Rod Stewart concert review, NIA, Birmingham

The sound of bagpipes sparked goosebumps around the arena as thousands sang along to a blast of Runrig’s Loch Lomond.

It could only mean one thing. Rod Stewart was ready to come on.

Looking great for a bloke who has just qualified for his bus pass  he’s 65  if the creaks are setting in, they certainly didn’t show as he wiggled his way through two hours of vintage material and booted signed footballs into the crowd.

Maggie May, You Wear It Well, Tonight’s The Night, Rhythm of My Heart, Stay With Me, Hot Legs, Handbags and Gladrags  revered classics felt as fresh and exciting as ever as fans abandoned their seats from the start and danced.

(To the hot-headed moron ejected just minutes in for demanding people sit down, you missed a good gig.) A pulsing rendition of Do Ya Think I’m Sexy about halfway through was delivered with Rod’s usual exuberant stomping around.

And while the sight of him cheesily slapping his backside as he rotated on the spot was anything but sexy, fans lapped it up, screaming every time he took his jacket off or unbuttoned his shirt.

Ballads I Don’t Wanna Talk About It, Have I Told You Lately and The First Cut Is The Deepest went down a storm, while I Was Only Joking  revealed by Rod as his Edinburgh-born father Robert’s favourite song  was a real treat given added poignancy against a backdrop of family photographs.

By the time the spine-tingling guitar lead-in to encore Sailing came, all arms were in the air and wanting more.

An electrifying Baby Jane sent fans bouncing again before in a blink Rod was gone but not before paying homage to the crowd.

With four decades of hits to choose from, there were always going to be favourites fans would have loved to hear  – The Killing of Georgie, Every Beat Of My Heart and Mandolin Wind for example.

Worth the £75 ticket price? Without a doubt.

By Stella Stokes.