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/
