Billy Joel and Rod Stewart make a pretty good pair.
The two Rock & Roll Hall of Famers joined forces at the recently renamed Huntington Bank Field for a humongous Friday night of classic rock — and they both managed to level up from their previous major appearances in Northeast Ohio.
The Piano Man went from one stadium show (2017’s Progressive Field stop) to an even bigger one, doubling his audience at the biggest venue Cleveland has to offer. And you can triple that audience count for Rod the Mod, who previously toured through Blossom Music Center shows.
Rod’s Still Got It
Backed by a talented band, Stewart dipped into a few of his hits, but mostly centered his set around covers of other songs, including highlights like “Having a Party” by Sam Cooke, “Love Train” by The O’Jays, “The First Cut is the Deepest” by Cat Stevens and “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Between every few songs, Stewart seemingly took a short break while his band kept the beat going — only to return in new flashy outfits.
The 79-year-old rockstar just had to end with his cheesy stuff though, right? He bopped around the stage in a suit while hoarsely belting out, “If you want my body and you think I'm sexy, come on sugar, tell me so.” And you know what? The crowd was into it, cheering and whooping to the over-the-top hit song.
Later on, it turned out that “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” wasn’t Stewart’s last performance of the night. (Thank goodness.) He popped up onstage to join Joel for an impassioned performance of Faces’ hit song “Stay with Me” a little later in the night, where Joel admired Stewart, stating: “He’s one of my heroes.”
Billy Joel, the Hitmaker
For most of Joel’s two-hour set, I was reminded of how prevalent his music has been in my lifetime. It was hit (“Movin’ Out”) after hit (“Just The Way You Are”) after hit (“Piano Man”) after hit (“We Didn’t Start the Fire”) — this is what you want at a Billy Joel concert — a highlight reel of one of rock's most iconic voices.
And the centerpiece the whole time was Joel, switching between vocals, piano and harmonica in a powerhouse performance. (He even showcased his continued vocal range in “An Innocent Man,” which he prefaced with: “When I go for the high note, pray for me.”)
In our row of seats, a father and son sang along to Joel’s music, smiling in the stage lights. In the row ahead of us, a parent held their sleeping kid in the last three of five encore songs (in fairness to the sleeping kid, it was pretty late, stretching past 11 p.m.).
Even onstage during "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me," Joel's 40-year-old music video featuring a red-suited, suave looking version of himself towering over the current-day star singing onstage.
Multiple generations and versions of people, all converging here, all rocking out to the same music.
The same timeless music.
Rod Stewart Set List, Huntington Bank Field, Sept. 13
1. "Infatuation"
2. “Having a Party” (Sam Cooke cover)
3. "Love Train" (The O’Jays cover)
4. “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)
5. “Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)”
6. “It's a Heartache” (Bonnie Tyler cover)
7. “Maggie May”
8. “I’d Rather Go Blind” (Christine McVie cover)
9. “Young Turks”
10. “Downtown Train” (Tom Waits cover)
11. “I'm So Excited” (The Pointer Sisters cover)
12. “Rhythm of My Heart” (Marc Jordan cover)
13. “The First Cut Is the Deepest”(Cat Stevens cover)
14. “Have I Told You Lately” (Van Morrison cover)
15. “Lady Marmalade” (The Eleventh Hour cover)
16. “It Takes Two” (Kim Weston cover)
17. “Some Guys Have All the Luck” (The Persuaders cover) (Sax solo)
18. “Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?”
Billy Joel Set List, Huntington Bank Field, Sept. 13
1. “Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)”
2. “Pressure”
3. “The Entertainer”
4. “Vienna”
5. “Stay With Me” (Faces cover) (with Rod Stewart)
6. “An Innocent Man”
7. “The Longest Time”
8. “Zanzibar”
9. “My Life”
10. “New York State of Mind”
11. “Allentown”
12. “Only the Good Die Young”
13. “The River of Dreams”
14. “Nessun Dorma” (Giacomo Puccini cover)
15. “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant”
16. “Piano Man”
Encore:
17. “We Didn't Start the Fire”
18. “Uptown Girl”
19. “It's Still Rock and Roll to Me”
20. “Big Shot”
21. “You May Be Right”
See more photos from the concert below:
Editor's note: An incorrect song mentioned in the review has been corrected to "An Innocent Man."
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