Riverside, Iowa 2/22/08Riverside Casino
review and photo by Laura Hoppe
The show was in this huge banquet/meeting room. I thought this was strange as it wasn't the typical theater or table seating most casinos have. They put out banquet style chair (which were quickly stacked back up at the end of the show). It seemed like the first five rows or so were VIP seats. When the show started, most of them sat down while everyone else stood up. Most people were standing by the end of the show though. There was a big stage though with a ton of lighting. The set list was a nice change up from last year and the show seemed to be a little longer than usual.
Who Killed Rock N Roll
It's Always Something
Affair of the Heart
Alyson
I've Done Everything For you
Rock of Life
Crossroad Blues (Robert Johnson Cover)
Living In Oz
Kristina
Red House (Jimi Hendrix Cover)
Don't Talk To Strangers
Medley
I Can't Explain (One verse - The Who Cover)
Love Somebody
My Generation (The Who Cover)
Human Touch
Jessie's Girl
Encore –
I'll Make You Happy
Love Is Alright Tonight
Here are some other things that happened during the show.
- There were lots of guitar issues toward the beginning of the show. I think Rick changed guitars three times during one song. He didn't even have a guitar in his hands for parts of the first 3-4 songs. I remember during "Rock of Life" when he sang the line "I pick up my guitar", he pretended to play some air guitar and looked over to the side stage to see where his guitar was.
- Rick noticed a sign that said "Rick, it's my bday" and said he got scared for a second because he thought it said "Rick, it's your baby".
- People were throwing stuff up on stage all night. There were some "gifts" which he opened. Some women in the front row had given him Starbucks cards (I think about 4 of them) and he mentioned how he didn't have stock in Starbucks but he should have. He then said Kenny G (I think that's who it was) had bought stock in Starbucks a while back and that God was just paying him back for giving him such bad hair. Someone tossed up a t-shirt that I think had picture of them as kids. He asked a lady which one she was (on the shirt) about three times and I guess she didn't understand him because finally he said really slowly "Point to the breast that you are on". Then he said "Awwww, cute!". There were a few ladies that were wearing neon green boas. One threw one up right before the Medley and Rick put it over his shoulders and then by the end of the song, it was hanging down his arm over his guitar.
- Noticing the older "sitters" in the front rows, Rick started talking about how they probably thought they were coming to see this nice quiet doctor from General Hospital and asked a couple people if they knew who he was.
- There were really grabby women in the front row. After one particular groping, Rick said…"Where were you girls when I was 16" and proceeded to tell his sad story about how he couldn't get girls when he was younger and that women are so much more aggressive now and how his boys are fighting them off.
- For "Don't Talk To Strangers", he forgot the words and had the audience help him get back on track. During the line "How's Life in the big city", he said that we weren't in a big city at all. We were in Iowa. He had quite a few people sing including a security guard who he said was not paying attention and made him sing a second time. When he came out further into the crowd to "find a guy" he turned around towards the front and said "hey, who gave me a wedgie". He said if they did again on the way back that he would "mess" (paraphrasing…lol) them up.
- At one point he mentioned again how small the city was and that he never panders to the audience by saying stuff like "Hey Iowa". He said his wife was from the Midwest (to which our little group of Wisconsinites screamed) and that they know how to raise good women in the Midwest.
- During the "Red House" line "I might as well go on back down go back 'cross yonder over the hill" he added "even if I have to crawl through the snow". It was still really snow covered in Iowa that day.
- Before Love Somebody, Rick was rambling a bit and talking about "Hard To Hold". I'm not sure what Rodger did but Rick asked him if he was keeping him from something else better to do. Then he said "Drum solo" but Rodger just basically kept the same beat and didn't do anything fancy so Rick asked if he should do a drum solo. Everyone cheered, trying to get Rick behind the drums, but he didn't do it L.
- Rick come out into the audience during "Love Somebody" and tried to get to all the different sections. He played in front of us for a little bit (Yeah!) during Love Somebody/My Generation. He did make a cell phone call but couldn't get through to the first two people. Someone gave him a phone but when he asked if they knew who it was, she said "Rick Springfield" and he said, "Damn…that's my line" and said he was "set up". I think he might have fallen off a chair at some point because he said people needed to hold him up better.
