Scotland Stumble – Rod Dances Away His World Cup Frustration on Stage

First, the good news: Sir Rod Stewart has overcome the vocal problems that recently forced him to cancel three shows on his US tour or postpone them until next year. In Salt Lake City, the Brit was back on stage, delivering his customary high-energy performance. Shortly beforehand, however, the defeat of the Scottish national football team against Morocco (0–1) had put him in a less-than-cheerful mood.

There was no sign of that by the time the concert began. Stewart took to the stage at the Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre in excellent spirits, where around 25,000 fans were ready for a huge party.

Those who had bought tickets specifically to see special guest Richard Marx, however, were left disappointed. He did not perform. Marx wrote: “I’m very disappointed that my band and I are missing today’s show with Rod Stewart in Salt Lake City. We hope to be able to play for you again soon.” No further details regarding the reasons were initially disclosed.

Rod Stewart, however, quickly managed to compensate the disappointed Marx fans with a superb show and a seemingly endless stream of hits. At times, it felt as though the man on stage was simply trying to dance and sing away his World Cup frustration following Scotland’s defeat. Much to the delight of the audience, who were fully engaged from the opening number, “Infatuation”, and by the time “Having A Party” arrived, had completely forgotten everything else and were simply enjoying the evening.

Sir Rod steered the party ship through the 1980s with “Tonight I’m Yours” and “Some Guys Have All The Luck”, before sailing back into the 1970s with “Tonight’s The Night”, “Maggie May” and “I’m Losing You”. Along the way, he slipped in some magnificent cover versions, including Bonnie Tyler’s “It’s A Heartache” and Simply Red’s “If You Don’t Know Me By Now”. Naturally, no summer evening with Rod Stewart would be complete without a trip into the disco era with “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy”.

The crowd enthusiastically joined in, dancing for all their weary feet were worth and singing along loudly and confidently – even if very few actually hit the right notes. Fortunately, that was the responsibility of the man on stage, whose voice sounded as powerful and distinctive as ever. The refreshment breaks, known at the World Cup as “hydration breaks”, were once again filled by the sensational band (with “Jolene” and “Proud Mary”), ensuring that the atmosphere never dipped for a single second.

After around two hours, it was all over, and many in the audience were left wishing that the man with the prominent nose and unmistakable shock of hair might come back to them just one more time.

Setlist:

• Infatuation

• Having A Party

• It's A Heartache

• Tonight I'm Yours

• If You Don't Know Me By Now

• Some Guys Have All The Luck

• Forever Young

• The First Cut Is The Deepest

• Tonight's The Night

• Ooh La La

• Stay With Me

• I'm Losing You

• Mandolin Wind

• Maggie May

• I'd Rather Go Blind

• Young Turks

• Rhythm Of My Heart

• Jolene (Band only)

• People Get Ready

• Have I Told You Lately

• Proud Marx (Band only)

• Da Ya Think I'm Sexy

• Love Train