Monday, April 28, 2008

Morongo Concert Review


Rick Springfield, 2008
Contributed by Lisa Robyn Lawrence
Tuesday, 08 April 2008
Morongo Casino April 6, 2008
Photos by Allen Lawrence


http://www.desertcitiesentertainment.com/Concerts-April-2008/Rick-Springfield-2008.html

Rick Rocks at Morongo!

The frenzy did not let up during the entire concert. Fans handing dozens of roses, which Rick used to strum his guitar and shower the stage with the petals just added heat to the fire he ignited with his music. It was quite a wild scene of rock concert hysteria. It was impossible to see the show unless you were standing up during the entire concert. People were using their cell phones and cameras to take photos and videos, they just couldn’t get enough of Rick. He just ate it up and gave more.

Springfield knew how to play to this crowd and was undaunted by their enthusiastic grabbing hands, jumping and waving signs and screaming. It only fueled him on to be more animated. He commented about loving loose women and alcohol.” Rick included the audience in singing his songs and incited chaos by jumping down off the stage onto the chairs and jumping from one chair to another while playing his guitar, singing and aving audience members sing a chorus of Don’t Talk to Strangers with him. It was hilarious, to hear some of the people in the audience sing, or at least try to sing. Rick cracked jokes about their singing ability, or commented how badly their singing “sucked” and kept going, then he suddenly asked for someone’s cell phone. One woman in the audience gave Springfield her cell phone and he used it on the neck of his guitar while he played, then he said that he wanted to call someone on the phone and he dialed but there was no answer. Another woman in the audience, Doreen Reynolds, offered her cell phone to Rick and told him to call her son, Bobby, who is a firefighter at Valley Center CDF. When Rick called Bobby and spoke with him while his microphone picked up Bobby’s voice so the audience could hear. He identified himself and then asked if Bobby had any beer, when the answer was yes, Springfield suggested that he would bring a party to the station. After Rick returned the phone to Doreen, she promptly phoned Bobby back to tell him that is was real and not a hoax call, Bobby was astounded.

The night just kept rocking’ all through the concert. Rick’s band was smoken’ hot. The band members included Derek Hillard on keyboard, George Bernhardt on guitar, Matt Bissonette on base as well as “lip trombone”, and Roger Carter on drums, who Rick mercilessly teased about having been sent to Idyllwild to a Reform School halfway house.

Rick and the band played so many songs made as only Rick Springfield can. His songs included his hit song Jessie’s Girl, the unforgettable Don’t Talk to Strangers, Christina, Take Me Away, Who Killed Rock and Roll, I’ve Done Everything for You and then treated the audience to familiar nostalgic song like Crossroads, Wild Thing, (You Better) Love Somebody and so many, many more.

Richard Lewis Springthorpe was Born on August 23, 1949 in Sydney, New Whales, Australia. Springfield’s father was in the military and the family moved with each post assignment. They lived on various military bases in Australia and Great Britain as well. At age 9 Rick Springfield started to play the piano. At age 13 he picked up the guitar and began writing songs at age 14. Springfield dropped out of high school in 1967 and began his career in music. Through many bands and musical associations, over the next few years, he finally began a solo career in1971 with his #1 hit single Speak to the Sky in Australia.

At the age of 22 Springfield relocated to Hollywood, California to record his first album Beginnings with Capitol Records. Rick decided to branch out into acting due to management issues of his recording career. He started out in a starring role in the cartoon series, Mission: Magic. He did guest roles in television on shows like The Incredible Hulk and The Rockford Files. Springfield had a brief role as Zac in the 1978 Battlestar Galactica movie as well as a small recurring role on The Young and Restless soap opera. From 1981-1983 Springfield became a soap opera star on General Hospital as Dr. Noah Drake. He recently revived his character in 2005 on General Hospital. 1981 also marked his #1 hit song Jessie’s Girl launched his singing career once again. In 1982 his song Don’t Talk to Strangers rocketed to #2 on the USA Top 100. Rick Springfield married in 1984 and has two sons.

The room was electrified with sexy rock energy that only Rick Springfield can deliver. He was the playful “doctor of musical energy.” This Sunday, Springfield won the hearts of the entire audience. He had a standing ovation, came back with an encore and left the crowd screaming for more. There were crowds of people waiting to get a chance to have their photos taken with Springfield or to have him autograph old concert programs and even a few new guitars. He was genuinely gracious and sweet about granting his fans their moment with him.

Thank you Rick Springfield for a most memorable night and thank you to Morongo Casino for bringing another top notch performance to the desert cities.

For those of you who can’t get enough Springfield there is a rockin’ cruise coming up where you can
“Rock the High Seas with Rick!” Visit Rick Springfield’s website www.RickSpringfield.Com for more
information.

For more photos see our slide show presentation of the Rick Springfield Concert, .

Desert Cities Entertainment

http://www.desertcitiesentertainment.com/Concerts-April-2008/Rick-Springfield-2008.html

For Photos:

http://www.desertcitiesentertainment.com/component/option,com_expose/Itemid,19/album,73/

Saturday, April 26, 2008

TV listings for Rick Springfield


VH1 Classic Presents: Now '80s

VH1 Classic channel
Mon April 28th 3pm

you missed, you still have a chances to catch it! A one hour special featuring videos from the songs on the new "NOW That's What I Call The '80s!" compilation CD. Rick performs Jessie's Girl in an acoustical format.




