Rod Stewart Article about tour with Stevie
 

Two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Rod Stewart missed being enshrined with his old band, the Faces, in April in Cleveland because he came down with the flu. But he'll be here tonight to launch the Heart & Soul Tour with Stevie Nicks at The Q. Stewart, 67, spoke to us by phone before the Rock Hall festivities.

Stevie Nicks and you toured together last year, too. Why is this a good pairing?

Well, we're both old people. [laughs]

I've always admired her voice. Technically, she's not a great singer -- same as me. But she has a lot of personality in her voice.

We tried it last year, and we got some great crowds. Sellout crowds. So we thought we'd do it again.

The combination of the two of us seems to work. She has a tremendous female following, and she's one of the few support acts where the house is nearly full when the curtain goes up, which is great. Makes it easier for me.

We've been friends for a long time.


Before this, did you cross paths often?

She tells stories about coming to my house in Beverly Hills years ago. But I can't remember. Must've been too drunk.

We do a couple of numbers together onstage. We do "Leather and Lace." And I think we're going to do "Young Turks" or something. I'm not sure yet.


Beyond the tour, what are you excited about in the coming months?

I have a Christmas album coming out. It's produced by David Foster. That'll be coming out at Christmas! [laughs]


Good timing.

My autobiography is also coming out at Christmas.

And the best news is that I have a studio album coming out next year. How's that for a workload for a 67-year-old?


Impressive! What musical direction are you headed in on the new album?

Maybe an updated "Gasoline Alley" [Stewart's seminal 1970 album]. When I signed with Universal, the head of Universal [Lucian Grainge] said to me, "All I want you to do is make an updated 'Gasoline Alley.' "

So that's what I started doing. But I've tackled what I call grown-up problems. There are songs with advice to my kids, and I've written a song about divorce. I haven't written anything like "Hot Legs" or "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?"

It's a pretty grown-up album. There are hardly any ballads on it at the moment. But I still have a few months to record. I might just keep working at it. We've got 15 tracks finished.


Does the album have a title?

I haven't got one yet. We have a bloody good version of [the Elmore James oldie] "Shake Your Moneymaker," which we also do live. But that isn't a good representation of the album. It's not a blues album.


How is your voice holding up?

Couldn't be better. I play Vegas three times a week [at Caesars Palace]. It's brilliant. There isn't a bad seat in the house. The sound is beautiful. And they look after me like I was Elvis. I'm loving it.

http://www.cleveland.com/popmusic/in...hit_the_r.html

so they're not co-headliners, she's his supporting act? Well, I guess if she's going on first...... That is so sad somehow.

^She's crying all the way to the bank. ;)

I wonder what tune will get lopped out of the digest version of her setlist.I hope she keeps the new tunes.Remember"This is not a hits tour" as she said.

Maybe Rod will ax some of his tunes to give her equal time.

I meant sad for me, as a fan. : (

Clearly she wouldn't be doing this if there was nothing in it for her. But I dunno.... I just don't see Lindsey ever sinking to that, money or not. Again, different values. Sigh.

I think I would rather open for Rod Stewart than Tina Turner. :cool:

why?

(frankly, i think that experience, when he was in his early 40s, pretty much soured Lindsey towards ever doing it again, and i bet he wouldn't consider doing something like that now in his 60s. although he's not above other ways of making money... think all those various Holiday Road-containing commercials :laugh:)

Oh, he's a charmer.

"It's great because she can fill up at least half the house before I arrive onstage!"

Sure ya have, pal.

The fact that Nicks paired with this guy last year is bad enough. She had to do it again?!

Why doesn't she go out with any number of dozens of other male singers, any of whom would probably leap at the chance—not to fill the hall but to sing with her?

