Review: Rod Stewart, Live The Life Tour, LG Arena, Birmingham

Oh, good ol' Rod. That undeniable raspy voice, the one that sounds like it's been nurtured with a 60-a-day habit, those garish suits, that highlighted mullet, that 365 day-a-year sun tan.

But boy can that man still belt 'em out with the best of them.

Rod Stewart's life has been as colourful off the stage as it has been on it. As well as producing some of pop's most recognisable hits, he's interspersed the decades with dating supermodels and actresses, dumping them, making babies and then making even more babies (Think it's eight at the last count).

But for the fans at Birmingham's LG Arena last night, it was all about the crooning. And the veteran could do no wrong.

The superstar Scot still shakes it on stage like a man who's just starting out in the music game, and is clearly still getting a kick out of every moment.

Now, after almost 50 years in the spotlight and more than 100 million record sales under his belt, it's fair to say he's got the hang of this performing lark.

And with a back catalogue of hits as bursting to the brim as Mr Stewart's, he would never need to release another record for the rest of his life and still keep his fans happy by just pulling those old classics out of the bag.

Is it cool anymore to admit you're a Rod Stewart fan? Probably not.

But don't believe a single person who tells you that their hips don't start swaying when the chords of Baby Jane start playing or that if they were alone with a hairbrush to hand they wouldn't be belting out the chorus to Maggie if it came on the radio.

When the folks got hitched some time back in the 70s and declared their undying love to the background strains of Rod Stewarts Sailing for their first dance (yes, really!), I'm sure they didn't imagine that almost 40 years later their sprog would be singing along to the man himself performing that same hit.

He even arrived on stage at the exact time he'd announced he would. (How very last season, eh Rihanna?)

While he did perform a few songs from new album Time, he knows what keeps his fans wanting more and filled the majority of the show with an array of classics – This Old Heart Of Mine, You Wear it Well and Hot Legs to name but a few.

An accoustic set performed with a small orchestra gave the crowd some respite from their dancing and showed off the beauty of that famous husky voice with versions of The First Cut Is The Deepest, I Don't Want To Talk About It and Have I Told You Lately.

Here we were, crowds made up of 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70-somethings, lapping up every one of Rod's gravelly notes.

The audience was peppered with the odd Celtic shirt in a nod to his beloved football team and signed footballs were duly kicked into the crowd near to the end of the one hour and 50-minute set.

At times it was camp. At times it was even a bit cheesy.

But that didn't matter a jot. It is clear why this star has stood the test of time, and utterly refreshing that despite being a multi-millionaire superstar, the diva bug hasn't spread to the tips of that mullet and he still seems a perfectly down-to-earth chap.

For his final farewell, the 68-year-old asked his adoring fans Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?

You're not my type Mr Stewart. But you know how to put on one hell of a show. And for that, I salute you.