Vegas lands another star in Rod Stewart

By Marco R. della Cava, USA TODAY

Las Vegas' Celine-propelled makeover from entertainment backwater to must-visit destination continues as yet another hits-heavy star has agreed to strut its Strip.

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  By Mike Coppola, WireImage, for New York Post

  Rod Stewart is in NYC here, but this superstar is no stranger to the Strip: "I've always loved it."

By Mike Coppola, WireImage, for New York Post

Rod Stewart is in NYC here, but this superstar is no stranger to the Strip: "I've always loved it."

Smoky-voiced singles machine Rod Stewart begins a two-year residency, Rod Stewart: The Hits, at Caesars Palace's Colosseum Aug. 24.

"This is something I've always wanted to do," Stewart says. In fact, eight sold-out Colosseum shows last fall were the seeds of this longer run. "Vegas may have had a cheesy air, but I've always loved it. I like to call Caesars Palace 'Caesar salad.' "

Stewart lets out a husky laugh. He has a lot to smile about these days. Beyond the busy year that saw him pull in big crowds with Stevie Nicks on the duo's successful Heart & Soul tour, he has just had another child (his eighth) with wife Penny Lancaster and is tinkering with a new album.

"It was a blues album, but it's moved on to being something else," Stewart says cryptically. Could this be a long-rumored reunion with late-'60s bandmate Jeff Beck?

"I'm game if he is," Stewart says.

Stewart's manager, Arnold Stiefel, says Stewart and Beck plan to meet up in England as early as next week, though whether for a chat or a stint in the studio isn't yet known.

Tickets ($49-$250) go on sale at 10 a.m. PT Sunday for the first 18 shows (Aug. 24-Sept. 11 and Nov. 3-20) at Ticketmaster.com and the Colosseum box office.

For the moment, however, Stewart remains focused on his upcoming desert run. The shows will be anchored to four decades of hits (from lilting Maggie May to disco-tinged Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?), but he'll inject each show with a few selections from his vast raw blues-to-GreatAmerican Songbook catalog.

"I like how low the stage is, because at the end, I get people up there singing with me," Stewart says.

That mix of charisma and chart-topping repertoire makes tour promoter John Meglen swoon. (His next dream "get"? David Bowie.)

"Artists are now coming to us asking to do this," says Meglen, president and co-CEO of Concerts West/AEG Live. "But at 4,000 seats and five shows a week, you need hits to do it."

Not an issue for Grammy winner Stewart, who is particularly pleased that this gig allows him to stay close to his L.A. home, complete with a mini-soccer field where the longtime player still mixes it up regularly.

"I get to fly in, do a great 90-minute show, and get home," he says. "It's a tremendous way to make a shilling."

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