Nokia Arena
Tel Aviv, June 30When a sound problem caused a five-minute delay near the beginning of his show, last Wednesday, Rod Stewart promised the enthusiastic crowd of 6,000 people at Tel Aviv’s Nokia Arena that he would make it up to them.And that Stewart certainly did, with a lively performance of 21 of his greatest hits and some covers that added variety.The sound problem seemed to give him added incentive to put on a terrific show for the adoring crowd that seemed to know most of his songs by heart.“This has never happened to me in 30 years of singing,” he said when the sound problem became apparent. “Is there a pub nearby?” But It wasn’t Stewart who needed to apologize for the problem. And the crowd was grateful to him just for coming to Israel after other singers canceled. They cheered wildly when an Israeli flag was shown on the large screen behind him as he sang the word “home” in the song “Rhythm of My Heart.”Stewart did not make any political statements during the show, his first in Israel since 1983. He stuck to introducing his songs, his band, and his beautiful and talented backup singers, who wore red dresses.The 65-year-old star did not look his age. He started the show in a gold jacket and changed jackets over the course of the evening to white, purple and pink. He proved his athleticism when he kicked 20 soccer balls around the stadium in honor of the World Cup and his song “Hot legs.”It would be nice if Stewart would adapt his songs just a little bit now that he is a senior citizen. He should definitely sing “This Old Heart of Mine” (which he did) and “Forever Young” (which he unfortunately didn’t). But in his hit “Tonight’s the Night,” he should skip the line “Don’t say a word, virgin child. Just let your inhibitions run wild.”That just sounds too creepy coming from an old man with seven kids.Stewart was at his best with his hits “Maggie Mae,” “Some Guys Have All the Luck,” “The First Cut is the Deepest” and “Have I Told You Lately?” Thankfully, he skipped another of his hits that would have been inappropriate to sing in Israel nowadays: “Young Turks.”