After postponing his 2022 tour due to "production delays," Rod Stewart very nearly broke Ottawa's heart again this year, cancelling last Saturday's Saskatoon show after a vocal cord injury. Luckily Ottawa made it in under the wire, and last night the British icon was rested and ready to rock his four decades of hits, making a triumphant return to the nation's capital for the first time since 2018.
Keeping their opening slot from last year's tour, Cheap Trick seemed primed to show the aged and seated crowd why they've become the de facto supporting act for recent nostalgia circuits — including stints with Boston, Heart and ZZ Top. Despite performing a run of hits that included "I Want You to Want Me," "Dream Police" and "Surrender," the Rock Hall inductees came off astonishingly ramshackle and muddy. Singer/guitarist Robin Zander struggled through the band's biggest hit, "The Flame," while the band endured roughshod vocals from Robin's namesake son on "Downed" and guitarist Rick Nielsen on "I Know What I Want."
Ready to cleanse the evening's proverbial palate, Stewart kicked off his performance with panache and cheekiness. Entering to a recording of "Scotland the Brave," the 78-year-old was joined by a sleek all-female band for a rendition of "Addicted to Love," paying homage to Robert Palmer's iconic music video. Expanding to a diverse 11-piece band, three backup singers and a vibrant and wonderfully overwhelming LED screen-adorned stage, Stewart ripped through a packed set of major hits. This included "You Wear it Well," "Young Turks," You're in My Heart (the Final Acclaim)," and the crowd-pleasing "Maggie May." Commanding the entirety of the stage, Rod came off just as fashionable and youthful as he looked, often interacting with his backup singers as well as towering saxophone player, Jimmy Roberts — formerly of '70s Toronto band Truck.
Often allowing for his band to take centre stage throughout the set, fans were treated to a fiddle and bass drum jig during "Forever Young," a glistening harp intro to "The First Cut Is the Deepest," and two intermissions in which his vocalists performed covers of the Pointer Sisters' "I'm So Excited" and Labelle's "Lady Marmalade."
By paying tribute to his fallen friends and collaborators with covers of "I'd Rather Go Blind" (an early Christine McVie staple), "People Get Ready" (a 1985 hit with Jeff Beck) and "It Takes Two" (his 1990 duet with Tina Turner), Stewart helped give the evening a touching narrative. After a purposely brazen "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?," Rod the Bod closed out his two-hour performance with an impossibly spry rendition of "Stay with Me" (one of two songs by his former act, the Faces, along with "Ooh La La").
Although Stewart's been saddled with the reputation of being cheesy over the decades, his marathon performance was nothing less than classy, modern and surprisingly vital. Some guys have all the luck.
Keeping their opening slot from last year's tour, Cheap Trick seemed primed to show the aged and seated crowd why they've become the de facto supporting act for recent nostalgia circuits — including stints with Boston, Heart and ZZ Top. Despite performing a run of hits that included "I Want You to Want Me," "Dream Police" and "Surrender," the Rock Hall inductees came off astonishingly ramshackle and muddy. Singer/guitarist Robin Zander struggled through the band's biggest hit, "The Flame," while the band endured roughshod vocals from Robin's namesake son on "Downed" and guitarist Rick Nielsen on "I Know What I Want."
Ready to cleanse the evening's proverbial palate, Stewart kicked off his performance with panache and cheekiness. Entering to a recording of "Scotland the Brave," the 78-year-old was joined by a sleek all-female band for a rendition of "Addicted to Love," paying homage to Robert Palmer's iconic music video. Expanding to a diverse 11-piece band, three backup singers and a vibrant and wonderfully overwhelming LED screen-adorned stage, Stewart ripped through a packed set of major hits. This included "You Wear it Well," "Young Turks," You're in My Heart (the Final Acclaim)," and the crowd-pleasing "Maggie May." Commanding the entirety of the stage, Rod came off just as fashionable and youthful as he looked, often interacting with his backup singers as well as towering saxophone player, Jimmy Roberts — formerly of '70s Toronto band Truck.
Often allowing for his band to take centre stage throughout the set, fans were treated to a fiddle and bass drum jig during "Forever Young," a glistening harp intro to "The First Cut Is the Deepest," and two intermissions in which his vocalists performed covers of the Pointer Sisters' "I'm So Excited" and Labelle's "Lady Marmalade."
By paying tribute to his fallen friends and collaborators with covers of "I'd Rather Go Blind" (an early Christine McVie staple), "People Get Ready" (a 1985 hit with Jeff Beck) and "It Takes Two" (his 1990 duet with Tina Turner), Stewart helped give the evening a touching narrative. After a purposely brazen "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?," Rod the Bod closed out his two-hour performance with an impossibly spry rendition of "Stay with Me" (one of two songs by his former act, the Faces, along with "Ooh La La").
Although Stewart's been saddled with the reputation of being cheesy over the decades, his marathon performance was nothing less than classy, modern and surprisingly vital. Some guys have all the luck.