This is an open forum for staff members, contributers, and fans alike to submit their reviews on the latest music releases and concerts. In an industry that is drowning with overprocessed, grossly overrated, unoriginal crap these days, this is our chance to allow the real stars to shine, if only on our humble, little stage; and expose you to some of our favorite talents.
Reviews are given 1 - 5 stars.
“I wanna go back. ‘Cause I’m feeling so much older. But I can’t go back, I know.” So sang the audience at the Bank of America Pavilion last night. While there is undoubtedly something melancholy about an arena full of thirty- and forty-somethings singing along to the lyrics of the Eddie Money hit, the “Working Class” tour’s triple bill of ‘80s artists did indeed allow the crowd to “go back,” if only for one night.
I’ve found, through past experience, that this process is facilitated if you choose your seats carefully. That’s because it’s much easier to suspend disbelief and pretend that you’re watching nostalgia artists in their prime if you’re not sitting within the first ten rows. And you probably don’t want to watch the video screens, which of course tend to feature close-up facial views.
However with this lineup, such precautions weren’t necessary. As it turned out, the tour’s performers — Scandal, Mr. Money, and headliner Rick Springfield — are some of the best-preserved ‘80s artists I’ve seen. Kudos to their trainers and facialists – the results are impressive.
Starting the evening off was Patty Smyth, with her band Scandal. Arguing with John McEnroe (her husband) must do a body good, because Smyth, dressed in cropped jeans, wedge espadrilles, and a top I’m pretty sure I tried on at Anthropologie last week, looked amazing. And, more importantly, she sounded amazing too. Her voice held strong throughout the entire set, which of course included Scandal’s biggest hits “The Warrior” and “Goodbye to You.” Interesting, Smyth noted that the only reason the band was performing again together was due to the VH1 show “Bands Reunited.” Well done, VH1. Your next assignment is to reunite Mr. Mister, okay? I’m not kidding.
Eddie Money was next to take the stage. Now, Money’s always reminded me of the drunken uncle who embarrasses you at your cousin’s wedding. He still looks like that, just older. But Money’s not afraid to laugh at himself, noting that his girdle was killing him, and giving a special hello to his probation officer and his wife, who were in attendance. He also graced the audience with several direct pelvic thrusts, which I had to assume were a joke.
The crowd was reminded that Money had a stack of truly first-rate hits in his day. Last night, his characteristic raspy voice was in very good form on “Shakin’,” “Two Tickets to Paradise,” and “Think I’m in Love.” Money’s pretty daughter sang the Ronnie Spector part on “Take Me Home Tonight,” and also shared vocals on “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” from his current album of ‘60s covers, “Wanna Go Back.” Overall, the performance was very enjoyable, although I could have done with a few less thrusts. Say, zero.
Then came the main event. The man whose picture graced my walls in the ‘80s, the Working Class Dog himself, Rick Springfield. In the moments before he took the stage, a rather lengthy photo/video montage retrospective of Springfield’s career ran on the venue’s screens. I thought it a bit bombastic at first, but as soon as I saw a shot of him in a suit from the “Jessie’s Girl” video, well…yeah. Let’s just say I was looking forward to him taking the stage.
Now, I last saw Springfield perform live about nine years ago. At the time, the thing that struck me more than anything about the performance was his guitar-playing – really, really impressive. I don’t think he’s ever gotten credit for his skills in this area. This time though, I was most impressed by Springfield’s appearance and his seemingly boundless amount of energy. Dressed in a sleeveless shirt and jeans, my jaw literally dropped when he took the stage. The man is fifty-seven years old, and he has the arms of a twenty-year-old. It’s like he’s some kind of freak of nature. Scientists should study him. Either that, or he and Sting should join forces to produce a hot old rock star workout video to share their knowledge, because it’s not right for him to keep his secrets to himself. Several times during the show, he threw his guitar into the air and caught it by the neck, with one hand. Any other fifty-seven-year-old trying that would no doubt end up with a slipped disc. Unbelievable.
Springfield did prove himself human by noting that he was just getting over a cold, which showed in his vocals throughout the night. For several of the songs, he seemed to speak, rather than sing the lyrics, and relied on the audience for help with many of the choruses, most notably on “Don’t Talk to Strangers.” The bulk of the setlist was classic hits like this, but, frustratingly, several were performed only as brief snippets during a medley, including “What Kind of Fool Am I,” “Don’t Walk Away,” and “State of the Heart.” I am not a fan of the concert medley in general. If a performer starts to play a song I like, I want to hear the whole thing, not be teased by only a brief section. I guess it’s understandable though, as Springfield is the rare lucky artist who has a deep enough catalog that his greatest hits album contains zero filler. So there really are only so many songs that can be performed in their entirety.
Throughout the show, Springfield was in excellent humor, joking “Not bad for a doctor, eh?” after a particularly energetic guitar solo, and referring to his guilty pleasure ‘80s movie “Hard to Hold” as “Hard to Watch.” He exhibited his greatest joy while interacting directly with the audience. Springfield played three songs, including a cover of “My Generation,” and, as he noted, the appropriately titled, “Human Touch,” while making his way thirty rows back into the crowd. He then circulated around the venue so that everyone in the vicinity got an up close and personal view. It is an absolute wonder how the man was able to continue singing and playing guitar with the hysteria of the scene and the amount of grabbing coming his way from the women in the audience. Seriously, he must have been violated six ways to Sunday.
Of course, I can’t be one to judge. The highlight of the night for me, in addition to hearing “Love Somebody” and “Jessie’s Girl” performed live, was the moment in which my palm made contact with Springfield’s sweaty shoulder. Awesome. Totally awesome.
I might even go as far to say it was tubular.
Reviewed by: Heather Kobrin | July 2007