• Dave Matthews
• Chris Isaak
• Billy Corgan
• Art Garfunkel
• Adam Levine
• Phil Collins
• Michael McDonald
• Prince
• Todd Rundgren
• Meat Loaf
• George Michael

Maybe even Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, David Crosby, Elton John, or Eric Clapton might want to tour with Stevie. You don't know until you ask (or pitch the idea). But Rod's just an unfunny creep.

Or do a tour with Bette Midler. Imagine how fun that would be for both of them, and one of them wouldn't be talking to the press about how the other is worthwhile because she "nearly fills the hall" before the main performance.

Actually, I am being just a smidge sarcastic... but at the end of the day, I think the audiences for Rod and Stevie overlap more than the audiences for Tina and Lindsey. At least with Rod and Stevie, there is a reasonable chance that you could hear their songs on the same radio station; not so with Tina and Lindsey. Also, although I find Tina Turner to be an amazing live performer, I think her style is way, way more Vegas than Rod, and that's saying a lot! :lol: I can appreciate that Tina always fancied herself a rock chick at heart, but the reality is that her fans are more likely to be fans of Cher and Madonna than Lindsey.

I think it's interesting that last year, all the promotion was about how it was a "Heart and Soul" co-headliners tour. One could see Stevie was essentially opening for him, but it wasn't stated and indeed they seemed to make an effort to combat that notion in interviews.

However, unless this interview is atypical, this time around Rod is making sure to be very clear that Stevie is his support act.

I wonder what changed?

I know she is making a lot of money, but this is sort of sad.

She dropped a lot of her own dimes for IYD. I reckon these Rod shows are a godsend for her as they'lll allow the last two years to be in the black.

I never liked Rod. I like him even less now....

I also thought it funny that he said she had a large female audience. Stevie probably brings in more men than he does.

Michele

But I think Tina was just a little edgier in 1990 than she is today. Her show then was probably more substantial than Rod's show is now.

Neither is a particularly good fit for Lindsey though.

Michele

I vote for George Michael! (Although I am disappointed with his new single, "White Light")

Is anyone from this board going to the Stevie /Rod show this time around?

Jamie

I'll be at the upcoming Nashville show.

Well said! :laugh: You read my mind. They're not even on the same wavelength- this pairing just has no chemistry. I just hope they dont' attempt to duet on Leather and Lace again this year, ughhh, so inappropriate.

This reminds me I just saw an episode of Don't Trust The B in Apt 23 and they went to a wedding where a man and an older woman did a rendition of Leather and Lace and the man was the one who kept singing, "take from me my lace." It was hysterical.

Michele

That sounds hysterical!

I don't think the Rod shows are necessary for her to be in the black. Touring on her own earns her enough to recoup the cost of recording IYD (which frankly I don't think cost all that much).

I also don't like his comment that "Technically she's not a great singer....same as me."

Am I wrong, or is Stevie not "technically" a much better singer than Rod?

this was the section that had my blood boiling too!

Stevie is really proud of her voice (the extensive bits on tour over the past year where she talks about the practise she does with her vocal coach, how she'll be able to keep singing until she's 70), and I don't think she'd be pleased to read this.

there almost seems a wee smidge of passive-aggressiveness in some of his answers.

Maybe he got miffed last tour when she made some comments about how he never rehearses and made it sound like he was lazy.. wasn't it something like "he never rehearses unlike me, I'm such a worker" or whatever (I'm paraphrasing):shrug:

such a gentleman--- NOT!!!
 

Originally, so the story goes ..... Stewart's solo tour was announced and advance ticket sales were not very good... They have the same label. so she really didn't have alot of choice in the matter... A friend that went to one of the shows said that after Stevie finished her set, ALOT of people got up and left before Stewart went on...
I never cared much for him before and now after reading that... not at all....

I did like the turn of his phrase... : She draws a large female audience"..... so that leads me to understand he doesn't anymore???
Saw him closer to his prime and it wasn't a pretty sight back then so.. now..... ugh!!!

If Stevie read this.... I hope she accidently trips him.