Soapography: Rick Springfield & Kimberly McCullough

SoapNet
Sun May 4th 2008 12:30am est

McCullough Rick Springfield and Kimberly McCullough (“General Hospital”) are profiled. 30 min- 2006

Another new Tour Date for Rick Springfield

Tour dates continue to roll in.....the latest....


07.11.08
Coarsegold, CA
Chukchansi Gold Casino

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Starbucks


Rick Springfield's Upcoming CD has a release date!

According to Rick's Official Merchandise site, Amazon.com has Rick's upcoming cd available for preorder here.



The current release date is July 29th. The cd should contain the show opening song "Who Killed Rock and Roll", Saint Sahara, and several newly penned tunes.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Rick Springfield Rocks Vinton old school

Tommy Mann, Jr.
The Orange Leader

Never say Rick Springfield’s popularity has waned since the ’80s because several hundred screaming women at Friday’s concert would prove you wrong.Springfield rocked a sold out crowd from start to finish Friday night inside the event center at Delta Downs Casino and Racetrack in Vinton, La. From the moment he hit the stage, there was little doubt this show was going to be something extra special.The first two opening numbers found the packed venue roaring with approval, especially the song, “It’s Always Something,” which merged nicely into the beginning of popular “Affair of the Heart.”Springfield wasted little time in dishing out the hits he loyal following had come to hear, such as “Alyson,” “I’ve Done Everything for You,” “Rock of Life,” and “Inside Sylvia.”Showing his versatility, Springfield even pulled out a couple of cover songs such as “Down at the Crossroads” and “Wild Thing,” while also taking some time to interact with the audience by letting members of the crowd sing, or, in some cases, attempt to sing, the chorus of “Don’t Talk to Strangers.”With so many hit songs to his credit, it left one to wonder how in the world Springfield would find time to fit them all into a 90 minute set.His answer was a medley of tunes which sent the energy level of the venue up another level, and included songs like “Bop ‘til You Drop,” “Celebrate Youth,” “Calling All Girls,” “Don’t Walk Away,” “State of the Heart,” “What Kind of Fool Am I,” and “I Get Excited,” before concluding with the latter portion of “Bop ‘Til You Drop.”Springfield still sounds as good as ever, and he has always been one to get up close and personal with his fans, and he made sure not to disappoint those in attendance on Friday.During a three song stretch, Springfield swapped out his microphone for a headset mic and made his way into the crowd and cover nearly every square inch of the floor while singing “Love Somebody,” “My Generation,” and the mega-popular “Love Somebody.”Obviously, Springfield enjoys getting up close and personal with his fans, but even he commented on how wild the women of the concert were when he returned to the stage and most of the back section of his shirt had been ripped away.He closed his main set with “Jessie’s Girl,” before returning for the encore portion of the show which ended with “Love is Alright Tonite.”Whether you are a fan of Springfield’s music, his acting, or just plain rock ’n roll in general, if you were not at Friday’s show, then you did yourself a great disservice.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

TV Time for Rick Springfield

The Greatest: 100 Greatest Songs of the 80's (20-1)

VH1C
Sat April 26th 8pm est
(Jessie's Girl checks in at #20)



A&E

Sunday April 27th 7am est

BIOGRAPHY: RICK SPRINGFIELD
is the story of the performer who has sold fifteen million records and after nearly thirty years in show business still performs with the reckless abandon of a twenty-something rock star. Springfield's hit song, Jesse's Girl became the anthem of the 1980s - a time when his feathered hair, tightly-suited body and boyish face became hallmarks of the era. Concert footage, photos and interviews chronicle his early life in Australia and his career - a path that has taken him from teen idol to TV soap star to serious rocker. Includes interviews with former managers Steve Binder and Tom Skeeter; his mother Eileen Springthorpe; musician Sammy Hagar; drummer Jack White; actresses Linda Blair and Jacklyn Zeman; and record producer Keith Olson.




13 going on 30
FOX
Friday April 25th 8pm est

While Rick does not actually appear in this himself, Jessie's Girl is featured twice and the lead character has a major crush on him and there is a scene in the beginning of the movie that has a Rick figure in Jenna's "dream" house. Also, if you buy the DVD of this movie, the full video for Jessie's Girl is in the extras.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

More new tour dates for Rick Springfield!


07.26.08
Oyster Bay. NY
Long Island Summer Festival FOTA Pavilion

09.25.08
Memphis, TN
Mid-South Fair Main Stage**FREE with fair admission.

10.03.08
St. Charles, MO
The Family Arenawith John Waite
Photo: Wesbury, NY 2007

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

So Much to Live For

Fans’ outpouring of support lifts spirits of sisters in cancer battle
by Karen Rudolph Durrie

(photo: Karen Pearson, left, and sister Kriste Ruhland get some Human Touch from Rick)

Sisters have a special bond. They may share secrets, clothes and recipes, inside jokes, and even crushes on the same musician.
But with sisters Karen Pearson and Kriste Ruhland, that bond was deepened by something they never dreamed they’d share: cancer.
In August of 2005, Karen, now 50, was working at a bank in Washington, Illinois, living an active life riding and showing her beloved horses Valvikourrr, Doc and Boo, tending to a menagerie of animals including dogs and barn cats and enjoying life with Barry, her husband of 25 years.
But for some time she’d been carrying around a worry — a lump in her left breast.
She didn’t have time to be sick, she reasoned with herself, so maybe if she just denied the whole thing, it wouldn’t really be happening.
"I waited way too long," Karen says.
"Because I was worried about who was going do everything. I was working two jobs at the time, and had horses. I was praying every night for God to make it go away."
She began to appear so ill that her best friend, Diane Bauman, waited in the bank’s parking lot one day to confront her, begging to take her to a doctor right there and then.
"She said ‘I know you are not feeling good, you don’t look good. You need to go, and I’m taking you right now.’ But I said I couldn’t now, that I would go Thursday on my afternoon off," Karen says.
"Diane was bawling, and she made me promise."
The friends drove to Proctor Hospital in nearby Peoria that Thursday and headed to the emergency area — Karen was feeling very poorly by then.
An X-ray showed masses in both breasts, and she was sent to admitting. The next day oncologist Dr. Paul Fishkin diagnosed breast cancer, and set her up to undergo numerous tests and scans.
Karen was diagnosed with stage 4 bilateral breast cancer, which had already metastasized to her bones and liver.
Five days later she started on IV chemotherapy, which she took for a full year.

