Rose Music Center
Huber Heights, OH
September 16, 2017
Review & photos by Laurie Bedigian
Saturday was a perfect evening in Huber Heights,
Ohio. A perfect night for a three hour
road trip to see Rick Springfield at the Rose Music Center that is. The Rose Music Center is a fairly new but
intimate outdoor venue near Dayton, Ohio.
The show was originally scheduled for a Friday in May
but Rick had to reschedule due to illness.
And boy, was it ever worth the wait!
The night began with a set from the Ohio based 80’s
band, Stranger. The crowd was really
enthusiastic and the band was very well received.
Then came the best part of the night – Rick and his
band took the stage around 9 pm after the usual video show which showcased
pretty much his entire career.
This show was different in that Rick was unable to
play the guitar due to an injury which ended with surgery to repair a torn
tendon. So he came out in the usual
summer shorts and black shirt and danced and sang the night away. Rick was all over the stage and he seemed to
be having a great time. He smiled and joked,
sharing stories with the audience. Honestly,
I think this was the best full band show I’ve ever seen – and I’ve been seeing
Rick live for over 30 years.
The band played the usual songs, opening with “Light
This Party Up” followed by “I’ve Done Everything for you” and “I Get
Excited.” Rick included probably my
favorite song from “Rocket Science” – “Down,” in the early part of the show.
The night continued with so many favorites, including
“Affair of the Heart,” “Love is Alright,” “Human Touch,” and “Love Somebody.”
As usual, Rick pulled some adorable kids on stage for
“Don’t Talk to Strangers.” For me, that
part of the show never gets old. And
Rick really seems to enjoy interacting with the kids. He actually commented that he loves “animals
and kids” more than anything. And who
can blame him?
The evening ended with two encores - “Jessie’s Girl”
and “Kristina.” Although everyone wanted
more, it was clear that Rick was exhausted by the end of the show.
