REO Speedwagon and Rick Springfield are Back on the Road Again, rocking it out old school in Charleston, West Virginia.
Opening to a full house of a little over 5,000 concertgoers, Dauzat St. Marie, is a seasoned singer-songwriter combo with catchy tunes. The power duo played for a solid twenty minutes and lulled the crowd with their soothing, tight harmonies.
After a brief stage changeover, Rick Springfield stormed the stage and didn’t stop his high-energy non-stop show for the next sixty-five minutes. The crowd stayed on their feet and was fully enthralled by the 74-year-old entertainer the entire time. “Affairs of the Heart” was the lead single from the 1983 Living in Oz album and had everyone singing along with every single word. Rick teased the audience with a snippet from “867-5309/Jenny” before singing “That song isn’t mine” and then a short chorus of “Jessie’s Girl” and “Don’t Walk Away.” To end “Love is Alright Tonight,” Rick picks up a bouquet of red roses and slaps them against his guitar strings sending an explosion of red petals all over the stage. He then proceeded to talk about his lifelong struggle with depression and the the song he wrote to help him with his fight. “World Start Turning” is a driving song and a modern power ballad of sorts. The attendees were in lockstep with the driving beat with hands clapping in the air and singing along to the entire song.Rick couldn’t help but tear up at the end. Next up, was a swanky, slow-moving dirty groove, “The Voodoo House,” with a back-and-forth crowd sing-along. A few songs later, Rick commenced a man versus woman battle before an all-inclusive belt out of everyone in attendance of the 80s mega-hit “Don’t Talk to Strangers.” During “Human Touch,” Rick came off stage and interacted with his fans from one side of the arena to the other. He shook hands, gave hugs, and showed a true appreciation to those in attendance. Once back on the stage, the lights went out and the video screen came to life with a plethora of stars singing “Jessie’s Girl” before a shirtless Rick came back on stage to sing this signature song to everyone’s delight. He left it all on the stage and was a perpetual ball of non-stop movement from start to finish. What an amazing energy and show.
Following almost 25 minutes in between bands, the large, simplistic, wide-open stage was a refreshing view. The Videotron behind the drum set wasn’t overdone and seemed a perfect size. REO Speedwagon took and commanded the stage. The band was formed in 1967 and released their first album, R.E.O. Speedwagon, in 1971 and they have been a musical force for the past 50+ years. Known for melodic rock and power ballads with soaring harmonies, those in attendance were held captivated as the band worked its way through their many hits. One of their opening hits,”Take It On The Run,” didn’t disappoint and the vocals set the tone for the next hour and a half. The video screen takes you on an emotional visual journey with each song. In true 80s fashion, “Tough Guys” was full of screeching guitars and was from the band’s wildly popular Hi Infidelity album released in 1980. The album will be 45 years old next year. “I Wish You Were There” has that power ballad feel and the video screen took us through a calming hot air balloon ride.Kevin Cronin introduced the band’s lead guitar player for the last 35 years, Dave Amato. Afterward, “Music Man” visually took you to the Chicago waterfront. Next up, the honky-tonk style boogie-woogie song “Son of a Poor Man” had it all with a killer guitar solo, tight groove, and a smokin’ piano solo. Kevin went on to introduce Captain Caffeine, Derek Hilland, who was the keyboard/pianist recommended to the band by no other than Rick Springfield. Derek sat down and started playing “Can’t Fight This Feeling.” With a starry, cosmic background, the cell phones lit up and swayed back and forth to the music as the masses sang along to one of the band’s biggest hits. Once the song was done, Kevin proceeded to talk about their travels around the world and said, “With all of our travels around the world, nothing like setting foot in America. We have to find common political ground as we are the land of the free, the home of the brave right here” and “We’re in Golden Country.” Old style Hammond keys start playing and were a great old school throwback, accompanied by swirling bass guitar, bass drums and cymbals, and a bendy guitar madness. Wah-wah, crunchy guitar with screaming dive screeches and fantastic Hammond solos set the tone for the ending drum solo. The group really hit jam band status on this song. Then to a throwback to 80s piped woodwinds and bass guitar intros as “Time For Me To Fly” lights up the coliseum again with a cell phone glow. REO hit their vocal stride here and show they haven’t missed a beat in 45 years. Ending with powerful growling guitars, “Ridin’ the Storm Out” was the perfect ending.
Those in attendance went on an emotional musical rollercoaster tonight from the vocally soothing Dauzat St. Marie to the pure energy of Rick Springfield, and then to the perfect harmonies of REO Speedwagon. This concert will be talked about for some time to come.
REO SPEEDWAGON
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RICK SPRINGFIELD
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