Shock to My System

That November, Dr. Fishkin told Karen that she’d only been a few weeks away from dying when she came into the hospital that August day.
He told her that he could give her some months, maybe even some years to live, but that she was not curable. Treatable — but not curable.
In October of 2006, Karen underwent a double mastectomy. Doctors, Kriste believes, did not originally want to put Karen through the surgery in 2005 because they did not foresee her surviving very long.
Just a few months after the mastectomy, more cancer was discovered — lumps in her side near her ribs. Karen had 33 radiation treatments on her left side. Eight weeks after her last radiation treatment, another tumor was found in the chest wall on her right side below the ribs, and she underwent another 38 radiation treatments, which left her right side blistered and burned.
"I would never wish that on anybody. I had bleeding and blistering. I couldn’t wear shirts. I sat in the living room with the fan on and I didn’t go out. I wore my husband’s loose shirts," Karen says.
In November, Karen had laparoscopic surgery to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed.
Since that time, Karen has continued with chemotherapy. She now takes an oral cocktail of pills — including Tykerb, a promising new drug that can significantly slow the growth of tumors in women battling breast cancer. Studies have shown the drug also offers a level of protection against breast cancer tumors spreading to the brain, and a shrinking effect on ones already present there. Twenty to thirty per cent of breast cancer patients will develop brain metastasis.
Today, Karen takes oral chemo seven days on, seven days off, and takes a variety of other drugs to combat the effects of cancer and the side effects of treatment. Among those are Vicodin for pain, an antidepressant, and Ritalin, a central nervous system stimulant that helps combat fatigue and gives her some get up and go.
"For a while, I was so tired all the time, I would just sit and do nothing," Karen says.
Now, she is able to sit on her garden swing — a gift from Barry — and enjoy her flower garden, care for her pets and do little things around the house.
What she wants most of all is to spread the word to others about the importance of breast cancer screening and early intervention. She wants to get the message to women not to neglect themselves as she did, with devastating consequences.
"Women need to go for mammograms. Don’t be afraid to go. There are programs out there even if you’re under-insured or not insured at all. I had never had one myself. I would encourage all women to get one," she says.
The National Cancer Institute recommends that all women age 40 and over should have a mammogram every one to two years, while women at a higher-than-average risk of breast cancer should talk to their physicians about having them earlier.

Hole in my Heart

Five months after Karen was diagnosed, she received a shocking phone call from her pregnant sister Kriste, now 41, who lives in Dallas.
"I will never forget when Kriste called me. I was hooked up to chemo, and she called from her cell phone saying ‘I just found a lump in my breast,’ and she was crying. I thought ‘it can’t be cancer, it must just be a cyst,’ but it was not the case. They (needle) aspirated it, and it came back with cancer. I was like, ‘I can’t believe this is happening to our family,’" Karen says.
Kriste was carrying her second child when stage 2B breast cancer was diagnosed, and she had her left breast removed when she was 35 weeks pregnant.
Son Grant was born healthy via c-section two weeks later, and another two weeks later, Kriste undertook a six-month course of chemotherapy.
"I was devastated, because she is so young and there she was pregnant with Grant, and sometimes I would pray to God, ‘If you are going to have to take either one of us, let it be me.’" Karen says.
"She has so much to live for with her kids, and I don’t have any kids. Just my animals are my kids. I tried to be strong for her and tried to help her with her questions," Karen says.
Today, Kriste has a clean bill of health and continues to work for American Airlines. Third sister Kathie, 43, who also lives in Illinois, has been free of cancer, but is linked in with the family’s struggle to remain healthy.

Alien Virus

With Karen and Kriste falling victim to breast cancer, Kriste’s doctor had her tested for the breast cancer gene.
She came back positive for the mutated BRCA2 gene, which was traced back to the women’s father, who succumbed to cancer in 2004.
Ironically their mother, who is still alive, had breast cancer at age 63, but she was not the gene carrier.
Karen and Kathie also tested positive for the gene. Their brother tested negative.
According to the National Cancer Institute, women carrying the gene mutation are up to seven times more likely to develop breast cancer, and have up to a 60 per cent chance of developing ovarian cancer.
The carriers of this gene who are diagnosed with cancer in one breast have an 85 per cent chance of getting cancer in the other breast. And if already diagnosed with breast cancer, they have a 67 per cent chance of developing ovarian cancer.
Many women facing such odds often opt to undergo prophylactic — or preventive — surgery to remove breasts, ovaries and fallopian tubes before any problems strike.
While this may reduce the risk, it is not a guarantee against developing cancer, since not all at-risk tissues can be removed with surgery.
Kathie, mother of three children, has undergone a preventive hysterectomy, but is struggling with whether to move forward with a prophylactic mastectomy, Karen says.
"My doctor has said there is a hormone drug she could take and could keep her breasts for another five years, so there is no hurry to take them off. But Kathie is like a health guru and doesn’t like the thought of putting something foreign into her body," Karen says.
"But they have told us it’s not if you get the cancer, it’s when. We don’t want her to go through what Kriste and I have gone through."
Kriste’s and Kathie’s children will need to be tested for the gene once they reach 18.

