Rod Stewart, a late-blooming political commentator?

Is the former Young Communist League member-turned-longtime-conservative — and self-described “dear friend” of Donald Trump — a public advocate for a war-torn democracy?

During his Saturday concert at San Diego’s North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, the veteran vocal star did more than just pay lip service to a timely cause.

“I’m now wearing blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine,” said Stewart, as he dedicated his 13th selection of the night, “Rhythm of My Heart,” to the besieged Eastern European nation.

The song was accompanied by large photo projections and video footage depicting the ravages of war perpetrated against Ukraine by Russia, whose leader, Vladimir Putin, Stewart recently compared to Adolf Hitler. As “Heart” concluded, an enormous photo of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was shown.

For an artist so seemingly apolitical — at least publicly — as Stewart, this was a bold move. (The tousle-haired singer is now providing rent-free housing in England to a family of Ukrainian refugees.)

But surprises were otherwise largely absent from his crowd-pleasing performance. It was uniformly pleasant but only sometimes stirring, most notably during a heartfelt version of the Curtis Mayfield civil-rights anthem, “People Get Ready,” where Stewart sounded deeply engaged.

Delivered with well-oiled precision by Stewart and his six-woman, six-man band, the sleek show opened with a crisp version of Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love.” It concluded 110 minutes later with “Stay With Me,” the rollicking 1971 song Stewart co-wrote and recorded when he fronted the band The Faces.

In between came an ample number of choice cuts from Stewart’s past. Standouts included the early 1970s gems “You Wear It Well,” “Maggie May” and “Ooh La La,” whose melancholic chorus — I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger / I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was stronger — takes on added poignancy now that he is a graying grandfather.

Make that a blonde grandfather since his hair color has remained relatively constant over the decades. At 78, Stewart — whose oldest of eight children is now 59 — has charisma to spare and still exudes sex appeal. He earned cheers for his pelvic thrusts during “Infatuation,” his fourth selection.

Likewise, the bonhomie Stewart demonstrates on stage remains as appealing as ever. He treated his listeners like they were — if not old friends — more than casual or one-time acquaintances.

The audience, which appeared to fill about two-thirds of the nearly 20,000-capacity venue, responded in kind. Then again, a good number of the concertgoers grew up on Stewart’s music and welcomed the chance to sing and sway along with him.

But his 22-song concert too often felt set on autopilot. This enabled Stewart to coast and croon through selections he performed with greater conviction — and with a broader vocal range — in 2018 at this same venue (then known as Mattress Firm Amphitheatre).

Witness his version of the 1967 Etta James blues gem, “I’d Rather Go Blind.” Stewart did it as a tribute to recently deceased Fleetwood Mac member Christine McVie’s 1969 version with the group Chicken Shack. “A (expletive) useless name for a band!” he quipped.

Where Stewart’s 1972 version of the song brimmed with soulful passion and heartache (or at least a convincing simulation of heartache), on Saturday he tiptoed through the lyrics. Similarly, his subsequent reading of “Downtown Train” by Tom Waits — who grew up just a few miles away in National City — was delivered so politely as to verge on being neo-mood music.

At other points in the concert, Stewart’s choice of material proved puzzling.

He didn’t perform such classics as “Sailing,” “I Was Only Joking” or 1976’s “The Killing of Georgie (Part I and II),” a song that takes on even greater resonance now when the LGBTQ community has been subjected to increasing acts of violence.

Instead, Stewart offered a sing-along version of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” that added little to the concert’s musical or emotional arc. Why?

And his late-show vocal duet with Becca Kotte on the 1966 Motown Marvin Gaye/Kim Weston chestnut, “It Takes Two” — which Stewart and Tina Turner covered in 1991 — never got out of first gear. As a tribute to Turner, who died in May, it fell short of the mark.

After his 16th number of the evening, “Tonight’s the Night,” Stewart told the audience: “One more slow one and then we’ll really get the party started.”

In response a man seated in the row in front of me yelled: “Please! Please! I’m tired of sitting!”

Stewart then tenderly essayed Van Morrison’s 1978 ode to love, “Have I Told You Lately.” It was delivered in a largely acoustic format that suited Stewart’s lilting delivery well. He sounded perceptibly more engaged, connecting with the lyrics to a greater degree than he had with too many of his previous selections.

When “Lately” concluded, Stewart said: “Let’s get this party started!” — only to exit the stage for his fourth or fifth wardrobe change of the night.

In his absence, his three female backing singers delivered a lo-cal, momentum-stalling version LaBelle’s “Lady Marmalade.” It came only three songs after their Stewart-free take on the Pointer Sisters’ “I’m So Excited,” which the trio delivered with a similar amount of enthusiasm but little vocal dimension.

Like too much of Stewart’s Saturday show here, these segments were better suited for Las Vegas, where he is now more than a decade into his annual performance residency at Caesars Palace.

Still, there is cause for hope and rejuvenation. Stewart has spoken recently about how excitedly he is looking forward to his next album, a big-band jazz and jump-blues outing with former Squeeze keyboardist Jools Holland. He’s not the only one.