We live in a country where, unfortunately, we are not often given the opportunity to enjoy concerts of such caliber and magnitude. The reasons are many, varied, and certainly not relevant at this time. We often hear and read about living legends, but often the description does not correspond to reality. However, Rod Stewart is a true living legend and, of course, we could not miss the two-hour party he had prepared for the Greek audience.
To tell you the truth, I expected the concert to be sold out, but the organizers had closed the upper tiers and the rest of the stadium was full. So the overall picture was very good. I was even more impressed by the fact that the crowd was very expressive and participated in almost all the songs, which Rod himself certainly enjoyed. But let’s take things from the beginning.
The concert was opened by Angelika Dusk, who was truly exceptional and was the ideal opening act to warm up the crowd that was slowly gathering at the OAKA. With a mix of her own compositions and covers, Angelika won over Rod’s fans early on, the vast majority of whom were seeing her perform live for the first time. The sound was flawless, the performance was excellent, and in about 45 minutes we distinguished the new composition “Deeper Love,” the favorite “Breaking My Heart,” and the covers of “Dancing in the Dark” (Bruce Springsteen) and “Maniac” (Michael Sembello). It’s worth checking out Angelika Dusk’s pop/rock style, with clear references to the 80s… you’ll love it!
At exactly 8:30 p.m., the lights go out and a deafening sound of bagpipes reminds us of Sir Rod Stewart’s Scottish roots and prepares us for the spectacle to come. The huge video wall behind him shows a photo of Robert Palmer and the caption Addicted To Love. Rod opened the concert with this very cover, accompanied by five girls dressed in black, just like in Palmer’s video clip. And that wasn’t Rod’s only tribute to his favorite artists, as he followed up with references to Tina Turner, Muddy Waters, Christine McVie, Jeff Beck, and, of course, his old band, the Faces. The super-classic “You Wear It Well” showed us that Rod is not only in excellent shape but also in high spirits, while his band—consisting of 13 members in total—was absolutely professional and literally flawless. The sound was crystal clear and you could hear every single note, while the characteristic gravelly voice of 80-year-old Rod evoked an incredible feeling… especially in the ballads!
There were so many highlights in the two-hour set, but we will mention the following: a) the audience’s participation in all the songs, especially “It’s a Heartache,” “Sailing,” “Maggie May”; b) the incredible performance of “Baby Jane,” which will always be my favorite Rod song, as it is for millions of fans out there; c) the party atmosphere throughout the live show, especially during “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy,” when Rod threw soccer balls into the crowd, especially to the die-hard fans in the front row who had come with flags and banners of Rod’s beloved team, Celtic. I’m sure I’m forgetting a lot, but it doesn’t matter.
What matters is that we experienced the concert of the great Rod Stewart for the first and (probably) last time. Those of us who were there will remember it forever. And let’s not forget something very important: Rod is one of the last of a whole generation that left an indelible mark on music and art in general. And that alone gives us the right to call Rod’s concert historic! Thank you for everything, Sir Rod Stewart!
Sakis Nikas
