Singer Al Stewart to take fans through many 'Time Passages' during Columbus visit

Al Stewart was originally scheduled to perform in Columbus in May, but that concert was postponed when the Scottish singer-songwriter tested positive for COVID.

He's back on the road now, and set to perform at the Southern Theatre on Aug. 18.

COVID and the postponement have not dimmed his sense of humor.

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Asked how he was feeling about being back on tour, he replied in a recent email that he was “feeling effusive and perplexed, but that's just today. Things change all the time.”

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Stewart, 76, is best-known for two huge hits from the late '70s, “Year of the Cat” and “Time Passages.” His repertoire, however, is much larger than that, including a number of songs documenting historical events, or, as he puts it, “obscure historical songs about the Russian front during World War II, which don't do very well on the radio.”

The audience for his concerts is divided into two camps.

“They either know one or two songs by me, or they know absolutely everything,” Stewart said.

(Of course, there's also a small third camp: “People who have been dragged along by their significant others," he said. "'You told me it was Rod Stewart!' They're expecting me to sing 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?' or something.”)

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The ones who know everything are a tad obsessive.

“They know B sides of singles. They sort of one-up each other by requesting the most obscure things,” he said.

Stewart is happy to oblige.

“There are some songs I have to play because they're popular. ... But into every set, we try to inject songs that I've either never played before or that I've never played in the place that I'm playing. I'm deliberately picking out things that I think the audience won't have ever heard me do. Of course, they like the stuff they know, but it's gratifying that they react just as strongly to me digging out obscurities and playing them. That's my favorite bit.”

A long time since Stewart's last visit to Columbus, Ohio

Columbus fans haven't been treated to Stewart's presence very often, though he has frequently appeared in Cleveland and Cincinnati.

“To my knowledge — my brain is delicately balanced — the only time I'm aware that I played in Columbus before was the late '70s. The reason I remember is that we were in an airplane flying in from somewhere and the runway was just a sheet of ice. I don't like flying at the best of times. We just sort of went skidding off down the runway and I really didn't think I was going to survive,” he said.

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Despite that experience, he's back, this time performing not solo, but with his band, the Empty Pockets, who perform an opening act and then support Stewart.

“They're a hot young band. They're all in their 30s, and they bounce about, and they're very energetic and they play this high-powered Americana rock. And then for some unknown reason, after an interval, their grandfather wanders onstage. It's like, Is he lost? Shouldn't he be going back to bed?' “

Often, for the more obscure numbers, Stewart performs by himself, supported by his guitar.

“Having come up in the folk scene, I know perfectly well how to do solo guitar. So occasionally I'll make them all trot offstage while I play something they don't know,” he said.

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Stewart started playing with the Empty Pockets about five years ago.

“Previously, I'd been acoustic, because that's what elderly folk singers do. Play the acoustic rooms dotted all over America. With the band, it opened up totally different horizons I could play, and it created a broader palette. The sound filled out. I noticed quickly that we were drawing twice as many people,” he said.

“The Pockets have been a great addition. For some unknown reason, at my advanced age, I seem to have acquired a whole different following. It's gratifying but mystifying at the same time.”

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At a glance

Al Stewart will perform at 8 p.m. Aug.18 at the Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main St. Tickets start at $33. (614-469-0939, www.capa.com)

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Al Stewart to perform in Columbus Aug. 18 at Southern Theatre