As you can tell from my post on Friday, I’ve been a little overwhelmed lately. I took a time out and it was good. I was lucky enough to end a crap week with a much needed and long-time planned Girls Night Out with some fabulous chicks and 80’s heartthrob and rock star, Rick Springfield!
GNO with Rick – The ticket and the friends – me with Laurie (top) and Josie’s girls (bottom)
Few things can make a bad week better than a night out with your oldest friend on the planet (Laurie) and one of your newest (and super fun) friends (Josie)! It really became a GNO when Josie’s friends Julie, Denise, Claudia and Leticia joined us. Many of these ladies had seen Rick live before and let us know that were really in for a treat…and they were absolutely right.
Time has been really good to Rick Springfield – the man is 64 years old and can rock the house HARD! He also looks damned good doing it too. Wanna see Rick shirtless?
You’re welcome. Images: C. DellaRipa & thevalentineRD.com
I was floored not only with how amazing and energetic the performance was but the set list (yes, Josie got the set list from the stage) surprised me:
Josie with the set list.
Image: Claudia DellaRipa
I couldn’t believe how many songs I remembered (with YouTube links should you need them):
I’ve Done Everything For You (my favorite)
I expected the show to be a refresher but not to the magnitude of 9 hits! Not only were the hits plentiful and fabulous but the covers were amazing AND the new material was really quite good!
There were two surprises to the evening, one good and one bad. The bad one sucked but the good one was really good! I’ll start with the good.
The Good Surprise
For those of you who dismiss Rick Springfield as an 80’s faux pop/rock has been, you’re dead wrong.
- First, look above at the number of hits above (that have also held up well over time).
- Second, if Rick is cool enough for Dave Grohl of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, he should be cool enough for you!
Dave and Rick performing “The Man That Never Was“
Dave and Rick collaborated on the song “The Man That Never Was” for the documentary, “Sound City” that Grohl directed about the Van Nuys, CA recording studio of the same name. The two performed the song together on Friday night and it was amazing! Grohl was also incredibly gracious and greeted fans at the bar after the show.
The Bad Surprise
Laurie and I had VIP backstage passes to meet Rick (which was so very good) but it didn’t happen (which was so very, very bad).
Proof of VIP status
Through no fault of my friend or Rick’s (with sincere thanks to RS and his associates who were kind enough to make the VIP passes available), this meeting didn’t happen…but it will one of these days. For 5 years, Laurie and Rick have had a working relationship but never met. This meeting is destined to happen in the future because not only has Laurie been a fan since she was 10 years old but her boss’s name is Jesse, making Laurie truly, “Jesse’s Girl”….and Rick wants her, right?
Laurie, the true “Jesse’s Girl”
Despite the disappointing end, the night was a great one. Great music and fantastic company. I’d definitely go to see Rick Springfield perform again because the man gives one kick-ass show! I know there was a little more “Human Touch” wanted but here’s putting it out into the universe for “Jesse’s Girl” and her well known musical creator to meet sometime in the future (I couldn’t resist the puns, I’m sorry).
Disclaimer: As a blogger, I’m required to disclose if I ever receive anything for free in product or service. Although both Laurie and I had already purchased tickets to the concert, we had no idea that Rick Springfield and his generous team were furnishing complimentary admission to the show in addition to the VIP backstage passes for us. Even though backstage access was never granted (through no fault of RS or his team), let this serve as a sincere thank you to RS and his team for the very kind gesture.
For funsies (and without Googling the answer), do you know who wrote the song “I’ve Done Everything For You” ? It may surprise you.
Oh no! I can’t believe you didn’t get to meet him! What a bummer! Looks like you still had a fun time! 🙂
Love this post! While I am not sure I could be considered a Rick fan, I definitely enjoy his music and was blown away with his performance at the Sound City show. Now, Dave Grohl…that’s a whole other party. Thanks for sharing!!
I love Rick and always have. I’m so bummed for you that you didn’t get to meet him!
It was still fun indeed. I’m hoping there will be a next time though.
I get it. I’m a convert though. Will have to see Dave and the Foo’s one of these days too.
He was pretty awesome. I’m hoping that there will be a future meet but we’ll see!
There is always next time! You’ll get to meet him!
I would have been totally psyched for the duo with Dabe Grohl!!! That is awesome. Bummer you weren’t able to meet him but looks like you had so many other highlights. Very cool!!!
It was a pretty amazing night overall.
Great blog post Melissa! So bummed you two didn’t get to meet Rick. Why wasn’t backstage access granted for you when you had passes?
Debbie, I’m still trying to figure that out. Security kept us waiting (despite our passes) and then Rick left the venue. :(.