Rod

October 21, 2018

You knew it was coming! If music soothes the soul, this year of searching for moments of awe wouldn’t be complete without a Rod Stewart concert! Fortunately, 2018 included that for me.

I discovered Rod Stewart when I was in high school, and I’ve loved his music ever since. If there is a soundtrack of my life, it is defined by Rod Stewart songs. I listened to “You’re in My Heart” when I was falling in love with my husband. I listened to “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” when I was planning my wedding. He released “Forever Young” the year my daughter was born; it remains my favorite song ever (and family and friends know that I’ve requested it be played at my funeral). In 1994, when my husband coached the Cashion Wildcats boys basketball team to their first state tournament appearance, my daughter and I recorded the chorus to “We’re Having a Party” as the message on our home answering machine; we repeated that message when the Wildcats made their second appearance in the state tournament in 1996. I could go on and on.

My sister, who is not a music aficionado, has said she knows most of the lyrics to Rod Stewart songs because she had to listen to them for years “blow out of my sister’s car stereo speakers.” I took my daughter to her first Rod Stewart concert when she was in elementary school. When we were at his 2008 concert in Grand Prairie, Texas, she tweeted, “As long as Rod Stewart is touring, my mom will be there.”

I flew to Houston, Texas to see my first Rod Stewart concert. Ironically, I went back to Oklahoma last week to see my most recent concert. In spite of the fact that he was hobbled by a broken foot, I thought the concert was “Worth.Every.Cent.” Granted, he threw more soccer balls into the crowd than he kicked, and an ad for Viagra popped up on the video screens following his rendition of “Tonight’s the Night,” perhaps as a nod to his age and that of his audience. But, for two hours, I didn’t stop smiling while singing along to the lyrics of every song he performed.

I’ve seen Rod Stewart perform several times, but this was the first time my husband has gone to one of his concerts with me. As an added bonus, Pat Benatar and her husband Neil Giraldo were the opening act. That lady can still belt out a tune, and her husband plays a pretty good guitar!

None of the major problems facing our country were solved during the time we were in the Chesapeake Energy Arena, but for three hours last Thursday evening, I took a break and just listened to Rod.

My daughter is correct. I’m already checking to see if he has any 2019 tour dates booked! Until then, I’ll turn up the volume and try to drown out some of the negative “noise” while listening to Rod’s latest album, Blood Red Roses.

#Rodstillmakesmehappy