Rod!

This past Sunday we went to Thackerville, Oklahoma to see Rod Stewart. Who would have thought that Rod Stewart would be playing in Thackerville, Oklahoma? Thackerville is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. As far as I know, it's only claim to fame is the WinStar casino complex, which was built there because it is as close to Texas as you can get and still be in Oklahoma. Now, everybody knows that Texans don't gamble, except maybe betting on horses. But the argument for or against casinos in Texas is political and I don't want to talk about politics. I want to talk about the show! I thought it was a great show!

Rod Stewart has been my favorite singer for decades. I've been a fan since the first time I heard Maggie May back in 1971. Just something about him. I've got albums, tapes, and CDs - guess I'll be buying MP3 next. Love his music, both as a rocker and a crooner. I saw him at Cleveland Stadium back in the 70s and again at Reunion Arena in Dallas in the 80s. Mark was telling me about meeting him in a north London pub back in 1967 before he was famous.

At 67, he's still a high-energy performer. My sister wanted to know how he was going to manage a walker and a microphone at the same time. A silly question! He can still rock the house. (Although he did do a few "sit down" numbers.) But I dare say that finding any among us (in our 60s or older) who can still move with the speed and energy we had at 20 or 30 would be a rarity. And thank goodness he didn't go bald. That just wouldn't be right.

And let's face it, not every man can (or should) wear pink. But while we're on the subject of wardrobe, I'd like to thank Rod for wearing yellow. (Our business name is "Yellow Hat". As part of the branding effort, Mark always wears a yellow hat when he's working. When he's not working he often wears a yellow shirt, or yellow socks, or a yellow tie.) So we were ever so pleased when all three of Rod's wardrobe changes included yellow. He started the show with a yellow tie, when he changed into the pink suit he had on yellow socks, and the final change was to a yellow shirt.

It would have been impossible for him to sing songs I don't like, but he did do a number of my favorites: Sailing, Maggie May, You Wear it Well, Forever Young, Tonight's the Night. And yes, I still think he's sexy. My only complaint is that the show was only 90 minutes. But as I understand it, that rule is imposed by the casino. (I guess they want you back out on the gambling floor ASAP.)