It’s Always Something

On the phone from her humble home, Karen’s pleasant, easygoing chatter in her typical Midwestern accent belies what she has to contend with on a daily basis.
Only an occasional cough and apparent shortness of breath tip a caller off there may be something untoward going on.
But there is more than that.
With cancer in her bones and spine, Karen’s joints are sore and she is in pain daily. She can’t wait to get into bed at night to sleep, but dreads the mornings, when she is in the most pain. She takes pain medication first thing and waits a little bit before getting up.
She gets hand-foot syndrome, a condition common to chemotherapy patients, where her hands and feet tingle and itch terribly and become inflamed and cracked.
And she has lymphodema in her left arm, a common side effect from radiation, making it twice the size of her right arm.
She has gained weight from the medications. She was bald from her initial chemo treatment, but hair has started to grow back darker and coarser.
Her lungs are scarred from radiation and she is prone to fluid accumulation around then, so she coughs and feels short of breath.
Even with that laundry list of ailments, she is simply not the complaining kind.
Karen is thankful to still be here. She has hopes that she can get back to work and get back to riding her horses again — she hasn’t competed in dressage since 2004.
"I try to take each day as I can and do what I can. For as horrible as it’s been, it’s really just brought about some really neat things in my life. You appreciate everything even more. Family and friends and old classmates, and the cards I get — oh my gosh, I haven’t thrown a single one away."

Human Touch (or... What’s Rick got to do with it?)

So how does a handsome former (TV) doctor fit into this story?
This part starts with Kriste, a longtime fan of Rick Springfield, the veteran musician who played suave, dark-haired Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital in the ‘80s— a role he’s since reprised sporadically over the last couple of years.
In her line of work, Kriste is often treated to the sights of celebrities and occasionally assists them with travel arrangements.
For the last decade, Kriste and her friend and co-worker Deanna have helped Rick and his band with details such as ensuring musical equipment gets on connecting flights, or by zipping them around the airport on golf carts to get them to their connecting gates.
When Karen was diagnosed with cancer and her friend Diane was organizing a benefit to help with the medical bills, Kriste called up Rick’s tour manager to ask for a signed CD or photo to auction off at the benefit.
"They turned around and offered a signed guitar. Rick has a heart of gold, I swear. He is just the nicest man on this earth," Kriste says.
The guitar was auctioned off on eBay instead to attract higher bids, and it garnered a $1,500 selling price. The successful bidders threw in an extra $500 donation as well, Karen says.
Several weeks after the guitar was proffered, Kriste herself was diagnosed with breast cancer, and the sisters’ story was put up on Rick Springfield’s official website to encourage fans to make donations via Paypal to help the women with mounting medical bills.
That year, the women were nominated to be the fundraising recipients for a fan charity drive that takes place annually during Springfield’s five-day concert series in Milwaukee.
In what has evolved into an annual organized event, fans schedule outings, activities and a charitable event attended by concertgoers. Rick’s fans have helped a number of charitable organizations and individuals by holding luncheons, auctions, raffles and direct-donation campaigns.
"There are no words to describe how we felt when they decided to do the fundraiser for us," Kriste says.
Karen and Kriste attended one concert during what Springfield himself has dubbed the Milwaukee "Freakfest" in May of 2006 — Karen covering her bald head by sporting a hat with a fake ponytail attached to it, and Kriste wearing a jaunty "Cancer Sucks" T-shirt.
"Rick made the comment in front of the fans that he agreed and what a great shirt," Kriste says.
The women met with Rick during a pre-show soundcheck.
Tour manager and all-around guru Ronnie Grinel had the girls sneak up on the band from the back of the stage while Rick and the band ran through a number.
"I remember Rick turned around and quit playing guitar and said ‘Oh my God,’ and gave Kriste and Deanna a big hug and a kiss, and then gave me a big hug and a kiss," Karen says.
"It was neat. He was so gracious — all the guys were. And we got to talk with them after that in the room where they chill out before the show, and then later we came back for the concert."
Karen loved Rick since her high-school days when she used to watch him on General Hospital, and has always enjoyed his music.
She counts his sexy hit Affair of the Heart as her favorite Springfield song.
The funds raised by Rick’s fans in 2006 were a major boost — financially and spiritually — to Kriste and Karen.
The money was deeply appreciated, say the sisters.
"What do you say to people who are donating to pay your bills, who have never met you and live halfway around the world? The Rick Springfield fans are truly one of a kind," Kriste says.
"When there is a cause, there is a way and a will, and those fans do everything in their power to see that something good comes out of a terrible situation."
It is here that Kriste mentions how proud she is of the fans for the work they did to contribute to the family of Sahara Aldridge, 13, who passed away last November after courageously battling a brain-stem tumor for 17 months.
This year, Milwaukee organizers are putting some of the funds raised toward Mississippi Valley Therapeutic Horsemanship in Southeast Missouri — an organization that helped bring Sahara joy during her illness.
Amy Aldridge, Sahara’s mom, says that Sahara would have been rooting for Karen and would be in total support of Rick’s fans helping her out.
"She so fully understood what it means to help others when they need a helping hand," Amy says.
"The fundraisers held for Sahara literally changed our lives. They enabled us to give her the very best care possible. They allowed us to try an alternative treatment that ultimately gave us nine more months with her. They helped us keep her in physical therapy longer than insurance allowed, they provided her with an accessible bathroom, and they literally kept our family above water."
The financial toll cancer takes on lives, Amy adds, just adds to the heavy impact it already exacts on health and family life.
The Aldridge family had many people championing Sahara during her fight. From people living in the family’s town of Cape Girardeau, MO to Rick’s fans to Rick Springfield himself, the support helped the family during some of the darkest days any parent can imagine.
"We were very blessed to have so many people in our corner, especially Rick. Without his help and support, which led to the support from so many across the country and the globe, I truly can’t imagine how much different our experience with Sahara would have been. I thank God for these blessings," Amy says.
Amy and Shannon, Sahara’s dad, are now dedicated to helping others as much as possible and strongly encourage people to contribute to help Karen.
"I hope that the Milwaukee attendees take advantage of the opportunity to help Karen, not because she has asked for anything — she is way too proud to do that — but because it is the right thing to do," Amy says.
"We can’t cure someone with a donation, but we can help out with the everyday challenges that a family will face. Nothing feels better than knowing you have helped to ease the burden of someone else. It may sound trite, but there really is a ‘Circle of Life.’ Give when you can, and then when you need it, it will be given back to you."
The majority of the funds raised in Milwaukee will go toward Karen Pearson to help offset the expenses incurred from battling cancer for nearly three years.
Rick Springfield has donated one of his favorite concert-worn shirts as a prize for the fundraising raffle.
Karen says that she feels somehow that everything is connected, with the underlying theme of horses and other animals — she loves them, Sahara loved them, and Springfield is well known for his love of animals.
Karen is deeply grateful for being chosen as a recipient of the fan fund raising efforts, and is touched by the goodwill of Rick’s fans.
"I am totally overwhelmed by it. I am even feeling funny about this interview. I don’t like to be the center of attention. But I like to tell my story, to say ‘You can do it. You can fight it,’" Karen says.
The donations from the first fundraiser in 2006 so affected Karen that she tried to write back everybody that donated when checks arrived in the mail.
"I can’t even describe what that meant to me. I am just a little stranger in this world, and they totally did that for me. They don’t know me, and I don’t know them," she says.
She was thrilled that she did finally get to meet a few of her "angels" at a Rick Springfield concert in Fort Worth in February.
And she got another magic moment with Rick again, who recognized her and gave her a big hug.
"It was wonderful. I felt closer to him. It’s like I’ve grown up with his music," Karen says.
For her part, Kriste says she has learned a lot from Rick Springfield’s fans and has gained a new perspective on life.
"I now pay it forward whenever possible. I always have a good day, and I am thankful for every passing second. It is so easy to get caught up in the rumors, the gossip, the small talk about other people, until you sit back and try to realize that it is just not worth it anymore. There is no sense in getting worked up over the little things. You know, I truly believe that."

