Photos by Andy Argyrakis

So many legends have waved farewell as of late, and although Rod Stewart was one of the final holdouts, the “One Last Time” Tour is officially in full swing and filling up enormous places like the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre.

That’s not to say this Sir won’t continue to periodically perform or record albums, but his days of kicking soccer balls around stadiums on a continuously global level seems to be coming for a close (or so the advertisements suggest).

Nonetheless, for 105-minutes, the former Jeff Beck Group and Faces front man turned solo megastar treated Tinley Park to material spanning the 1960s through today, as complied on the latest “Ultimate Hits” collection, backed by an extensive entourage of top-tier musicians and background singers.

Even at 80-years-old, this was the exact same Rod Stewart anyone would expect to experience, both vocally and with his trademark sense of style, which clearly contributed to the audience’s instant “Infatuation,” especially as he pledged “Tonight I’m Yours (Don’t Hurt Me).”

Outside of originals, the headliner proved to be quite a distinctive interpreter, putting delightfully raspy spins on Bonnie Tyler’s “It’s A Heartache,” Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston’s “It Takes Two” and Cat Stevens’ “The First Cut Is The Deepest.”

“Forever Young,” a fitting description if there ever was one, turned into a toast for the late Ozzy Osbourne, while Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind” tipped its hat to previous bandmate/eventual Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood.

There was also the infrequently featured “The Motown Song,” the new wave era’s “Young Turks” and the jangly folk rocker “Maggie May,” plus extremely personal stamps on Tom Waits’ “Downtown Train,” Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes’ “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” and Van Morrison’s “Have I Told You Lately.”

Stewart brought out the figurative disco ball come “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” and kept the steamy theme going throughout the rollicking “Stay With Me,” ultimately proclaiming “Some Guys Have All The Luck,” despite legitimately earning every aspect of an extraordinary legacy that will carry on long after he’s gone.

For additional information on Rod Stewart, visit RodStewart.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre include Toto, Christopher Cross and Men At Work (Aug. 9); Big Time Rush (Aug. 10); Nelly (Aug. 13); Billy Idol (Aug. 14); Kidz Bop Live (Aug. 15); The Offspring (Aug. 16); $uicideboy$ (Aug. 17); Volbeat (Aug. 22); Styx, Kevin Cronin and Don Felder (Aug. 23); Lil Wayne (Aug. 24); Jonas Brothers (Aug. 26); Falling In Reverse (Aug. 30); The Doobie Brothers (Sept. 10); Jason Aldean (Sept. 13); Conan Gray (Sept. 14); Twenty One Pilots (Sept. 24); Papa Roach and Rise Against (Sept. 27); Parker McCollum (Oct. 4) and Judas Priest and Alice Cooper (Oct. 5). For additional details, visit LiveNation.com.

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