Rick Springfield performed in front of a sold-out crowd at the beautiful Pala Casino Starlight Theater last Saturday. The 60-year-old actor and musician ran onto the stage singing his song "Mr. PC," with an energy level of a 20-year-old , many of whom probably couldn’t keep up.
Springfield’s guitar playing was impressive as he performed "Affair of the Heart," slamming a bunch of red roses against his guitar and spattering petals onto the stage and into the crowd. It’s a wonder why he’s underrated as a guitarist; he played vigorously, throwing and spinning his guitar without much effort.
After 25 years, Springfield's voice sounds remarkable. He performed most of his hits, and the crowd was singing and dancing along. Springfield sang "Love Somebody," from the movie Hard to Hold, just as aggressively as he did in the movie. All of his music sounds better when performed live. Springfield aims to please his fans and he did just that; climbing over rows of seats, he went through the crowd, having fans sing the verses of "Don't Talk to Strangers," truly giving them their money's worth.
The final song was Springfield's megahit “Jessie’s Girl.” He teased the crowd with an intro to the song, then finally played the first chord. In an interview before the show, Springfiled blamed "sexual angst" for hi motiviation to write the iconic '80s classic. Pala Casino was the perfect place for this show' concert-goers had nice views of the stage, and the sound was impeccable. Springfield radiated in the light as he performed the encore“Kristina” topless -- with women screaming and men staring at the 60-year-old’s flat nearly six-pack-ed stomach. It was final memorable moment of a memorable evening.