Tiger by the Tail

Despite Karen’s fears that everything would come apart if she were not able to "do it all," her husband Barry has faced up to the task. He now works two jobs and looks after Karen’s horses.
"He has been wonderful. I always felt I was the one that needed to do everything — it was part of my problem. But he stepped right up to the plate. He and Diane were crying in my room when (doctors) said what all I had wrong with me. I felt bad for them, and said ‘You guys don’t cry.’ I felt bad for them crying for me," Karen says.
Karen’s illness has brought out the angels in force — and she is filled with gratitude for the good karma people have bestowed upon her.
Other angels around her include the man who owns the stable where she boards her horses, who has stopped charging for the service.
Several Rick fan friends of Kriste’s who sell craft items regularly send Karen a portion of the proceeds.
Canadian author Kathleen Mendelin, whose recently released book Vamplitude (www.vamplitude.com) was inspired in part by Rick Springfield and his album Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance, is also donating a portion of book sales to Karen Pearson.
And when Karen couldn’t afford to board all three horses, her friend Diane kept the aging Boo — Karen’s very first horse — at her pasture until he passed away of a heart attack at age 28.
Even Barry’s brother, a roofer, gifted them with a new roof to replace their leaky old one.
Insurance covers a portion of the medical bills, but not everything Karen says.
For example, Kriste adds, the co-pay to the oncologist is $30 a visit, and during her own illness she would have to visit several times a week. She also had an anti-nausea pill that cost $75 per pill, $32 of which was not covered. Scans and other tests are only covered partially by insurance.
Taxes have put Karen and Barry even further behind, and a 2006 emergency shoulder surgery and a CAT scan for Barry have also set them back financially.
"I always think there are people so much far worse off than we are. I don’t like to complain. I am thankful for what we have," Karen says.

Religion of the Heart

When her scans come back "pretty good," Karen has not given up asking her doctor whether she is in remission.
She believes in miracles, after all.
"He just shakes his head and says no, you are not in remission. I will probably not be in remission because the breast cancer has set up shop in the bones."
And so Karen is thankful to still be here, wowing even her doctor with her survival and strong will to live.
"I am coming up to my three-year anniversary (of being diagnosed) in August, and my doctor just gets a grin on his face. I have excelled a little bit, and I think attitude has a lot to do with it. He tells me I am his star pupil. I guess I came further than he thought I would."

