Baltimore review

Baltimore's Pier Six Pavilion
"Working Class Dog" tour
June 1, 2007
By Timothy Elliott

Overview:
First show: Patty Smyth / Scandal
Second show: Eddie Money
Third show: Rick Springfield
Beautiful summer evening on Baltimore's inner harbor, great open-air venue, and a three-band line-up - lots of fun and a study in contrasts. Patty Smyth sounded great, Eddie Money put on a serviceable-but-stiff show with paramedics on alert, and RS and the band seemed to be having a good time during a slightly shorter than usual set.
Details:
Scandal / Patty Smyth
Only caught the last couple of songs, but Patty Smyth's voice seemed strong as ever. Wardrobe: She was in a white baby-doll shirt that might not have been the most flattering choice for her.

Eddie Money
I enjoy many of Eddie Money's songs when they pop up on the radio. He had a large, enthusiastic crowd who sang along and enjoyed the show. That said, Money's approach to live shows embraces the worst of airport hotel lounge-ish tendencies. Money's habit of interrupting himself midsong for goofy asides and canned banter grated on me. During nearly every song, he urged the crowd for more and better enthusiasm. You know the gesture, the Morpheus-to-Neo-come-here hand waggle... It was like watching a 60s-era Playtone show with an Applause-o-Meter.
Wardrobe: Money jammed himself into a dark suit with a light-colored tie. During the encore, he made a joke about wrapping up quickly: "This girdle is killing me..." In fact, the encore ("Shakin'") was the highlight of the show - Money finally sounded engaged and energized. It's too bad the whole set wasn't like that.
#1. Two Tickets to Paradise (interrupted half a dozen times for lounge chatter)
#2 Think I'm in Love (only two asides)
#3. Want To Go Back (solid Money sax intro, beginning of annoying "gimme some love" hand signs)
#4 Take Me Home Tonight (daughter Jessica handling the Ronnie Spector lines nicely)
#5. Jessica Money lead on "Midnight Rider" Allman Brothers cover
#6 Ain't No Mountain High Enough duet with Jessica
#7. You Don't Know Me (weak cover of classic Ray Charles tune with "EVERYBODY knows EDDIE MONEY!" aside plus BS shout-out to Baltimore schtick and references to "American Idol")
#8. Sorry, don't know the song. "Lucky One," maybe? "East Coast, West Coast" references
#9. Lose Control (removed jacket; shirt sleeves intact)
#10. Walk on Water (2.5 inch vertical leap on stage; three separate urges for applause; "Are we having FUN tonight or what!")
#11. Baby Hold On (crowd took care of the "...money can't buy you looooooooove" extended note)
#12. Everybody Rock and Roll The Place
Encore
#13. Shakin' (best performance of Money's set)

