.
“As you know, last weekend I canceled two shows. I’ll tell you what happened,” Stewart said near the top of the show. A fan then shouted, “Why!?”
“Why, absolutely,” Stewart continued. “I’ve had this awful, f——- sinus infection … And it infected my ears, and my eardrums, and I couldn’t hear a thing. I’m nearly there, but when you’ve got your ears blocked up, it ruins your equilibrium. So I might stumble a bit tonight.”
Having shut down performances on Friday and Saturday, Stewart and his band continued a fan-pleasing performance in “The Encore Shows.” He tapped into the “must” list of hits, “Forever Young,” “Maggie May,” and the penultimate, “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy.”
Stewart also unearthed a personal favorite from his days with Faces, “Stay With Me.” The Faces have long been underrated.
The 81-year-old rocker kept his balance and his wit. He joked about the lack of response to the yellow suit he sported late in the show. “What are you, asleep? A man my age in a yellow suit, let’s hear it.”
Stewart’s familiar rasp was back, lower than in his recordings but plenty strong to fill the room. He did halt briefly for the finale, “Love Train,” to make sure he was singing in the right key.
He resumed, “We need peace in this world,” accompanied by the requisite giant-balloon drop.
During the performance, Stewart showed several photos and videos of his soccer-playing days (many of which featured “Hot Legs,” as he was shown in soccer shorts). He also gave a shout to his favorite soccer club, Celtic FC of Glasgow, Scotland. Celtic claimed the Scottish Premiership championship in May, a 3-1 victory over the Heart of Midlothian Football Club of Edinburgh, commonly known as Hearts.
The victory left Stewart in tears. He has the feels for this club. Drummer David Palmer’s bass drum shows Celtic’s clover-leaf logo, and Stewart has worn the team’s gear during shows.
Stewart has famously kicked soccer balls into the crowd, but has mostly shelved that practice (best to avoid potential litigation). He still rolls out a basket of a dozen or so, handing them out or tossing them to fans up close. Backing singer Becca Kotte (a former ”Rock of Ages” cast member in Las Vegas) kicked one deep into the audience, adhering to a tradition that is uniquely Sir Rod.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykatson X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.