If We Help One Another

Even if you’re not hitting the road for FreakFest this year, you can still help in a number of ways.
Fundraising organizers Teresa Chyzie of Ontario, and Linda McGary of North Carolina have put together a Breakfast Bash in Milwaukee during the week of the concerts.
It takes place Saturday, May 10th, from 9 a.m. till noon, at the Ramada City Center and will include a raffle for a number of Rick-related merchandise and other prizes donated by fans. Some of the merchandise has been signed by Rick.
Tickets cost $26 apiece and you don’t even need to plan to attend to purchase a ticket. You’ll feel almost as full and satisfied even if you pass on the pancakes, by donating to a good cause. But they do hope to see you there.

Tickets for the Breakfast Bash can be purchased via Paypal using the e-mail address rsfanforever@rogers.com. Please put Breakfast Bash in the subject line when submitting your payment.

Tickets for the online raffle for Rick’s concert-worn shirt are being handled by Virginia resident Lynne Sims and can be purchased via Paypal using the e-mail address karma1@comcast.net. Raffle tickets are $25 apiece or 3 for $65. Please put SHIRT in the subject line when submitting your payment. Please do not use the word “raffle.”

For those wishing simply to donate any amount of money to help the MVTH and Karen Pearson, donate via Paypal using the e-mail address rsfanforever@rogers.com, and put HOPE in the subject line. Please do not use the word “donation.”

Teresa, who is organizing the Milwaukee fundraiser for the fifth year in a row, says that the amount of support the fan fundraisers have increasingly garnered from Rick’s management is much appreciated.
“He’s usually really good with us every year. He has even spent time autographing piles of items backstage to help us out in the past,” she says.
“The fans that come out to Milwaukee feel like family. They come from all over the world — Germany, England, Scotland... it’s so much fun.”
The response to this year’s fundraiser has been low, Teresa admits, but they hope to rally a good measure of support in the next month prior to the kickoff of the FreakFest. Rick Springfield’s concerts are slated nightly at Potowatami Casino from May 6th to the 10th.
Helping publicize the fundraiser along with organizing fan activities during the week is Milwaukee resident Carey Bartosch, herself a breast cancer survivor of 16 years.
“Many of us can’t work on a grand scale of saving everyone with cancer, but I can help one, especially one who is a fan in Rick,” Carey says.
“I’m married, have four kids, work hard for my money and have little to spare — but what better place to put it?”

For information on Rick Springfield’s Milwaukee and other tour dates, go to http://www.rickspringfield.com/.

The writer of this article encourages anybody that wants to run it on a website, blog or group to please help spread the word. To have the story e-mailed to you in an MS Word file please contact krdurrie@telus.net.
Karen Durrie is a freelance writer and Rick Springfield fan living in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Lots of tv time for Rick this week! While waiting for that next tour date, tune in to one of the TV apperances.


VH1 Classic Presents: Now '80s
VH1 Classic channel
Tues April 15th 7pm est
Wed April 16th 12am est, 2pm est

If you missed, you still have a few chances to catch it!

A new TV appearance for Rick. A one hour special featuring videos from the songs on the new "NOW That's What I Call The '80s!" compilation CD. Rick performs Jessie's Girl in an acoustical format.


The Greatest: 100 Greatest Songs of the 80's (20-1)
VH1C
Thurs April 17th 7pm est
Fri April 18th 2:30am est
Sat April 19th 7pm est

(Jessie's Girl checks in at #20)



Biography-Linda Blair
BIO
Sat April 19th 1pm est
Sun April 20th 4am est

Rick discusses his relationship with Linda Blair in the 70's.






A Change of Place
LMN
Sat April 19th 12pm est

Directed by Donna Deitch. Starring Andrea Roth, Rick Springfield, Geordie Johnson, Stephanie Beacham, Ian Richardson, Viktoria Kerekes.

A shy student trades identities with her flashy twin, a top fashion model with a dark secret. A.k.a. 'Harlequin's 'A Change of Place'.' 108 minutes- NR, USA, 1994

Monday, April 7, 2008

Rick Springfield in NV OR UT?

April 5th 2008
Wendover NV/UT
Peppermill Casino

Review by Mufi Hayes
Photo by Allycen Farnsworth

Short review...
Wendover NV/UT. The Montego Bay hotel parking lotg is in Utah, the casino is in Nevada. The building actually straddles the state line!

The Peppermill concert hall is in Nevada. It is still a gorgeous venue. Not a bad seat in the house really as it is a smaller venue. The floor seats have very cushy chairs I'd say smaller than Verona venue was.

Rick came out in a really cool leather jacket with studding (or were those chains) on the back.
He just nailed right into WKKR. He kept the jacket on for at least three songs. Extremely playful, he did seem short of breath the first few songs. Mentioned the fact he was, something about the high altitude. Then said he felt high and wanted to know if everyone felt the same way. HaHa! It looked to me from third row to the left on George's side that he had a great time. The band played well and also had a great time. Matt B. had what to me
looks like a new bass. A fine metallic grey color. Almost like grey pearl. The songs just rocked. He forgot the words a couple of times but I will chalk that up to him laughing or lack of oxygenation due to the high altitutde.

During DTTS, he did venture into the audience, sat on the poor security guard's knee like a "ventriloquist's dummy" and finally cojolled him into singing by saying he'd sing with him. :) He used someone's cell phone in the audience during an energetic audience romp during which he played My Generation. It was someone's
husband....who actually stayed on the phone ! Rick did tell him he had his wife's phone, a you-know-what and that he knew how to use it! Scamp! That he was with a few thousand people and we'd all be over in an hour for pizza and beer.

The altitude must have gotten to him becauce it did take a bit longer than usual for him to come out for the encore, or he spruced up to look good in the new WKKR t-shirt available at the Merch table. He looks good pimping his own shirt! hahaha!

