NEWS: Rod In The Rain

MARK McLAUGHLIN
Evening News (Edinburgh)
July 15, 2010, Thursday


"Where the ocean meets the sky, I'll be sailing," sang Rod Stewart last night as the ocean fell from the sky and threatened to send his stage sailing down the Royal Mile.

Torrential downpours soaked Rod's fans to the skin as they watched him belt out his hits at Edinburgh Castle.

"Does anybody want a wet programme," shouted desperate programme seller Kenneth Cameron at the gates prior to the gig, fearing his wares may not make it through the night.

The 20-year-old, who had travelled through from Glasgow, said: "I've only sold about 30 programmes. People just aren't buying them because there's no way to keep them dry. I don't have any bags or anything, and who wants to pay GBP15 for papier mache?"

The tunes on the long, wet walk up Castlehill before the gig didn't belong to Rod but to his adopted countrymen Travis, as the expectant crowds belted out an acappella version of Why Does It Always Rain On Me?.

Rod may have been thinking the same thing as he took to the stage just after 8pm, not that many people at the back would have seen him arrive as the big screens were rendered useless in the downpour.

The singer's ageing sex-god swagger was reduced to a comical Albert Steptoe trot as he struggled to stay on his feet, while his leggy blonde brass section had even more trouble in their short dresses and six-inch heels.

Meanwhile, the poor stagehands danced around like performance artists laying towel after towel in front of the singer to keep his winklepickers firmly rooted to the ground.

Fan Andrew Tait, 47, from Chesser, said: "He did the best he could in the rain, and he still had the people dancing."

Liz Morrison, also 47 from Chesser, said: "He's a great performer but you can't help the weather."

Rod's fans at the front resembled a dancing rainbow in their multicoloured ponchos â€" the most prominent colour being green.

"I'll never wear a blue darker than this," smiled Rod, pulling on his electric blue jacket and pointing at a flag of his beloved Celtic in the front row, to a mix of boos and cheers from the crowd.

It was a reminder that London-born Rod, the son of a Leith master builder, will always have a special place in his heart for Scotland.