Magazine

Reviews: Rod Stewart at the Arena and Hall and Oates at the Apollo


12/ 5/2005

HE was in our heart, he was in our soul and last night Rod Stewart gave us everything.

Few men of advancing years can pull off a look that involves trainers, black slacks and a shirt that looks like it has been culled from a Dalmatian.

But Rod's two hour-plus set at the M.E.N. Arena last night proved you are only as old "as the woman you feel".

Rod may have his detractors and to some he may not be the song writing force he was back in his heyday of the 1970s - but he is one of the few performers still capable of exhibiting the skills of good, old fashioned showmanship.

Within minutes of bounding on stage, the wild man of rock was throwing out classics with wild abandon safe in the knowledge that he had plenty more in his back catalogue to call on.

From First Cut is the Deepest he swung into the gorgeously raw Handbags and Gladrags and then onto Robert Palmer's Some Guys Have All the Luck as he gyrated around the stage.

Part of Stewart's charm has always been his ability to be both a lady-killer and one of the lads.

So plenty of songs saw footballs juggled, kicked and hurled into the ever-appreciative audience.

On the hour Rod and his ultra-tight band kicked into Tonight I'm Yours and by then we were most definitely his.

It was followed by a stomping version of the Stones-like Hot Legs, which saw Rod the Mod preening, prancing and generally making a tart of himself like it was 1979 again.

And many in the crowd would have been quite happy to return to that decade, which saw leopard skin trousers and a fluffy blonde, feather-cut ruling the world. And I for one would have been happy to join them.

At times his career has gone off the boil and fallen into a no man's land of cover versions. But he showed us that he is like a perky, if rather fruity, fine wine who only gets better with age.

And as he launched into Sailing to close an emotional set, there wasn't a person in who did not have either a tear in their eye or a lump in their throat.

Neal Snowdon

STATISTICALLY, Daryl Hall and John Oates are among the best in the business for all-time successful pop duos, but they proved to a packed Apollo that they also remain great entertainers.

The exquisite purveyors of Philadelphia soul, who celebrated six number one singles and six platinum albums, treated a musically mature crowd with as much respect and adoration as they received.

Even when a song request was shouted confidently from the stalls, Hall and Oates changed their playlist to squeeze in the tune, Say It Isn't So.

In short, Hall and Oates are living legends who you feel could return annually to Manchester and get the enthusiatic response reminiscent of their eighties heyday.

The smooth and catchy soul nuances are still evident, the hooks and melodies as infectious as ever. They quickly delved into the hits catalogue - Maneater, One On One, I Can't Go For That (No Can Do), She's Gone and Family Man.

Playing tracks from their new album, Our Kind Of Soul - a collection of their covers of soul classics like Standing In The Shadow Of Love and I'll Be Around - was a brilliant and affectionate nod to their roots. Long may they continue to be around to please.

Carl Palmer


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