The show was well worth flying out to see. Not to mention the food available at the Montego Bay is very good as well.

If I think of anything else, I'll comment.

- Mufi from New England

I have in my hot, little hands George B's set list from Wendover, NV show 4/5/2008
Who Killed
It's Always Something
Affair
Allyson
I've Done
Rock of Life
Kristina (which I do not think they did. I think they skipped it)
Red House
Strangers
(Medley)
Love Somebody - (head set aud.)
My Generation
Human Touch
Jessies Girl
______________
Wasted (which was NOT done in favor of doing I'll Make You Happy)
Love is Alright
( Hey! That's how the song titles were written on the set list! :)

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Rick Springfield debuts in Hard to Hold, 24 years ago

Twenty Four years ago today, Rick Springfield made his Big Screen debut in Hard to Hold.
In celebration of that, we have added several Hard to Hold related articles to the Biography section at rickspringfieldandus.




Saturday, April 5, 2008

Rick Rocks Scottsdale

Scottsdale, AZ
Casino Arizona
March 31, 2008
Review and photo by Laurie Bennett

Monday, yes Monday. What an odd day to have a show. I was actually worried that Rick might be a bit tired out from the 3 shows he did back east in the previous 4 days, but apparently all he needed was one day off to recharge. Sure wish I had his energy after traveling to shows like he does.
The venue was beautiful, and I must say the casino staff tried exceptionally hard (and succeeded) at making sure all the fans were well taken care of for the show experience. Even though the show was General Admission, apparently there was still some confusion as whether those who purchased tickets through Access were going to be let in first. Several people were involved in getting the line to work, and despite the confusion I found it to be handled generally well in the end. The theater reminded me very much of a mini Pottawatomie, with the same table and booth set up (like Dinner Theater style). The merchandise booth had the new Who Killed Rock N Roll grey t-shirts for sale, and I was thrilled to buy one. I was told they weren't even supposed to be available that night, but at the last minute someone grabbed them. They only had sizes Small, XL and XXL for sale (I don't know if that was just for this show or not). The chairs at the tables were quite squished together, so there wasn’t much room for standing up and dancing. The stage was fairly low and had a great black background with hundreds of tiny lights that changed color throughout the evening, adding to the mood. I don’t remember what time Rick came on stage, but it seemed to be close to the scheduled start time. He walked out on stage with a new (to me) black leather coat that I found to be so handsome on him, black sleeveless shirt, grey jeans and his boots and immediately went into Who Killed Rock N Roll. It wasn’t too far into that first song that he noticed my friend’s mom, practically squinting up her face from the loudness of the sound. We saw that he had noticed her and already knew she was in for a surprise that night. When he began to play the opening chords for Itsalwayssomething, I got really excited, especially since he had asked the fans in sound check to vote on if he should play that song (the other choice was Will I? and we unanimously voted for IAS). He walked onto several of the front tables during the show, and the fans had to be fast if they didn't want a beer to end up in their lap. He did several rose explosions (two from the stage, and at least one from a fan) and a guitar toss, but no smash.
When it came time for Don't Talk to Strangers, he headed right for my friend's mom. Try as he could, he was unsuccessful to get her to sing. She froze up and got really shy, so after several attempts he let her off the hook. Then he went further into the audience, and when someone else played along, he pointed back to her and said, "that’s how you do it!" One girl instead sang "I love Rick Springfield", fairly in tune and to the rhythm of the song, and he said "hey, who said you could change the words?" When he was in the audience for Love Somebody, someone grabbed his butt and he turned around to face the guilty party, who was wildly being pointed out as the one by all her friends. He commented – "ah, always the red heads! They’re wild. My first girlfriend was a red head!" He did the cell phone bit, and talked to a girl’s husband. When Rick said something about his wife and a rubber, the guy hung up! Well, Rick decided to call back. So then he said, I was only kidding about before. I don’t use rubbers!!!
It was interesting to me to see how much this show ended up different from what was written on the set list. The plan was: Who Killed Rock N Roll, Itsalwayssomething, Affair of the Heart, Allyson, I've Done Everything for You, Kristina, Living in Oz, Red House, Don't Talk to Strangers, Medley, Love Somebody, Jesus Saves, My Generation, Human Touch, Jessie's Girl, and then Wasted and Love is Alright tonight for the encore.
Well, the first 7 songs went as written. Then instead of Red House, he did Crossroad Blues, then he asked for requests! Several people shouted out songs, and then he specified, "no not my songs, songs we might not know!" He heard Jeff Buckley, and started with "Hallelujah"; to which the girl shouted a specific song, but he hadn't heard of it. He played another snippet of something I cant' remember, then played a bit of the Davy Crocket theme show song! Then he treated us with Inside Silvia (with him singing the OOOOh part, and the audience singing "Silvia"). After DTTS, he did the medley and Love Somebody. While roadie George was strapping on Rick's wireless mic, Matt got behind George II and then George I got behind Matt, with one big guy hug. It was really funny. Then Roger started playing on drums, and Rick stood there with his arms folded, mock mad, while Rogee had his "drum solo". He skipped Jesus Saves but did do MG and HT, and back on stage for Jessie's girl. During this song, several girls jumped up on stage and ran to hang on to Rick, but Ronnie was there to pick them off. After one girl grabbed him, Rick replied, "I sure hope that wasn't George on me!" I was thrilled when he returned for the encore, because he shouted “Happy” to each individual band member, and then playing I'll Make you Happy instead of Wasted. He finished the evening with a God Bless you guys and lots of grabbing of hands, and even a kiss on the head of a particularly happy girl in the front row who was so excited during the show I thought she was going to burst.