More than likely I will be going to the Greensboro show though I have some concerns about ticket prices.

Isn't everyone being a little too sensitive about this whole thing? Rod probably didn't want to tour with Stevie anymore than she wanted to tour with him. This is no doubt a collaboration created by managers, accountants, etc so they could keep their artists income in the positive for the fiscal year.

Rod is right, technically speaking, there's nothing exceptional about Stevie's voice. Where Stevie's voice has always shined brightest is her gorgeous tone. Beyond that, she's got quite a limited range, and she vacillates between being flat, off key, and overly nasal. Despite her vocal weaknesses, she's still my favorite singer of all time, though. There's something about her voice that's just not measurable. And I believe that's what Rod was eluding to.

Ahh, the voice of reason. Did I ever tell you how much I appreciate you?

Sensitivity? On an internet message board?! I've never heard of such a thing!

Rod is correct. I think she's a far more technical singer now than she has been in her entire career. Too bad she didn't practice a bit more technique all those years ago, perhaps she'd have a few more notes beyond G#.

...and she's my favorite singer of all time too.

Lindsey has also said that he and Stevie have the same nasal qualities in their voice and that Christine helped balance that out with her more honeyed tone.

Stevie said she liked that South Park episode, so I don't think she gets upset about anyone saying her voice is not the greatest.

Michele

This is THE reason why I don't take her serious anymore. That she did this last year was something I couldn't digest, but going again for this cheap, sad sellout, makes me mad. You're never to old to Fall From Grace, I guess. Blerghhh .

Don't you know? It's expensive being Stevie Nicks. :wavey:

I can't be that hard on her. I know it costs her more than she makes to tour the way she does. Her payroll is huge. She's barely breaking even on the solo shows everyone wants to see, because she's paying for it with the Rod dates.

:nod:

With all this talk about the Rod tour being a cash grab, I'm wondering how anyone knows exactly how much she is making by doing it. She is the support act and is probably paid a fixed amount for each show, and who knows if it's any different than her usual guarantee? Is the double bill so appealing that the crowd is even bigger than the sum of each of their audiences alone? It would have to be (and substantially so) in order for it to make sense to pay her more than her standard fee.

I don't want to be hard on her, don't get me wrong. I can see how one can do commercial things too. But this... Is humiliating, also for a fan.

Rod Stewart just signed with UMG in June. Parent co: Vivendi.

There's a groupon deal for the Greensboro show.

http://www.charlotteonthecheap.com/2...eensboro-8112/

The Heart & Soul Tour featuring Rod Stewart and Stevie Nicks – Greensboro (Greensboro Coliseum Complex)

There are two options for this Groupon, and remember, this is the final price. There are no convenience fees or anything like that.

For $25, you get one ticket for seating in rows Q–AAA of sections 219–226 or rows X–BBB of sections 210–215 or 227–232 (up to a $58.45 value, including all fees).

For $50, you get one ticket for seating in rows H–P of sections 213–215 or 227–230 or rows Q–W of sections 210–215 or 227–232 (up to a $101.60 value, including all fees).

Well, I refuse to see Lindsey's band in a can. :mad:

:wavey:

That's sure to get the EMI merger approved. :p

:woohoo:

just back from tonights show in cinci....set list changed a little...enchanted was back in and moonlight was out and she didn't come out during rod's set. she mentioned something during the very beginning of her set about how she always spent an extra day in cinci everytime she played there , but was not going to be able to this time through ...."because of something i can't tell you about"......hmmmm wonder what that's all about seeing as the next show isn't for 3 days in nashville? i will have to say she sounded great tonight!! almost as good as she did a couple off weeks ago in detroit - now that was an amzing show!!

i cant believe she didnt do songs with rod :eek: as much as i dislike rod i really like Young Turks ... and it is starting to sound more like greatest hits now with moonlight out :shocked:...wonder what the "something she cant tell us about" is? :confused::confused: