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ReviewsYou are in: Suffolk > Entertainment > Music > Reviews > Rod reigns in the rain  Rod reigns in the rainBy Andrew Woodger Torrential downpours didn't dampen anyone's spirits as Rod Stewart returned to Portman Road for a seamless evening of classic hits - supported by The Pretenders who did much the same. Look at pictures of Rod, The Pretenders and the rain: It had been raining on and off all day - with a particularly heavy downpour in the middle of the afternoon which seemed to put paid to the soundcheck which we could hear drifting across Ipswich town centre. By 6.30 and the arrival of The Pretenders, things were looking promising and Chrissie Hynde probably didn't think she needed to worry about her eyeliner running. The latest incarnation of the band features Ipswich's own Nick Wilkinson on bass and the band ran through a greatest hits set which sparkled and reminded us just how many great songs Chrissie has written.  Chrissie Hynde and Martin Chambers Highlights were Stand By You, Talk Of The Town and one of their more minor hits Day After Day which sparkled as the sun came out again. Chrissie remembered the band's original late members James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon and repeatedly thanked us for persevering with the rain. Stay With MeAt 8pm we were treated to a short film called The Rodfather which informed us about the forthcoming attraction's "enormous todger" before the man himself bounced on and opened with You Wear It Well. I'm not sure he was refering to the blue anoraks which were being handed out. It must have been like performing to an audience of Smurfs. The aforementioned todger stayed within the trousers, which thankfully weren't the horrific tigerskin leggings which is one of my earliest memories of His Rodness. In fact Rod looked quite dapper and seems to be growing old relatively gracefully. I grew up with punk and new wave thinking Rod was an old fart who had the temerity to knock Rat Trap off the #1 spot with the appalling Do You Think I'm Sexy (how we all screamed "no" in 1978). My opinions have changed somewhat since then. You really can't argue with a 2-hour plus set which contains dozens of hits - many of which you find yourself singing along in a way which would frankly appall one's younger self. Highlights for me were Reason To Believe, Stay With Me and Maggie May. Rod was in a good mood and seemed to genuinely sympathise with his increasingly damp audience to the extent that he pledged never to play outdoor concerts in this country again. Ipswich's Oskar Foxtrot Choir were invited to sing with Rod. Listen to an post-gig interview with musical director Sarah Corbett: Audio and Video links on this page require Realplayer Rod's clearly content to carry on interpreting other people's songs at the moment - another highlight was his version of Ewan MacColl's Dirty Old Town. He dedicated it to the recently departed Scottish football legend Jimmy Johnstone, which would presumably have been appreciated by Ipswich's former goal machine John Wark who was in the ground. A load of ballsMaybe Rod should give up kicking footballs into the crowd though. I'm sure he was a half decent player once, but it took him several attempts before one of his punts reached the front row. A great night out - the only downsides being the frankly exorbitant £65 ticket price and the yawn-inducing drum duel. Didn't this sort of thing go out with the death of John Bonham? Talking of drummers, Rod's seemed to be enclosed in some form of isolation pod, which reminded me of Derek Smalls getting trapped in This Is Spinal Tap. Even the most out-of-pocket punters must have gone home with wet smiles on their Faces.. last updated: 04/07/07 Have Your SayIs Rod the Mod still a sex god? Darren Nelson alison CALLEN [The Voice] Celia sue jonathan Janice sue Jo Leah Woolston Jemma Steve Murphy Robin from Phoenix, Arizona, USA pat Al LYNNE COOK julie lofts Juliana bert angus edd Jacqui SEE ALSOYou are in: Suffolk > Entertainment > Music > Reviews > Rod reigns in the rain |
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