Rod Stewart review: The evening ends up being both cheesy and heartwarming

The evening ends up being both cheesy and heartwarming as Rod Stewart is joined by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Rod Stewart

O2 Arena, London

Rating:

Rod Stewart, who turns 75 next month, keeps popping up in the news. No sooner had he become the oldest man to top the UK album chart than he found himself the target of a rather rude banner, waved by fellow Celtic fans after he cheered on Boris Johnson. 

But the most intriguing item was the revelation that he has an enormous train set. Rod the Mod is now Rod the Model Railway Enthusiast.

At the O2 he becomes surely the first pop star to incorporate a love of trains into an arena show. ‘I need to talk to you,’ he suddenly says, ‘on a serious note. You may have read that Rod Stewart has a model railway. People used to make fun of it, but now I don’t care. So here’s my railway – not a picture, a movie!’

Rod the Mod is now Rod the Model Railway Enthusiast. At the O2 he becomes surely the first pop star to incorporate a love of trains into an arena show

Rod the Mod is now Rod the Model Railway Enthusiast. At the O2 he becomes surely the first pop star to incorporate a love of trains into an arena show

The big screen shows a loving black-and-white video of the railway and the replica American city he has spent 23 years building, while he sings Downtown Train. Say what you like about the railway, it has brought a touching Tom Waits song back into Rod’s repertoire.

Next there’s another surprise as he is joined by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Wearing black tie, they make strange bedfellows for Rod’s 12-piece band, who have come as Christmas gifts in lurid shades of pink and gold.

The RPO also appear on the new album, You’re In My Heart. If you buy it for mum, do keep the receipt because it’s a little dull. But the combination works in concert. Feeling the force of 40 musicians is a whole lot better than hearing the bagpipes impersonated by a synthesiser, as we did earlier.

One classic ballad, The First Cut Is The Deepest, is magical enough. Another, I Don’t Want To Talk About It, is even better, first deepened by the strings, then lifted by the crowd, who are inspired to form a colossal choir. 

The evening ends up being both cheesy and heartwarming – just like Christmas. 

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