Rod Stewart wows Jakarta

Rod Stewart emerged on the stark white stage at the Jakarta Convention Center on Tuesday night and started singing “Love Train”.

Dressed in all black with a pink coat and tie, the British icon’s distinctive raspy voice was brilliantly on display.

Playing to an almost full venue of 40 and 50-somethings, his decades of stardom were evident in his
Jakarta concert titled “The Hits”.

After his first song he addressed the crowd: “Oh you lucky people,” then launched into “Tonight’s the Night”, a hit from 1976.

The stage glowed sometimes pink, sometimes red, sometimes blue, the band dressed in outfits harkening to the 1960s when Stewart was referred to as “Rod the Mod”.

Taking off his coat between numbers, the Jakarta audience cheered and enthused with cell phones out as Stewart sang hit after hit.

His songs resonated as did his voice as he did a cover of Sam Cooke’s “We’re Having a Party” and the stage lights played off the slinky pink dresses of his backup singers.

“I Don’t Want to Talk About It” had everyone in the audience singing along, happily watching the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee projected on a giant screen behind him.

Stewart proved why he is still around, moving through the decades from mod to disco to the 1980s and beyond. One knee on the floor, his sincerity shone through as did a resonant nostalgia.

Yes, Stewart was right. We were lucky.