51黑料

Forty-three years of marriage later, the couple returned to see Stewart's听farewell tour on Friday night at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater.

鈥淭his is our last time to see him before he鈥檚 gone,鈥� Roy said as the lights dimmed and the red curtains rose.

Stewart鈥檚 fans showed up to see the 80-year-old showman run through six decades of hits. It was听the last stop on his 20-city "One Last Time" road trip, dubbed as his final large-scale tour.

Stewart didn鈥檛 disappoint. He engaged the nearly sold-out crowd throughout the show. His band was tight, and the chemistry between them was clear. And 鈥� a surprise 鈥� he sang tribute after tribute to some of music鈥檚 biggest icons.

But performing 23 high-energy tracks at 80 is much different than hitting the stage in one鈥檚 youth. And the acclaimed entertainer began to visibly tire halfway through the setlist.

Kicking the show off with 鈥淚nfatuation,鈥� Stewart quickly reminded everyone why he is one of the best-selling music acts of all time. He danced nonstop as he ran through the setlist, comprised of original songs and beloved covers. He swayed his hips as he crooned the chorus to听鈥淭he Motown Song.鈥� And he stood centerstage during 鈥淚f You Don鈥檛 Know Me by Now,鈥� tilting his head back and releasing a striking falsetto that seemed to surprise even himself.

Stewart鈥檚 vocals were raspy and听raw but the words were听clear as he sang in his signature style, a mix of talking and singing. He twirled the microphone stand behind his back, executed 360-degree spin moves and worked the entire stage.

But 10 songs in, it was clear that Stewart was battling against time. His dance moves slowed down on 鈥淵oung Turks,鈥� and he held on to a napkin during 鈥淗ave I Told You Lately鈥� as he coughed on stage as the show wrapped up. His giant smile, however, and playful, animated movements remained unchanged.

Through it all, there was something magical about the performance. While his movements got slower and more careful the longer he performed, Stewart never stopped entertaining. And he seemed to find a fresh wind of energy at the start of every song. It was as if the rhythms and melodies were听lifting him afresh with every restart.

Ample breaks were woven into the set to ensure he got a breather. He sat on the platform steps alongside his backup singers during 鈥淢aggie May鈥� and听鈥淒owntown Train.鈥澨鼳nd he popped backstage to switch into one of four colorful suits while his singers were performing 鈥淚'm Every Woman.鈥�

Stewart dedicated several songs to music friends who'd died over the years. He dedicated 鈥淚t Takes Two鈥� to Tina Turner and 鈥淩oll and Tumble Blues鈥� to Muddy Waters.

But a highlight came during 鈥淔orever Young,鈥� which Stewart dedicated to Ozzy Osbourne. As Stewart sang, an AI-generated Osbourne soared through the clouds on a huge screen behind the stage.听But it wasn鈥檛 just Osbourne. He was joined by AI-generated video of Turner, Amy Winehouse, Tupac Shakur, Whitney Houston, Freddie Mercury, Prince, Bob Marley, Aaliyah, Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson and Juice World.

Stewart鈥檚 band and on-stage ensemble added solos, duets and high-energy musicianship to the performance. His three background vocalists听doubled as dancers and musicians. They bounced from mic to fiddle to violin to percussion while keeping up with lively choreography all night.

Harpist and percussionist Julia Thornton closed out 鈥淔orever Young鈥� with a magical solo. Guitarist Emerson Swinford delivered a solo during 鈥淚nfatuation,鈥� fueled by powerful riffs and playful musical banter with saxophonist Jimmy Roberts.

A longtime touring member of Stewart鈥檚 band, Roberts was a star on stage, stirring the crowd鈥檚 emotions with passionate solos on 鈥淚t Takes Two,鈥� 鈥淪ome Guys Have All the Luck鈥� and 鈥淚鈥檇 Rather Go Blind.鈥� Stewart dedicated the latter to English singer Christine McVie, who died in 2022.

He听performed a few more songs, including 鈥淪tay With Me鈥� by the Faces, Stewart's old band, sang 鈥淟ove Train鈥� for an encore, then bowed to the crowd as the curtain fell.

On Friday night in 51黑料, Stewart was a magician of showmanship. Despite his age.