Rod Stewart to woo fans at Abu Dhabi concert

"If you think I'm sexy come on sugar let me know. Tell me so baby," sings Sir Rod Stewart in his song Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? a hot favourite  - from his 1978 album Blondes Have More Fun -  that would make all his females fans swoon! The legendary crooner plans to wield the same magic at his upcoming concert in Abu Dhabi on March 2.
"My audience these days is more of a cross section - from youngsters to people my age. But ya, I still get many women admirers in the crowd," Stewart admitted in an exclusive phone interview with City Times.
It's been more than four decades since Sir Roderick David Stewart aka Rod Stewart, has been performing, but the 72-year-old British rocker can still slay fans with his romantic ballads. "Well! I still have a large number of female admirers, but the young ladies are not young anymore," he added.
For an ageing musician, he is still a quintessential  rock star  - looks dapper, has an immaculate and colourful sense of dress, streaky blonde hair, great sense of humour and oh yes, a fabulous performer on stage. He still seems to have boundless energy - enough to rock the du Arena. So how does he manage to keep in shape? "I make it a point to work out at least three times a week. Well, I have a trainer who keeps me in top condition. I mainly concentrate on cardio workouts and muscle strengthening exercises." That could well be the secret to his electric performances.

Vocal longevity
Stewart's trademark raspy voice is as soulful today as it was back in the day, but it wasn't easy for him to maintain his voice for more than four decades. In fact, in 2001, he underwent a throat surgery for cancer following which he had to drop his voice an octave lower, and had to re-learn how to sing all over again. "It takes great effort to keep your vocal cords in shape. It needs a lot of rest, a lot of water, warm up and warm down routines (when singing)," Stewart revealed about his vocal longevity.
"As the great tenor (Luciano) Pavarotti once told me 'You are a prisoner of your own voice'. So you have to be very, very careful. Your voice is a very delicate instrument you know, you have to look after it," added the singer who has cut about 29 studio albums and is working on another two.
The blues influence
Sir Rod started his career singing R&B and blues songs in the mid-'60s. He first teamed up with ex-Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck and then joined hands with friend Ronnie Wood (Rolling Stones) to form the Faces. Back then, rock bands were heavily influenced by blues, but is blues even relevant in today's music? "Not really," explains the legend. "Music has moved on so radically from the simple blues of the '40s and '50s.
"Artistes have begun creating their own original music now, they don't look back at the past so much.  Blues was something we grew up on back then, however, times have changed... and so has music.
"Young musicians can still get influenced by blues musicians like Muddy Waters or Howlin' Wolf (mid-'70s bluesman) if they want to. But most of them seem to be influenced by other people. It's as simple as that!"
Leaving his past, hedonistic, heady days of rock 'n' roll far behind, Stewart now maintains a very disciplined lifestyle, spends time with his kids at  home and even kicks the ball around with them. "You know I've put an astro football pitch in my new house where I kick the ball around with my sons and train around the pitch. It's a great way for me to keep fit as well," the rocker said.
Happy family man
Stewart seems to be more of a family man now than ever. He has a supportive wife in Penny Lancaster, whom he married in 2007. The couple have two boys - Alastair and Aiden. Stewart has been divorced twice, first from Alana Hamilton in 1984 and then Rachel Hunter in 2006, with two children from each marriage and two from his other relationships. He seems to be enjoying family life these days. In fact, he even tries to time his concerts to coincide with his children's holidays.
"Well, in the earlier days, I used to very busy and tour mainly for career opportunities. But all that has changed drastically. Nowadays, I try to do my concerts around my kids' holidays - so maybe in the summer when I'm touring the US with Cyndi Lauper, my kids can be with me. I now arrange my concerts to fit in with my children's schedule, not the other way around."  
Stewart and Lauper are doing a US tour starting at Hollywood, Florida on July 6 and ending a little over a month later in Houston. All this will be after his Abu Dhabi gig where he has promised some surprises. "Be prepared to listen to a long session of my all-time hit numbers. It's going to be a jolly good concert in Abu Dhabi, so be there," are his parting words before he goes off the line from somewhere in Europe.
Has Knighthood 't changed anything?
Sir Rod Stewart was knighted by Prince William at Buckingham Palace in October last year in recognition of his 45-year career, services to music and charity. So has knighthood changed his life in anyway? "Not really! My day-to-day life is still the same, nothing much seems to have changed. It's a great honour though. It's bestowed on you by the British people, not by the monarachy. It's a great feeling to be knighted though.  What a wonderful day I had at the Buckhingham Palace the day I was knighted!" remarked Sir Rod.
Fasten your seatbelts, UAE!
You have told the audience in the UAE to fasten their seatbelts, what's the underlying message here?
"I want to tell them to be prepared for a rocky ride baby! It's going to be a great night, its going to be a very, very sexy, colourful, up-tempo and energetic night of music!

Tell us a bit about your Abu Dhabi gig set list?
"I am going to be doing all the songs that made Rod Stewart famous - old and new ones from my last two albums; something from my last two albums and watch out, I'll be also slipping in some surprises - who knows what I may come up with! I will be playing all the songs my audience love to hear. "

How was it the last time you performed in Dubai (2010)?
"It was great, but a bit too hot and sweaty! Nevertheless, we had a very energetic audience and it was fun singing for them. I look forward to returning to Dubai sometime... By the way how far is Dubai from Abu Dhabi?"
On his songs
 Why did you to switch over to jazz for the American Songbook album?
"Well why not? They're such great tunes. I didn't know American Songbook would be such a huge success - sold 27 million copies you know! You can say it was a labour of love.
   "I grew up with those jazzy songs playing in the background. I love singing them and I hope to go on tour once more just to sing those lovely songs."

Which are your three all-time favourites from your repertoire?
"All my songs are great songs! I love all of them, I can't single out any as a favourite.
   "To me, they are all good -  some of them were hits and some were not. Yet I love them all."
On music
How was it  performing in the '60s-'70s and now? What's the difference?
"The concerts today have a lot more songs to offer the audience than back in the day. The duration of the shows is much longer now than it used to be - they run into nearly two hours. We have to sing more songs. Obviously, my audience is more mature, nevertheless they are as enthusiastic as ever for my concerts."

What's on your playlist right now?
"Frankly, I don't have much time to listen to music. I'm extremely busy working on two albums - I'm writing one and working on another. So yeah, no time to listen to anything. However, among the new crop of blues influenced musicians, I like to listen to the American blues rock band Tedeschi Trucks."
Crazy over Celtic Football Club
Much before becoming a rock sensation, Sir Rod Sewart was a keen soccer player. In fact, he even did a soccer apprenticeship at Brentford Football Club in his youth. He was the captain of the school football team, playing as a centre-half for Middlesex school.

You are a die-hard football fan. So who are you betting on this season?
"Oh! I am a huge Celtic FC supporter. They are from Glasgow you know. They are my all-time favourite soccer club. Currently my team is riding on the crest of a wave. We are on top of the league at the moment. We are 27 points ahead of Rangers. It's a good time to be a Celtic supporter now!"

 We heard that you cried once when Celtic won a big game?
"Yes, that's absolutely true. I burst into tears when my beloved Celtic beat Barcelona 2-1 in the Champions League in 2012. It was a very emotional moment for me. This just goes to show how grown up men can get carried away with football matches."

You played football in school. Do you still kick the ball around?
"Oh yes, indeed, I do, very much! In fact, I have even got a pitch in my new home. Great way for me to keep fit."
Concert details:
When: Thursday, March 2, 2017
Where: du Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
Tickets: Dhs1095 (Tree House), Dhs895 (Golden Circle, early entry), Dhs795 (Golden Circle), Dhs495 (Grandstand), Dhs395 (General Admission - early entry), Dhs295 (General Admission)
and Dhs250 (General Admission - early bird)
.  For tickets call 800 TM UAE (80086823)
or visit www.thinkflash.ae/events/rod-stewart;
helpdesk@ticketmaster.ae
michael@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi