Stewart rocks
the house with
style, energy

By John Berger
Special to the Star-Bulletin

IT'S been years since Rod Stewart last played Honolulu but he more than made up for the absence with his performance at Blaisdell Arena last night. The show started over 30 minutes late for no obvious reason. However, by the time Stewart was finished few fans cared about the late start.

Many artists these days think elaborate special effects and computer sequenced lighting is essential, but Stewart opted for simplicity and needed nothing more. The lighting wasn't complicated but sufficed to define a variety of moods. The backdrop touted Marshall sound gear. That was it. Stewart was the show.

And so he reaffirmed his credentials as a distinctive song stylist and an unassuming entertainer. He actually sounded sincere when he thanked the crowd several times for coming out to see him. Stewart appeared on stage with no formal introduction Except for brief departures for fresh shirts, a gratuitous number by the band and a short solo by the drummer, Stewart performed for well over two hours and still looked fresh as he closed the show with "Maggie Mae."

Stewart mentioned early into the show that he had stopped touring for four months. It didn't look like he'd lost his edge in the interim. Whatever his reasons were for refusing to do interviews to support the show, and whatever the story was behind reports that he had stopped by a hospital after arriving, there was no question that he was ready, willing and able to rock and roll. He actually seemed to become more pumped up as the show went on.

The late start and some low mike levels during the first song or two were the only glitches.

The program included most of the big hits and obvious choices. It was just about a 50/50 mix of songs that Stewart made famous and songs that reflect his love affair with the music of artists such as the Isley Brothers, the Impressions, the Persuasions, the Temptations and Sam Cooke.

Stewart included three Cooke classics. "Having A Party" and "Twistin' The Night Away" both worked well, but his rendition of "Cupid" was a showstopper.

Stewart took the crowd back to his days with the Faces ("Stay With Me"), through his solo hits of the 1970s and '80s, his album with Jeff Beck, the "unplugged" 1993 reunion with Ron Wood, and on to the present.

"Hot Legs" and "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" were embellished with his trademark poses and panache. "First Cut Is The Deepest" and "Downtown Train" captured his vulnerable side.

"Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright)" was one of several old favorites that became spontaneous sing-alongs.

"Motown Song" summed up his feelings for classic American soul music with an assist from his three male vocalists.

"People Get Ready" was another dramatic celebration of mid-'60s soul. Stewart gave it a fine reading while the vocalists stood in for the Impressions. Stewart got great support from his musicians throughout the show as well.

There were a couple of notable omissions in his choice of material. One was "The Killing of Georgie (Part I And II)" which was a bigger hit for him than some of the songs he included. The other was the song that could easily be the theme song of his life to date, "Blondes Have More Fun.".

Stewart's version of "Get Back" hardly registers on his personal hit list by comparison. His musicians' overlong recycling of "Dance To The Music" wasn't necessary and they didn't do enough with it to make it more than filler.

Still, it was a tremendous show. "Forever Young" still ranks as a great anthem, and watching Stewart describe full circles in the air with his mike stand made the song seem aptly descriptive of the artist. Age is nothing but a number, and if rock is for the "young" than Rod Stewart is still a young man as well an engaging showman.

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