The great Sir Rod Stewart and very special guests Cyndi Lauper and Jon Stevens delivered an impressive night of hits on Friday, 31 March 2023.
The threat of chilly weather and a drizzle could not dampen the spirits of an excited crowd keen to relive iconic moments of music history with legends Jon Stevens, Cyndi Lauper and Rod Stewart.
Stevens got the crowd moving with his most celebrated anthems from the Billboard charts, before a now 69-year-old Cyndi proved age was absolutely nothing but a number with her still pitch-perfect vocal cords and vibrant energy that a double shot coffee spiked Gen Z’er would envy.
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There was an air of activism that echoed through the night with Cyndi’s ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ accompanied by thought-provoking imagery of women’s rights activists worldwide, before seemingly clearing the skies with a beautiful sunset-lit rendition of her ‘True Colours’ ballad.
If anyone was ever worried about Stewart’s health after his previous delay for this concert, they needn’t have been. Rod, donned in a larger-than-life metallic gold jacket, stormed the stage with otherworldly gusto. Escorted by glittering members of his stunning 13-piece band, he announced his arrival with ‘Addicted to Love’ – a Robert Palmer cover, but you wouldn’t have known it. Stewart made it sound as if it has been his song for the last three decades.
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A heartfelt ‘Forever Young’ pulled on the nostalgic heartstrings of the crowd before Stewart unfroze the moment with light-hearted quips and his customary charm. An apology to the crowd for the concert delay, a joke about having to crash a wedding earlier that day, and repeated referrals to a lit-up dumpling van in his eyesight from the stage (coincidentally my neighbour’s business) kept the crowd laughing and connected in good spirits. Yes Rod, we all love dumplings, even those of us in very expensive golden jackets.
Known for his passionate ballads, he did not disappoint with ‘The First Cut is The Deepest’ followed by a gorgeous extended version of ‘Maggie May’ which had the crowd singing along fervently.
A soulful tribute to the late Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac expressed in ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’ showed off the skills of his band and proved just how well his signature voice has lasted throughout his illustrious career.
Crowd favourites ‘Young Hearts’, ‘People Get Ready’ and a special version of ‘Stay with Me’ featuring a surprise guest from the audience sporting a miraculous set of pipes had everyone on their feet and kept the positive energy alive that had been set by Jon and Cyndi earlier that day.
The night came to a close in a flurry of dancing leopard print, technicolour and disco sparkles with a light-hearted ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy’, before a sweet encore of ‘Sailing’, bidding goodnight and safe travels home to the happy fans.
Stevens, Lauper and Stewart appeared to have turned back time itself with their obvious entertainment know-how, presence and musical skill. A Day on the Green was a fantastic celebration where all were reminded exactly why these have been solid household names since their arrival on the scene decades ago.