- Rick came out for the encore in a tan t-shirt. He said "You guys look like you're happy" and then started playing "I'll Make You Happy". I didn't realize how much I miss this song in the set list so it was really cool to hear again.
Who Killed Rock N Roll
It's Always Something
Affair of the Heart
Alyson
I've Done Everything For you
Rock of Life
Crossroad Blues (Robert Johnson Cover)
Living In Oz
Kristina
Red House (Jimi Hendrix Cover)
Don't Talk To Strangers
Medley
I Can't Explain (One verse - The Who Cover)
Love Somebody
My Generation (The Who Cover)
Human Touch
Jessie's Girl
Encore –
I'll Make You Happy
Love Is Alright Tonight
Here are some other things that happened during the show.
- There were lots of guitar issues toward the beginning of the show. I think Rick changed guitars three times during one song. He didn't even have a guitar in his hands for parts of the first 3-4 songs. I remember during "Rock of Life" when he sang the line "I pick up my guitar", he pretended to play some air guitar and looked over to the side stage to see where his guitar was.
- Rick noticed a sign that said "Rick, it's my bday" and said he got scared for a second because he thought it said "Rick, it's your baby".
- People were throwing stuff up on stage all night. There were some "gifts" which he opened. Some women in the front row had given him Starbucks cards (I think about 4 of them) and he mentioned how he didn't have stock in Starbucks but he should have. He then said Kenny G (I think that's who it was) had bought stock in Starbucks a while back and that God was just paying him back for giving him such bad hair. Someone tossed up a t-shirt that I think had picture of them as kids. He asked a lady which one she was (on the shirt) about three times and I guess she didn't understand him because finally he said really slowly "Point to the breast that you are on". Then he said "Awwww, cute!". There were a few ladies that were wearing neon green boas. One threw one up right before the Medley and Rick put it over his shoulders and then by the end of the song, it was hanging down his arm over his guitar.
- Noticing the older "sitters" in the front rows, Rick started talking about how they probably thought they were coming to see this nice quiet doctor from General Hospital and asked a couple people if they knew who he was.
- There were really grabby women in the front row. After one particular groping, Rick said…"Where were you girls when I was 16" and proceeded to tell his sad story about how he couldn't get girls when he was younger and that women are so much more aggressive now and how his boys are fighting them off.
- For "Don't Talk To Strangers", he forgot the words and had the audience help him get back on track. During the line "How's Life in the big city", he said that we weren't in a big city at all. We were in Iowa. He had quite a few people sing including a security guard who he said was not paying attention and made him sing a second time. When he came out further into the crowd to "find a guy" he turned around towards the front and said "hey, who gave me a wedgie". He said if they did again on the way back that he would "mess" (paraphrasing…lol) them up.
- At one point he mentioned again how small the city was and that he never panders to the audience by saying stuff like "Hey Iowa". He said his wife was from the Midwest (to which our little group of Wisconsinites screamed) and that they know how to raise good women in the Midwest.
- During the "Red House" line "I might as well go on back down go back 'cross yonder over the hill" he added "even if I have to crawl through the snow". It was still really snow covered in Iowa that day.
- Before Love Somebody, Rick was rambling a bit and talking about "Hard To Hold". I'm not sure what Rodger did but Rick asked him if he was keeping him from something else better to do. Then he said "Drum solo" but Rodger just basically kept the same beat and didn't do anything fancy so Rick asked if he should do a drum solo. Everyone cheered, trying to get Rick behind the drums, but he didn't do it L.
- Rick come out into the audience during "Love Somebody" and tried to get to all the different sections. He played in front of us for a little bit (Yeah!) during Love Somebody/My Generation. He did make a cell phone call but couldn't get through to the first two people. Someone gave him a phone but when he asked if they knew who it was, she said "Rick Springfield" and he said, "Damn…that's my line" and said he was "set up". I think he might have fallen off a chair at some point because he said people needed to hold him up better.
- Rick came out for the encore in a tan t-shirt. He said "You guys look like you're happy" and then started playing "I'll Make You Happy". I didn't realize how much I miss this song in the set list so it was really cool to hear again.
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