Sweet Rod Alabama: Huntsville is at Stewart’s feet

Friday evening: Sir Rod called and the fans came! Around 8,000 attendees provided the perfect backdrop for the British singer’s performance yesterday. The Orion Amphitheatre, voted Outdoor Concert Venue of the Year in 2024, was packed to the rafters as opening act Howard Jones kicked off the evening with a 45-minute set, getting the crowd in the mood with songs such as “Things Can Only Get Better” and “What Is Love”.

After a quick stage changeover, Rod Stewart kicked off the roughly two-hour show with the rousing trio of “Infatuation”, “Having A Party” and “Tonight I’m Yours” – the launchpad for an evening packed with hits spanning six decades.
Compared to the performance two days earlier in Knoxville, Sir Rod made the usual minor changes to the setlist.
In Huntsville, “I Don’t Want To Talk About It” and “The Killing of Georgie” were added to the programme, both of which were enthusiastically celebrated and sung along to by the crowd.

Speaking of the crowd, as so often in recent months and years, it was a colourful mix. There was a daughter dancing with her mother, a father and son embracing as they belted out the chorus of “Maggie May” together. Or the grandmother, who had attended concerts back in the Faces days, had her grandson in tow and was whisked back to the musical past once more by all the great hits.

Sir Rod, arguably the finest entertainer on the music stage, had them all wrapped around his little finger once again and delivered yet another show of the very highest calibre. Of course, at the tender age of 81, not every note is perfectly on key anymore, but quite honestly, that’s not necessary. His voice is still powerful and the music legend radiates pure joy in his work on stage. A joy that spreads to the audience night after night and, as a result, leaves hardly anyone going home disappointed.

Maria Esteban, who originally hails from Madrid in Spain but has been living in the USA for several years, had travelled specially from New York and sent an email to our editorial team shortly after the concert. “Rod was fantastic once again,” she wrote. “When you see him on stage, it’s hard to believe he’s already 81 years old. He knows better than almost anyone how to make his fans happy, and not just with his songs, but also with the way he puts on such an evening. You don’t just feel like a spectator, but as part of the whole, as part of the show.”

Like Maria, many of the 8,000 attendees must have felt the same way. And hardly anyone would not have wished for a repeat performance, even though the tour slogan is still ‘One Last Time’.

Setlist:
Infatuation
Having A Party
Tonight I'm Yours
It's A Heartache
The First Cut Is The Deepest
I Don't Want To Talk About It
Forever Young
Maggie May
I'd Rather Go Blind
Young Turks
Downtown Train
I'm So Excited (Band only)
The Killing Of Georgie
Mandolin Wind
People Get Ready
Have I Told You Lately
Proud Mary (Band only)
It Takes Two
Some Guy's Got All The Luck
Da Ya Think I'm Sexy
Love Train