A Taylor-Made Life: Young hearts be free tonight

At the round age of 80, Rod Stewart is on the final leg of his “One Last Time” tour. As evidenced by The Rolling Stones and many other artists, this could very well be the first-last tour of Stewart’s, but, for the sake of this column, let’s run with the information we currently have.

On tour with Cheap Trick, Stewart performed last Friday in Tinley Park. Initially, I had no plans to go to the show. It was two days before when my phone buzzed with a text from my dad that said, “I have extra tickets. Wanna go?” that it was added to the calendar.

And as soon as it was, I was excited. Having seen Stewart at least three times before, I knew that Keegan and I were in for an entertaining night.

I first saw him when I was in junior high, when he played at the United Center. This is when I learned that part of his show is kicking soccer balls into the audience. I didn’t catch one, but my dad leaned over and told me that he had gotten one in the late nineties.

The second time I saw him was again with my dad, in Milwaukee, when he was touring with Stevie Nicks. A lifelong Fleetwood Mac fan, I was elated to be at this show. I would then see Stevie again in 2017 when she performed with Fleetwood in New York. It was the last Fleetwood Mac show that would include both Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham.

Later that year, I saw Stewart with some friends in Tinley Park. At that time, he was touring with Cyndi Lauper.

A few years later, the pandemic would hit, and my frequent attendance at concerts would subsequently wane. However, I again found myself in Tinley at a Rod Stewart concert and all felt right with the world. He performed all the hits and gave his band and back-up singers a chance to showcase their talents.

Stewart was still running around and shakin’ his groove thing like he was in his thirties. If you didn’t know, you wouldn’t have guessed it was his final tour. Toward the end of the show, he said, “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year…if I don’t see you again before then.” And that’s when the reality set in for the crowd who collectively “aww”-ed at the sentiment.

Though this is the end of one chapter for the rockstar, his showmanship will likely continue for years to come. And in the meantime, we fans will continue to say, “Have I Told You Lately That I Love Rod Stewart?”