RS
Security reinforced at stage following Eddie Money. Stage re-set almost guaranteed a short set. They were still tinkering at 9:42, and the venue has a firm ending time of 11 p.m.
Aha! 9:45 and the soundscape intro music's up...
#1. Who Killed Rock and Roll?
Wardrobe: Plain black jeans with minor red accents; wide black leather belt with intricate silver icons; pale pink skull shirt with short sleeves; black boots with silver accents; shorter summer 'do. Pale pink latex band on one wrist - Sahara support?
Lean and muscular. RS looks like he's training for a triathlon, as opposed to Eddie Money, who appears to be training for a heart attack. They were born within a few months of each other.
Not too sure about this song; didn't grab me the way hearing pre-release versions of "idon'twantanythingfromyou" did.
#2. Affair of the Heart
First rose explosion with one stem in mouth tango-style. He picked up another bunch later in the song, but he either missed the window or just decided to save 'em for later. Could be that he noticed a woman close to the stage wearing a thong - on her head...
Easy for RS to see people in the pit; the security was serious all night about keeping stage rushers without first two row tickets out of the pit. Many of the security guards were women, so they were polite and *completely* immune to the wiles of errant women who often sweet-talk the male guards. Smart move on the part of venue's management.
#3. Alyson!
Yea! Alison Durbin's been in the news for a harsh, Ozzie prison term for marijuana. Sorry to hear her bad news, but delighted to hear the song. Good guitar intro by RS, the first of many extended solo guitar arrangements during the evening.
Rose explosion right before "Star-crossed lovers/I really felt the part..." verse.
#4. IDEFY
Off-mic for second and third chorus, but it hardly mattered given the volume of the audience's singing. Guitar toss and drop, followed by an overhead smack on the stage and a one-blow-to-the-drum-kit kill. He tossed pieces of the red ax into the pit and front rows.
#5. Rock of Life
Gazed at his hands during the "little boy in my hands..." line. Not wearing a wedding ring tonight; maybe it slows down the fretwork. Speaking of which: nice feedback at end of song that segued into the pre-"Red House" solo and rose-explosion de-tuning. He seemed to be enjoying the solo work. He also seemed to enjoy the attentions of a pretty, curvy blonde girl in the pit. She waved a small, battery-operated fan up at him. Its spinning blades had tiny red LED lights that spelled "YOU'RE SO HOT" as they flailed. He leaned down into the breeze and let her fan him. Switched to a new guitar and launched into...
#6. Red House
George Bernhardt on lead guitar managed a quick cigarette during this song.
#7. DTTS
As usual, RS introduced it as a "new song" in relation to "Red House" vintage. Also as usual, offered a resigned, amused grin as he botched the lyrics: "I always forget these words...." He was adjusting to the sparsely populated pit - no more than 20-25 people close to the stage the entire evening. He tinkered with the arrangement a little - "Use you up, use you up, use you up" three times to lead into another expanded guitar solo and the sing-a-longs. Put "Joe" on the spot for the "Don't talk" line from the stage, then waded into the audience. He expanded the spotlight sing-a-long standing atop the front-row seats stage right.
Someone handed him an image of Scooby's face mounted on a tongue depressor. He held up the mask, announced it was his dog, and then noted the creation was bizarre. (The lady with the thong on her head had let it drop around her neck by this point.)
RS lurched further into the crowd - "Don't let me fall!" - and made it out another five rows or so in the center section. He threw another twist into the mix on the way back. He stepped from the front row seat backs onto the arms of a young man's sleek wheelchair, got a delighted response from the guy, then rolled from the chair onto the stage. Excellent!
#8. Medley
a. Bop ’til You Drop
b. Celebrate Youth
c. Calling All Girls (large, perma-shaped bra hits the stage at this point)
d. Jessie's Girl tease
e. Don't Walk Away (noticed bra, picked it up on neck of guitar, started to toss it back but abandoned it when it fell off)
f. State of the Heart (either off-mic or just mum for all lyrics up to "If I seem a little strange...")
g. What Kind of Fool
h. I Get Excited (I Still Don't Miss the Chorus Line on Stage)
i. Bop (redux)
#9. Love Somebody
Guitar change and wireless mic switch routine. Backlit with simple but blinding white lights until beginning of lyrics. A blonde stage crasher rushed out from the wings during the wireless mic set-up. Wasted opportunity, really, because RS never entertains such goofs while he's in the middle of something else like a guitar switch or mic change.
He started the song on stage and drifted to stage left. A lovely girl in white shorts and a turquoise "Patrick" (of "Spongebob" fame) shirt handed up her groovy white LaCoste sunglasses. RS put 'em on and continued the song, leaning down into the pit to let the owner snap a quick shot.
Mid-song, he left the stage and the wireless mic cut out. The crowd and the band kept the song going as the tech scrambled to bring another mic. The headset drifted back into the mix about then, though, and RS picked up without a hitch.
#10. My Generation
Still in the audience, about five rows out to start, eventually about 10 rows deep for cell phone schtick. He signed a "Working Class Dog" LP cover in a nano-second, set off another rose explosion. Then he managed to get a clear cell phone connection with a nice lady, so both sides of the conversation - "Who is this?" "What? What?" - broadcast.
As "My Generation" segued back in for a finish, two women raised green, 80s-lettered "Bobbie Spencer" t-shirts.
#11. Jessie's Girl
RS was still in the audience about 10 rows from the stage. At this point, one of the "Bobbie Spencer" women upped the ante and had a plastic cup of beer...balanced on her head. What? She was desperate for RS to touch her. She angled through the crowd, green "Bobbie Spencer" shirt held up across her chest, beer still atop her head, one finger on her free hand reaching out like Michelangelo's Adam (or was that E.T.?) RS was within a few feet of her, recoiled slightly when he noticed the oddity, then pointedly refused to play along.
He moved back toward the stage for band introductions.
Encore
#12 Love is Alright Tonight
"You guys are still here?" Changed skull shirt for blue plaid sleeveless number - very Paul Westerburg-ish shirt, that one. At the end of the song, RS leaned over, slid out of the guitar strap, said his goodnights and made a low-key exit. The lady with the thong went gently into the good night with it still wrapped around her neck. :->
(photo by Caralyn W.)
Additional photos