Forever Young

“Do you think I’m sexy?” is one of Rod’s famous songs and he is still asking his fans that question at age 77! Last night, I was lucky enough to see Rod dance around a Vegas stage and it is true that he is forever young. Rod wore his neon gold sneakers and a red sequin suit coat with spikey blond hair that completed my picture of him over 50 years ago. That’s when I took his album “Never a Dull Moment” to college and felt like a cool student. I was lucky to see him perform his 107th concert in the elegant Colosseum Theater in Ceaser’s Palace. His medley of hits took me back to high school and brought tears to my eyes. He is a born performer and he had a crowd of over 4000 fans on their feet dancing. Rod was surrounded on stage by an all-female cast of high-heeled blond dancers and blond violinists. One of the dancers was a former Broadway star who injured herself tripping over the ironing board in her hotel room according to Rod. She had to sing her songs swaying onstage to the music. Rod told us confidentially that the backup singers party harder than the band after the nightly shows. 

Rod has eight children from five mothers and one grandchild. He has married three women and was once quoted as saying, "Instead of getting married again, I'm going to find a woman I don't like and just give her a house."[ No surprise that all of his wives and children are blonds. I wonder if the backup dancers are natural blonds, but they are naturally talented. They sang and played violins, cellos, saxophones, and even the accordion while dancing. He loves to perform and his enthusiasm is contagious in concert. 

Even though Rod has sold over 250 million records worldwide, his first job was as a gravedigger at Highgate Cemetery in London during his teens. His father wanted him to become a football player, but he also bought Rod a guitar. Rod preferred music and dropped out of school at age 15 to play the harmonica on street corners with a hat for donations. Rod first sported his rooster haircut in 1963 and slicked it back with his sister’s hairspray. His style led to the name ‘Rod the Mod.’ He joined a band, then went solo and made two albums before fame struck. In 1971, his third album “Every Picture Tells a Story” became a bestseller in four countries. I remember listening to his hit song on the album, “Maggie May” when I was a teen. Finally, Rod was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. 

However, in 2007 Stewart's career and life were threatened by thyroid cancer. Rod had to teach himself to sing again and bounced back on a concert tour. He got cancer again ten years later and began raising funds for a cancer charity that focuses on children today. Rod’s hobbies are collecting cars and building model railroads. He also owns a ‘football club in England and showed the audience pictures of his team Glasgow Celtic FC on the big concert screen. He was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Rod will continue his current tour in England this summer. 

Did you know that James Brown called Rod the “best white soul singer”? Rod Stewart continues to defy his age as he jumps around the stage in his glitter tennis shoes and dances with boundless energy. Rod is not Covid shy. He hugged women who rushed up to the stage for his last song. He held hands with fans and clearly loved their admiration. He even posed for a selfie with a man who was yelling his name from the audience repeatedly. The concert ended on a high note with the curtain falling on a true legend. There were crowds of fans buying Rod Stewart T-shirts in the lobby as we left. I felt like I had traveled back in time on an emotional, musical roller coaster. As I took the Vegas Metro train back to the parking lot past neon lights, I felt forever young. Thank you Rod Stewart for a fantastic, flashback evening!