CALGARY - They say when you get older, one of the first things to go is your sense of humour.

They, apparently, have never seen aging rocker Rod Stewart in concert.

Last night, the 62-year-old former sex symbol, who's become as well known for his tongue-and-cheek performances as his songs, was on the top of his game, grinding around like it was 1978.

The show kicked off with a faux-movie trailer titled the RodFather, which highlighted Stewart's rise from a soccer player to a superstar.

"He had to choose between a life of kicking balls or kicking ass," said the video's narrator, adding he chose the latter.

As the video ended Stewart entered from beneath a circular stage at the centre of the arena.

Rod seemed to soak up every drop of affection from the sold-out crowd.

A few middle-age women seated up front screamed as if they'd seen George Clooney (or somebody equally as hot), reminding the rest of us of the rock god Stewart used to be.

As he broke into Tonight I'm Yours one thing was instantly clear -- while his looks may be on the way out, the Scottish singer's distinctive raspy voice remains intact.

Throughout the first half of the show, Stewart impressed the crowd with his charisma as he pounded out hit after hit, including Lost in You, Reason to Believe and Hot Legs, while backed by nine musicians and three very sexy singers.

He then worked the room with the playful Infatuation before settling into Cat Stevens' tear jerker Father and Son as home movies of Stewart with his two-year-old son played on the big screen.

While the singer had to apologize for his less-than-stellar vocals in Edmonton Tuesday (he apparently had a cold) there was no need for that last night. Yes, he shied away from those big, upper register notes and he forgot the lyrics to Lost in You, forcing him to start over, it never really seemed to matter to the crowd.

As he ended the first of two one-hour sets with the acoustic-guitar-driven Dirty Old Town the room appeared to be having a blast.

Stewart's fun, energetic attitude was definitely rubbing off, ensuring the second half would be even more lively than the first 60 minutes.

After a brief 15-minute intermission, Stewart returned for another set of his signature pop which included Forever Young, Young Turks and the favourite Maggie May.

Thankfully, the songs from his four Great American Song Book CDs were mostly put aside, replaced with memorable numbers which Stewart has made famous. Those included the now-almost-laughable Da Ya Think I'm Sexy, which had everyone up and dancing and having fun.

And that was really what the night was about -- the good old Scottish fun Stewart is a master at conjuring up.

Putting aside his ego and pride, Stewart delivered one of the most entertaining Calgary shows in recent memory.