The newspaper advertisements promoting ageing rocker *Rod Stewart *'s Australian tour, which kicked off in *Perth * on Saturday night in front of 15,000 fans, listed 15 hits sure to be aired. That a star as bright as Rod the Mod, on his third visit in seven years, has to make such promises is a sign of tough times for touring artists.

The hit list included classics, such as *Maggie May *, *The First Cut is the Deepest *, *You're in My Heart *and *Tonight's the Night *, but no *Young Turks *. Not playing the 1981 cracker is the equivalent of Springsteen not playing Dancing in the Dark.

• Stay With Me *, a song from Stewart's old band (and soon to be Rock and Roll Hall of Famers) Faces, also missed out despite being promised.

The 67-year-old rock rooster more than made up for the latter oversight with a four-song acoustic Celt-pop centrepiece taking in *Van Morrison *'s smoochy *Have I Told You Lately *and early 70s rippers *You Wear It Well *and *Ooh La La *, written by the Faces' two Ronnies, Wood and the late Lane.

Stewart's raspy voice shone like a rough diamond on this segment of Saturday's gig, elsewhere it got lost in the big bombastic sound produced by his 12-piece band, with the requisite leggy blonde on saxophone.

Stewart and co. dug out some soul and blues standards, starting the show with the *O'Jay * *s *' *Love Train *(with animated footage of Rod riding the Flying Scotsman train) and finishing with *Elmore James *' *Shake Your Money Maker *.

In between there was *Chuck Berry *'s *Sweet Little Rock * *and Roller *, which saw Stewart's six-year-old son with wife *Penny Lancaster *, *Alistair *, hit the stage for a boogie. This was a nice highlight of a concert where the father of eight shared not only family snaps but also his well-known love of the *Celtic Football Club *, keeping one ear on their 2-0 win over Inverness in the Scottish Cup.

Stewart's soccer skills were on show during the lascivious *Hot Legs *, when he booted balls out to fans, before launching into the equally sleazy *Da Ya Think I'm Sexy *to end the main set.

By this stage, he was wearing sneakers after earlier changing - on stage, complaining of "corns" - from Cuban-heeled leather shoes into more comfortable hot pink loafers.

The encore of the gospel cheese of * Sailing *and *Shake Your Money Maker *completed the 23-song set without the promised Stay With Me and the indispensible Young Turks. Maybe next time, Roderick?