Candlebox New York Concert reviews
Rod Stewart - Las Vegas Colleseum.
Rod and I have grown older together. He blew everybody away as one of the next great rock singers. I've been a performing semi professional musician for 40 years and look at concerts from somebody in the business - but of course never on that level.
I've seen Rod multiple times over the decades, in London, Europe, and the US. He doesn't quite have his dynamic range anymore, but his voice is now 90%. OK, we're older now. We can't stay in our prime forever. I said the same thing about Elvis, Van Morrison, Robert Plant, Roger Daltry, Paul McCartney, and Mick. Last time I saw him was around 2002.
My only disappointment - it didn't make sense at all for a rocker like Rod. He started out with "Love Train" - not his song, not really his style. Most of his audience was a little older, like me. In these competitive times, the performer needs to start strong and keep going. Usually renditions are not so great. He has so many great songs he did not do. Oh well, we can't always get what we want.
I do think that Rod is great however when singing ballads on the "Great American Song book" series. He proved he can be a good crooner and do it all. He brought out the Las Vegas orchestra for those types of songs and that was great. Excellent show, but I have seen him better in the past.
His visual status, stage presence, and showman experience are as good as ever. Interesting that his musicians wore the same clothes - like a lounge act. That was never the case in the past. But this was Vegas, and that was OK.
Hang in there Rod, keep on performing.