Rod Stewart just can’t quit Las Vegas!
On Wednesday, March, 12, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, 80, kicked off his limited “The Encore Shows” residency at Caesars Palace with a mix of huge hits, fan favorites and tunes he just loves.
Throughout the 100-minute show, Stewart, 80, naturally belted out songs such as “Forever Young,” “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” and “Tonight’s the Night,” but he also tapped into some deeper cuts like 1971’s “Mandolin Wind,” embraced several swing songs and sang a bevy of covers, including tracks by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Cat Stevens and John Fogerty.
“I’m a bit nervous,” Stewart admitted early in the show, before joking 15 minutes in, “Now I know what I’m doing.”
Of course, performing is old hat for Stewart, who began his solo career in 1969. He also admitted that two of his most famous songs — which he performed — sound similar, which is no accident.
“’You Wear It Well’ and ‘Maggie May’ are very similar, and there’s a reason for that,” he said. “After ‘Maggie May,’ the record company said, ‘Can you write us a No. 1 like ‘Maggie May?’ So I wrote ‘Wear it Well,’ but people love it. You loved it. I loved it.”
In somewhat of an evening theme, Stewart also honored his influences.
“Growing up, which I’m still doing, I was always listening to the 60s,” he said before paying respect to Muddy Waters with a performance of “Rollin’ and Tumblin.’”
The show felt very much like an evening of karaoke with Rod Stewart — some songs were his own, some weren’t. The crowd, who stood on their feet for much of the evening, didn’t care one bit.
For the rock icon, performing in Vegas is nothing new, as Wednesday marked the 200th time he’s taken the stage at Caesars Palace. Stewart began his “The Hits” residency in 2011 and continued through August 2024. Following his 199th show last August, Stewart announced he would start a shorter 12-show residency, dubbed “The Encore Shows,” which will cap off on June 8. As expected, there were similarities between the shows, such as a homage to his beloved Celtic Football Club in Glasgow. In the past, Stewart would kick signed soccer balls into the crowd, but he now gently throws them into the throngs.
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Overall, Rod relied on his iconic raspy voice, his impressive 19-person orchestra (14 of which were women) and the excitement of the crowd.
“I’m enjoying myself so much. I’m so privileged,” he said while the crowd of 4,100 roared.
Late in the show, Stewart was recognized onstage with a gold record by a Caesars executive to commemorate his 200th show at The Colosseum. A tray of Wolfie’s Whisky, which the singer founded, was then brought out. “I’m gonna have a shot of whisky,” he told the crowd. After throwing back a quick tipple, he simply shrugged and said, “Showbiz.”
Last August, Rod spoke to PEOPLE about bringing his own whisky to the market, noting, “It’s not as easy as I thought it was going to be.”
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Like his music, he thinks of his spirit as a labor of love.
“Because of my Scottish father, that’s why I wanted to get something Scottish across the line,” he said. “He’d have been very proud of that, very proud.”
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