Live at the Marquee review: Lightnin' Rod Stewart brings thunder back to 'the old tent'
Rod Stewart and his band rocking Cork's Marina, with the dancers highlighted on a giant screen, during the first of his two Live at the Marquee gigs on Tuesday night. Picture: Play Creative Agency
There may have been a status orange warning for thunder across the country last night, but the loudest rumbles heard down by the Marina in Cork were all caused by Rod. As thousands made their way down to the blue and yellow tent, lightning flashed and thunder rolled, but it was nothing compared to the night of rock‘n’roll ahead.
Singer Rod Stewart played the first of two sold-out nights at Live at the Marquee and attracted an enthusiastic audience of all ages keen to hear hit after hit from the iconic star.
The 78-year-old veteran rocker, who had knee replacement surgery last year, brought his The Hits tour and his best dance moves Leeside and he is certainly not on the road to retirement — though he has said this will be his final tour.
In a recent BBC radio interview, Stewart, one of the best-known faces of rock and roll since the 1970s, said he isn’t retiring, but instead planning to change musical genres to swing after this tour.
“I just want to leave all the rock and roll stuff behind — for a while, maybe,” he said.
And there was no sign of Stewart slowing down as he delighted the Cork crowd last night, some of whom held homemade ‘We Love Rod’ signs overhead while one hen party in the heart of the crowd waved a striking inflatable aloft.
The ‘Maggie May’ and ‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?’ singer was a striking stage presence, from his recognisable spiky blonde “do” to the charm and charisma oozing from him as he danced and shimmied before the audience.
He took to the stage at 8.15pm, launching into ‘Some Guys Have All The Luck’, wearing a dazzling metallic blazer and accompanied by his band: The men wearing pink blazers, and the women in sequinned shorts and leather biker jackets.
“It’s good to be back in the old tent,” he said. “We’re here for a couple of hours,” he said to an appreciative cheer.
“Bless you for coming out,” he added, joking that they had struggled to sell tickets for the capacity show.
He paid tribute to “the great Tina Turner” too, singing their duet ‘It Takes Two’ in her honour.
It was one of those nights when the crowd was in awe at the star and the star was in awe of the crowd.
After a rousing singalong to ‘It’s A Heartache’, Stewart said it’s a tough one for many audiences to sing, but he knew “Cork can do it. Rebel country, they say.”
His dancers thrilled with some Irish jigs and tunes during ‘Forever Young’ and earned a reaction that stunned the singer: “I am speechless at your enthusiasm today.”
He later changed into a yellow shirt and blue suit (“the colours of the Ukrainian flag”) and dedicated ‘Rhythm of My Heart’ to Ukraine.
Cork loves Rod, and Rod loves Cork. No doubt a rousing second night is in store for attendees when he returns to Live at the Marquee on Wednesday night.
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