Rock The Boat with Rick Springfield

By Vanessa Franko

Here's a riddle for you:
What's better than listening to Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl" lounging by the pool?
Listening to Rick Springfield play a reggae version of "Jessie's Girl" on a cruise with him, rocker John Waite, and soap stars Jackie Zeman, Kimberly McCullough and Doug Davidson.
That's right--you can be on a cruise with Rick Springfield.

It leaves from Miami on Nov. 13 and runs through Nov. 17. There will be Rick Springfield concerts, Q&As, karaoke, trivia and oh so much more.
"We're trying to make is something really, really special," Springfield said in a telephone interview Thursday.
He said when other artists play cruises, they parachute in and out. Not Rick, he promimsed to be there for the full thing, but don't expect him on the shuffleboard court. (Is it a court? I don't even know).
"I don't think I'll ever be old enough to play shuffleboard," he laughed.
Seriously, shuffleboard players probably don't listen to Springfield's favorite bands, which include desert rockers Queens of the Stone Age, Tool, System of a Down, Deftones and the Foo Fighters.
I asked him if he happened to catch the video for the Foo Fighters' "Long Road to Ruin," in which Dave Grohl plays a doctor on a soap opera who has a big singing career (hmmn, that sounds like someone else I know, Dr. Noah Drake, a.k.a. RICK SPRINGFIELD--cue the dramatic music).
He said no, but laughed when I told him the premise.
For more information about Rick Springfield and the cruise, visit his Web site.
If you don't want to travel thousands of miles to see Dr. Noah Drake rock out, you can also catch him at Morongo Casino Sunday night.

Rick Coming to Morongo

By Vanessa Franko
The Press-Enterprise

The inspiration of relationships has never been lost on Rick Springfield.
The trials and tribulations of couples have spawned some of the soap-opera star's biggest hits, such as the Grammy-winning ditty "Jessie's Girl," an iconic song from 1981 about coveting a friend's main squeeze.
The pop star, who is playing Morongo Casino on Sunday, said his new album, due out later this spring, continues to delve into the emotional territory.

"They're relationship songs, basically. They always have been," Springfield said in a recent telephone interview. "They're hopefully a little deeper than the relationship songs I was writing when I was 30 years old, and I think they are."
Springfield, 58, rose to stardom in 1981, playing Dr. Noah Drake on the popular soap opera "General Hospital."
His album "Working Class Dog," featuring the aforementioned "Jessie's Girl,"came out later that year and sold more than 1 million records by the end of the year. Follow-up albums spawned other big hits for Springfield, including "Don't Talk to Strangers" and "Affair of the Heart."
After taking time off to spend with his family through the 1990s, Springfield released "Karma" in 1999 and has been releasing music steadily since.
Springfield said the new record has come together faster than anything he's ever done.
While he's written most of the songs in his catalog on his own, Springfield has been working on the new record with bassist Matt Bissonette.
"I've written with other people and most of the time it really doesn't amount to much, you know, it's just a song you would have written by yourself anyway," he said. "But sometimes you meet somebody who you create a third mind with and I think that's what's happening with Matt."
Some of the songs on the upcoming disc were inspired by Sahara Aldridge, a young girl who Springfield knew since she was 5 years old. In 2006, at the age of 11, Aldridge was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on her brain stem. She died in November.
"It hit us all really hard, so that came out in a few songs," he said.
Despite working on the new album, he said only one of the songs, "Who Killed Rock 'N' Roll," which debuted on "General Hospital" last year, would be in the set list, which features tunes spanning Springfield's catalog, as well as "songs from my childhood and songs with just me on the guitar," he said.
"We try to vary the set as much as we can," he added.
Reach Vanessa Franko at 951-368-9575,
vfranko@PE.com
www.myspace.com/Audio_File or www.PE.com/blogs/music

The tour dates for Rick Springfield keep rolling in....


More new tour dates posted http://www.rickspringfield.com/
Photo from: Kettering OH 7/06

05.31.08
Orange Beach, AL
Amphitheater at the Wharf

06.20.08
Detroit, MI
River Days Festival

06.21.08
Cherokee, NC
Harrah's Cherokee Pavilion
07.18.08
Kettering, OH
Fraze Pavilion

08.14.08
Tulsa, OK
Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino

Thursday, April 3, 2008

New Tour Dates for Rick Springfield

New tour dates posted on http://www.rickspringfield.com/


05.30.08
St. Petersburg, FL
Vinoy Park - Taste of Pinellas

06.27.08
Prior Lake, MN
Mystic Casino

06.28.08
Interlochen, MI
Interlochen Center for the Arts

photo: Clearwater Fl 2006

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Updated TV listings for Rick Springfield

Even if you didn't get to catch Rick live and in person last weekend, you have a few chances to catch him on the small screen.


The Greatest: 100 Greatest Songs of the 80's (20-1)
VH1C
Sat April 5th 8pm est

(Jessie's Girl checks in at #20)


RICK SPRINGFIELD - LIVE AT THE CORONADO THEATRE

HDNET
Sun April 6th 8pm Est
Mon April 7th 2am est
Rick Springfield, the teen heartthrob who has sold over 17 million albums, is captured live in front of a sold-out concert at the legendary Coronado Theatre in Rockford, Illinois. Rick rips through a catalogue of 17 Top 40 hits from "Jessie's Girl", to "Affair of The Heart" and "Love Somebody". Turn up the volume and sit back and sing along with all the hits from the 80's.