Music / Reviews
Review: Rod Stewart, Ashton Gate Stadium
Footballs flying widely off target isn’t a rare occurrence at Ashton Gate. On Wednesday night, however, the balls were fired from a special machine by a stagehand and a few kicked into the crowd by Rod Stewart on the first date of his new UK tour.
The date was also the first time this summer that Ashton Gate has hosted a big concert, with Muse, the Spice Girls and Take That all to look forward to in the coming weeks.
Tonight though, it was all about Sir Rod, who went through four outfit changes during the course of a two-hour set which finished with fireworks over the Atyeo Stand.
is needed now More than ever
Not many fans remained sitting in their seats on the pitch during the gig
The footballs were fired into the crowd during a cover of Twistin’ the Night Away by Sam Cooke, with another cover, Teardrops by Womack & Womack, performed by Stewart’s backing singers.
But tonight was mostly a career-spanning set, with phone lights illuminating Ashton Gate like glowworms during the more poignant numbers such as Sailing, with no chance of the fans staying in their seats for the closing salvo of Do You Think I’m Sexy and Baby Jane.
Midway through I Don’t Want to Talk About It, the music stopped, Stewart got off his seat and did a little excited jig as the crowd bellowed all the words back at him; teenage angst sung by an audience made up of many fans old enough to draw their pensions.
Stewart’s 30th studio album, Blood Red Roses, was released in 2018 and went to number one
“Welcome!” Stewart said soon after the gig started at 8.30pm. “We got 23 songs lined up for you. We will be here for two hours so forget about Brexit, forget the European Union, forget Trump. Let’s enjoy ourselves.”
And enjoy themselves everybody did, as the knight of the realm acted as ringmaster to more than a dozen people on stage: an all-blonde collection of backing singers and dancers, and musicians including a harpist who played a splendid introduction to The First Cut is the Deepest.
74-year-old Stewart was born in London during the Second World War and during Rhythm of My Heart, black and white footage of Churchill and the Queen Mother appeared on the huge screens behind the stage as some of the crowd broke into spontaneous Irish dancing in front of the Dolman Stand.
Among the crowd there was also plenty of tartan and a few Scotland football and rugby tops, but Stewart outdid everyone in a variety of outfits including leopard print and polka dot jackets.
As the fireworks came to an end and the stadium lights came up, a few in the crowd left Ashton Gate with souvenir footballs tucked under their arms, while everyone left knowing that they had seen a consummate showman still on top of his game after more than half a century in showbusiness.
Stewart had four outfit changes during the course of the two-hour show
All performance photos by James C Watkins
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