August 6, 2011
Thackerville, OK
Review by Anna Cheshire
Photo by Renata Hearn
Just over the Texas state line is a gambling Mecca called Thackerville, OK. It is large, more than a little gaudy, and on Saturday, August 6, it was hot as hell and crawling with Rick Springfield fans.
The first thing I will say about this venue is that if you come, bring a good pair of hiking boots. The casino is exactly one mile long from entrance to end with the auditorium being a fairly good hike from the hotel and lobby area.
The other information you should know in advance is, as with most casinos, there are 3 rows reserved for various VIPs roped off at the front of the stage. The first row is not REALLY the first row. It is the 4th row. The good news is that if you don’t have a ticket for that section, you are not getting in. Thus no jeopardy of those from the back haphazardly mowing down those in the front during the mad I-just-have-to-get-two-inches-closer-to-Rick-I-don’t-care-who-I-kill-or-maim-in-the-process stage rush we are all so familiar with. The bad news is, many fans have to watch great seats being occupied by people who are lukewarm (at best) about seeing Rick. It’s a win-win, a lose-lose, or a win-lose situation depending on your personal preference.
I was happy with my 4th row seat and enjoyed the opportunity to watch not only the Rick show, but the fan show in front of the stage as well. It’s kind of like a surreal double-feature minus the popcorn. But if you are a real stickler for being pressed up against the stage, this might not be your venue.
The show began with the film montage and fans cheered as the various moments of Rick’s career danced across two large screens on opposite sides of the stage. I liked both the film and the screens. A cameraman followed the action of the show so every fan had a close up view from beginning to end.
The film ended, the stage darkened (it was so dark, Matt got an escort from a guard with a flashlight to his place) and Rick strolled out.
After sporting shorts, sweat pants, shirts that may have never, in fact, seen an iron, and what I can only describe as his YMCA shower shoes during the weekend’s sound checks, I was pleased to see Rick all dressed up in black stretchy jeans, a black shirt (later to be discovered as sleeveless) and a black jacket with a very cool burgundy lining. Pretty common stage apparel, but way better than the afore mentioned glorified pajamas.
Rick was his powerful and energetic self as he launched into WKRR. I think some of the less than excited VIPs who were sitting down in front got under Rick’s skin a little. I caught him on more than one occasion bending down to flick picks at their heads. I understood his frustration, but really, what a sad waste to a perfectly good pick.
The show continued with AOTH followed by (to my great delight) LIO. Rick did have a lyric malfunction on the first chorus singing, "I’ll throw it all away of that’s what you want me to do" rather than, "it took a lot out of me it took a lot out of you." He also sang, "sometimes the dream can rape you" rather than "wake you" as he often does live. I prefer wake you…but that’s more because I am a purist when it comes to the religious experience that LIO is for me. Potatoes PoTATOes…moving on…
Rick removes his jacket to thunderous applause and great whooping and says, "Hey! It’s 108 degrees outside!!" Unfortunately, he was not exaggerating.
Next, he tells us again that, "I did not write this song, but WE like the guy who did." As he launches into Paul McCartney’s "Jet", I wonder two things. 1) Who is "WE"? Is that the royal we – as in I am Rick Springfield, this is my kingdom, and I dig this song and will forever sing it? Or is there someone else in the band who likes "Jet"? and 2) WHY MUST YOU SING THIS SONG? I personally love Sir Paul. And I know for a fact he’s got way better songs than "Jet." But then I’d just as soon hear the Hokey Pokey. So maybe I’m a little biased.
Rick did two songs from what he called the "new album", Venus in Overdrive: VIO and VS. He had a cute bit when he introduced the new songs. He said that he knows people try to get up and go pee while the new stuff is being played. "But", he said, "you never know. I might go" then he banged out the first licks of JG. He continued to tease the audience with that well-known riff all night until he finally played it as the last song before the encore.
After the first verse of IGE, he did some heavy breathing then said, "Was that good for you? It was for me. I need a cigarette!"
Following IDEFY, Rick threw the brown "Pleasure" Fender guitar into the air. His reach came up a little short, and the falling instrument passed through his fingers and onto the floor. Rick looked at George N. and asked, "Alright?" George apparently felt it was just fine because Rick said something like, "I love Telecasters. You can fuck them up and they’ll still play."
Rick also managed to have some fun at the audience’s expense. He pointed towards the crowd and said, "There are a couple of people sitting down thinking, ‘Who the fuck is this? This isn’t Noah Drake!’ Yes it is!"
He saw a sign, not a very intelligent sign based on his comments, that had some fan’s room number written amid some flashing lights. Rick said, "There’s a lot of psychos here who now know your room number. They’re gonna call you up tonight and say, ‘Saw your room number. Can me and my friend come up? We got some meth. You wanna get wild and loopy?’" I’m not entirely sure what was funnier…what Rick actually said or the creepy hillbilly voice he said it in. Anyway, most people would have gotten the hint, but the girls in question held the sign up again. Rick, chuckled and said, "So she put it right back up AGAIN! I saw the room number. I got it." I’m thinking they are still waiting for him to show up,.
DTTS provided Rick more audience fodder. The first security guard he chose to sing, Don, absolutely refused to sing. Rick later referred to him as a "douche."
A woman at the front of the stage actually took the mic from Rick’s hand. Rick said, "Someone wants to take over the show."
After a brief delay, the woman sang out, "Don’t talk to sexy rock stars." She explained to Rick that her husband made that up.
With sarcasm and fake astonishment, Rick basically said, "Really? You didn’t get professional help writing that?"
Rick also had a good little rant about Matt (who left the stage during DTTS to go to the bathroom.) Upon noticing Matt’s absence and subsequently discovering where he was, Rick threatened to dock his pay saying, "I’m paying him for 90 minutes!" He also tried to get the cameraman to follow him into the restroom. Thankfully, the camera was not cordless, so Matt was saved from Rick’s visual intrusions. However, Rick did scream out, "How’s everything going in there?"
About that time, Matt came back out and took his place on stage. Poor Matt. Must be hard to work for such a tyrant.
And, as usual, Rick picked on himself while discussing the finer aspects of the film Hard to Hold and the television show Californication. He asked the audience if his butt should have won an academy award. Most agreed, by applause, that it certainly should have.
Rick finished up the show by playing a powerful and well-loved JG and introducing the band. He exited the stage for about 4 minutes then returned shirtless for the two-song encore: Human Touch (during which he ventured out into the audience) and Kristina.
The show ended on a high, and the fans seemed quite pleased with his efforts on their behalf. Of course, everyone had to take the death march back to the hotel…but that’s another story for another day.
Overall, not the best show I’ve ever seen, but with the highlights including LIO, his amazing and soulful Red House, and the line, "Let’s party like it’s 1981" before singing LIAT, it was a very worthwhile and memorable experience. I’d do it again tomorrow.
Set List
Who Killed Rock and Roll
Affair of the Heart
Living in Oz
Jet
Victoria’s Secret
I Get Excited
Medley …
Bop "Til You Drop
Celebrate Youth
Calling All Girls
Jessie’s Girl quick tease riff
Don’t Walk Away
State of the Heart
What Kind of Fool Am I
I’ve Done Everything for You
Venus in Overdrive
Rock of Life
Love Is Alright Tonite
Red House
Don’t Talk to Strangers
Love Somebody
Jessie’s Girl
Encore
Human Touch
Kristina
"An Affair of the Heart: 