Rod Stewart bounces back from sickness as he wows crowds in Sydney

Rod Stewart pulled out all the hits – and a few surprises – as he continued to wow audiences on his final ever Aussie tour.

Sir Rod Stewart, rocker, pop star and crooner has opened the concerts of his final big “rock” Hits tour of Australia with a famous cover.

Just as Robert Palmer declared he was Addicted To Love almost four decades ago, so Stewart remains addicted to the fans and the thrill of the stage.

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” he told the adoring Qudos Bank Arena audience last night.

Rod Stewart is wowing audiences on his Australian tour. Picture: Peter Pap Photography

His voice may be raggedy around the melodic edges after his recent bout with a viral infection and an arena gig in Adelaide and two winery concerts in Queensland, but it is impossible to avoid marvelling at the fact he is 78 years old.

This cheeky spiky-haired, gravelly-voiced rocker is well, still rockin’, and doing it in skinny jeans and designer leopard or similarly loud jackets.

As any of his millions of social media fans are well aware, Sir Rod loves a sing and a dance, whether it’s a TikTok challenge with his extended family or a two hour romp through his enviable repertoire of hits.

At 78, the Scottish rocker has still got it. Picture: Sonia Bettinelli

From his late 60s rock arrival with Faces, through the explosion of his solo career in the 70s and 80s, to his astute reinvention as an interpreter of American standards, the master entertainer brought something for everyone.

The show was more a Las Vegas residency meets Broadway jukebox musical than rock concert, but Stewart has always been more of a showman than a one or two trick frontman.

Some spied the unusual presence of a harp on a rock stage, provoking some speculation of which song would employ this particular set of strings among his renowned love of everything from banjos and mandolins, reflecting his Celtic roots.

Rod Stewart opened the show with a cover of Robert Palmer’s iconic, Addicted to Love. Picture: Sonia Bettinelli

It was employed in a wholly rousing folk orchestral pop version of his mid 70s hit with The First Cut Is The Deepest.

Then soaring synth strings opened Maggie May which was greeted with a rapturous singalong.

The song may provoke a revisionist cringe with its narrative about the older woman who claimed his virginity when he was “16 and a half … it lasted six seconds” but Stewart has always played it for the laughs, and encouraged his fans to respond with “never seen your face” to his “I wish I” lyric.

Unlike the majority of his peers valiantly still flying the rock flag into their 70s, Stewart loves a costume change, and returned to the stage for Rhythm Of My Heart wearing a yellow blazer and blue shirt in support of Ukraine as the video walls behind of him projected images of war, protest, the country’s flag and finally its President Zelenskyy.

The rocker played his greatest hits. Picture: Peter Pap Photography

His sextet of superb and sequinned female backing vocalists and band members – and their band mates – bought some more off stage, costume change time as they took the reins to perform the Pointer Sisters’ I’m So Excited.

When Stewart returned on stage and in his delightful manner declared it was “time to sit down, rest one’s bottom”, he plonked himself down not on your standard bar stool but what looked to be a very comfortable padded white designer swivelling piece of furniture.

Supplied image of Rod Stewart performing at Sirromet Winery. Photo - Sonia Bettinelli

“Singing is very good for the heart and the soul and the lungs, not so good for an ingrown toenail,” he quipped before launching into another classic You’re In My Heart.

Rod Stewart had the Sydney audience in raptures. Picture: Peter Pap Photography

That provoked a truly beautiful harmonic moment of crowd karaoke – the Sydney audience got deserved applause for their perfect phrasing.

Courtesy of the Live Nation initiative to have an Auslan interpreter at their concerts, the hearing-impaired audience members also got into Rockin’ Rod’s groove.

Rod Stewart performs at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. Picture: Instagram

He performs again for the A Day On The Green winery concert series at the rescheduled Mt Duneed Estate in Geelong on March 31, Roche Estate, Hunter Valley, on April 1 and Centennial Vineyards, Bowral, on April 2.

For all official tickets, livenation.com.au