Sweet Home Alabama: Rod Stewart takes Birmingham by storm

If you didn't know that Sir Rod Stewart had already celebrated his 80th birthday, you wouldn't believe it when you see this somewhat ageing ‘stage teenager’ on his current major North American tour.
Rod Stewart dances across stages in the United States like a whirlwind, throwing his microphone stands into the air like in his heyday, twirling them around his head and singing his hits from over half a century as powerfully as ever.
At a time when videos of a certain Axl Rose are haunting the world, who can barely get a sound out during the current performances of the US metal band Guns'n'Roses and whose screeching and croaking singing attempts are causing fans to flee in droves, Sir Rod thrills the crowds day after day, in every city and on every stage.
This was also the case at yesterday's performance in Birmingham, a city with a population of just under 200,000 in the US state of Alabama, located about 147 miles west of Atlanta.
‘Sold out!’ announced the organiser – around 11,000 visitors did not want to miss the chance to spend an evening with Rod Stewart. And as always, Sir Rod did not disappoint.
From ‘Infatuation’ and ‘Tonight I'm Yours’ to ‘Young Turks’, ‘Maggie May’ and ‘Forever Young’ to ‘Hot Legs’, ‘Da Ya Think I'm Sexy’ and ‘Some Guys Have All The Luck’ – the Brit didn't leave out almost any of his numerous hits. ‘I Don't Want To Talk About It’ also made it into the starting line-up at the Coca Cola Amphitheatre once again, and Stewart showed just how good he is when he breathes his numerous schmaltzy songs into the microphone, especially with ballads like ‘I'd Rather Go Blind’. ‘Have I Told You Lately’ is probably the best proof of this at every show.
In Birmingham, Sir Rod knew better than almost anyone else how to take the audience on a journey through his career. As a born entertainer, the moments when he communicates with his audience have become one of the highlights of his shows. Some funny remarks from the 80-year-old, delivered with his characteristic Stewart humour, had the audience laughing and further lifted the fans' spirits. It's understandable that many fans wished that this evening would last longer than the obligatory two hours.

Set list:
1. Infatuation
2. Tonight I'm Yours
3. It's A Heartache
4. Havin' A Party
5. It Takes Two
6. The First Cut Is The Deepest
7. Tonight's The Night
8. Forever Young
9. Ooh La La
10. Young Turks
11. Maggie May
12. I'd Rather Go Blind
13. Downtown Train
14. I'm Every Woman (Band only)
15. I Don't Want To Talk About It
16. You're In My Heart
17. Have I Told You Lately
18. Proud Mary (Band only)
19. Da Ya Think I'm Sexy
20. Hot Legs
21. Some Guys Have All The Luck