Football fan Rod Stewart famously likes to organise his gigs around the schedule of his favourite club, Celtic Glasgow, so that he can watch as many of his Hoops' games live in the stadium as possible. Yesterday, at the concert in the Austrian capital, this was once again the case. But not because Celtic had a game to play that evening. No, Sir Rod took into consideration the supporters of the Austrian national team, who had to play Turkey in the European Championship at 9pm. Stewart therefore moved the start of his show forward by an hour. "We'll be off the stage when the match starts so you can all watch the football. Good luck with that!" said Rod at the start of his two-hour performance shortly after 7pm.
10,000 fans, mainly from the FOREVER YOUNG generation, as the Standard put it, in the naturally sold-out Stadthalle thanked the singer with thunderous applause. And then got in the mood for the match against Turkey with a two-hour party. Scotland fan Rod Stewart played a major role in Team Austria's European Championship organisation. Not only did he bring forward the start of the concert in Vienna by an hour for the fans, but coach Ralf Rangnick's national team also used the singer's tour to prepare for the European Championship. Two days before Austria's opening match against France (0:1), a large part of the team, including the entire coaching staff, attended the Stewart concert in Berlin (15 June) - a special team-building measure.
In Vienna, Rod once again delivered a commanding performance. To kick things off - to stick with football jargon - he set an exclamation mark with ADDICTED TO LOVE and had the audience in raptures from the very first note.
As the evening progressed, Stewart lined up hit after hit and the fans in the Stadthalle barely caught their breath. During the 120 minutes, Sir Rod presented the audience with his classics such as MAGGIE MAY, HAVE I TOLD YOU LATELY and I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT. At half-time, he briefly disappeared into the dressing room, then returned in a new outfit and with a freshly styled haircut. In the second part of the concert, he presented his fans with the rocking and rousing SWEET LITTLE ROCK'N'ROLLER and then pointed out: I WAS ONLY JOKING. The audience was taken on a rollercoaster ride between grandiose rock songs and heartbreaking ballads.
Rod proved in the Austrian capital that "he's still got it", as the Kleine Zeitung wrote. "Even in his old age, his drive to score has not diminished".
Indeed, Sir Rod played at the very highest level in Vienna. In the final phase, things became political again. Stewart announced that he was dedicating his RHYTHM OF MY HEART to Ukraine and its people. His "Fuck Putin" did not come from him for once, but was shouted by a man from the audience. Message received!
In injury time, Rod fired up the 10,000 once again with BABY JANE and SOME GUYS HAVE ALL THE LUCK, before adding DA YA THINK I'M SEXY and his worldwide hit SAILING in extra time. The fans sang, tears streamed down the cheeks. The show comes to an emotional end. Was this really the last time Rod Stewart was on stage in Vienna?
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