Social media was absolutely abuzz on May 3 when Lady Gaga commanded a crowd of 2.5 million during a free concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. Surely, many mused, this had to be the largest gathering at a concert in history. But as the fact-checkers at CNN and other outlets were quick to point out, not so fast! In 1994, another performer held a concert on the same beach and drew a crowd of 3.5 million. That performer? Sir Rod Stewart, a man who, at 80, truly has nothing more to prove to the world.

Not that any of that matters, mind you. Stewart may have nothing more to prove, but he’s clearly in love with performing live shows, illustrated by the fact that, even though his Las Vegas residency was scheduled to end last year, he added even more shows. And it’s a safe bet that The Encore Shows, which conclude this week at The Colosseum, may still not be the final word.

Stewart has proven to be a creatively restless soul his entire career, much to the delight of his fans who are always wondering what’s coming next. His work with The Jeff Beck Group and Faces in the 1960s only hinted at the eclectic catalog he would end up producing as a solo artist over the next few decades.

If Stewart had only produced music in the 1970s, he would still be regarded as one of the all-time greats, topping charts and winning hearts with classics like “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright),” “Hot Legs,” “You’re in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)” and “Sailing.” But the great Brit has managed to top that and then some, producing some great ballads with “Rhythm of My Heart” and “All For Love.”

His progression to covering the Great American Songbook in the early 2000s only helped to enlarge his legion of fans—in 2008, he was ranked the 17th most successful artists on Billboard’s Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists.

His success at standards inspired him to delve even deeper into the classics. He found the same level of success in 2006 with Still the Same … Great Rock Classics of Our Time, covering everything from REM’s “Love Hurts” to The Pretenders’ “I’ll Stand by You.” He’d give the same treatment to Motown and Philly Soul three years later with Soulbook, with similar successful results.

Fast-forward to 2024, with the release of “Swing Fever,” Stewart’s chart-topping nod to swing era standards like “Lullaby of Broadway,” “Oh Marie,” “Pennies From Heaven” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’.”

All this is a long way of saying Stewart has a ridiculous well of singles to choose from as part of The Encore Shows. If the intent of this show is truly to encapsulate the spirit of an encore, it seems like a safe bet that it’s going to be the songs fans really came to hear. That means “Maggie May,” “Forever Young,” “You Wear It Well,” “Young Turks” and “The First Cut is the Deepest” will all be delivered in the raspy, emotional style that is Stewart’s own.

Caesars Palace. caesars.com

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