"The Human Feel" .... Rick Springfield said on stage to pardon him as he jumped off stage and walked through the aisle to meet people... He said he needed the human feel tonight, he came up the aisles and stopped at Row I, I had already taken my seat from the earlier photo ops (working with a fellow professional photographer Christian Stewart) and now I was a few feet from him in the next row (J) where he was fondly greeting people and stepped up on the row seats so others could see him, grasping a hand was a young lady he turned and looked at me. After spending some time during the early part of the performance with photo access at stage side, it was now a photo opportunity that neither he or I expected but says a lot about the human side of the man who has given a blessed career to be a part of the American Rock n Roll history.
Rick Springfield is still a class act/performer .. we learned a lot about Rick tonight .. he ran through his career in chronological speed .. some still see him as a Doctor on General Hospital but what you left with was his passion to come to America from Australia to play his guitar, write music and to make a contribution in the history of American Rock n Roll. His love for Rock, Blues and Country bled through the night. After all the photo ops of the evening Rick jumped off stage to get the Chattanooga human feel. I had rested my camera, then here he came to the row where I was sitting enjoying his story/music. The crowd meets him in the aisle, he stand in the seats in the row ahead of me. He turns his head towards me... I met him after the performance and he signed my Rick Springfield special edition electric guitar.
The most moving parts of his performance was the way he recaptured his life from childhood to his current ongoing career. A military kid from Australia, his father serving in the Australia military and the family moved every two years during his school years. Playing his first guitar at age 11, he connected with lifelong friends who fueled his music interest. The videography projection added some memorable highlights to his past. The relocations, travel, playing in bands in his teens and making his move to America in the 70’s. His passion of writing music led him to the San Francisco psychedelic scene writing with other artists as he tried to make a mark on the American music scene. During his career he was an accomplished musician, singer, songwriter and also a notable actor from award winning Soap “General Hospital” to other movie screen roles.
The most moving part of the night was talking about his 95-year-old mother still supportive and the memories of his Dad. He shared a tearful song “My Father's Chair” he wrote as a tribute to the family rock. The large crowd gave him a standing ovation as he wiped tears from his face. In addition to his catalogue of hits and debut of new material, afterwards he responded to questions/answers from the stage. A delightful Kim Carson, co-host on the morning show at WDEF Sunny 92.3 radio with (James Howard), assisted in the personal engagement with Rick and various members of the audience.
Over the past three decades, Rick Springfield has worn many hats as an entertainer and performer. The creator of some of the finest power-pop of the ’80s, he’s a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and musician who has sold 25 million albums and scored 17 U.S. Top 40 hits, including “Jessie’s Girl,” “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” “An Affair of the Heart,” “I've Done Everything for You,” “Love Somebody,” and “Human Touch.” He’s an accomplished actor who most recently starred opposite Meryl Streep in the feature film Ricki and the Flash and gave a chameleonic performance as the creepy Dr. Pitlor in HBO’s prestige drama True Detective. He’s also a talented author — both his candid 2010 memoir Late, Late at Night (which Rolling Stone named one of the 25 greatest rock memoirs of all time) and his 2014 comedic novel Magnificent Vibration earned rave reviews and spots on the New York Times Best Sellers’ list. In 2013, Springfield wrote and recorded “The Man That Never Was” with Dave Grohl for the soundtrack to Sound City — the Foo Fighters’ frontman’s documentary about the San Fernando Valley recording studio that was Springfield’s home away from home (his manager owned the building). Rolling Stone called Springfield’s touching interview in the film its “breakout story.” In 2014, Springfield was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located around the corner from the first apartment he lived in when he first arrived in the U.S. from Australia in 1971.
That Springfield has not only enjoyed longevity, but remained vibrant and relevant at a time when many veteran artists would be resting on past laurels led Rolling Stone to dub this stage of his career “The Rickonaissance.” “I guess it may appear like that, but in my head, I’ve never really left,” Springfield says. “I think it’s really important to stay connected to the vitality of your career. I have a certain pride that I'm not a total nostalgia act. I've never been the guy who hung the platinum albums on my walls because, to me, it was looking back. I'm very passionate about moving forward. I have to write new music. I have to record. I’m always working on the live shows. I have to always be working, otherwise I think I’d just turn to smoke and disappear.” More information athttps://www.facebook.com/rickspringfield andhttp://www.rickspringfield.com/ (Information provided by staff of Tivoli Theatre /AC Entertainment)
The opening performing artist Logan Brill, singer/songwriter from Knoxville performed many songs from her recent release album “Shuteye”. More about Logan at social mediahttps://www.facebook.com/loganbrillmusic/ ,www.http://loganbrill.com/
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Mark A Herndon, certified professional geologist and professional photographer grew up in Chattanooga area, graduated from the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga. He is the Entertainment and Chattanooga cityscape landscape /event photographer affiliated with Chattanoogan.com and contributor to magazines, venues and various festivals including Riverbend Festival, Nightfall Music Series, Road To Nightfall, Riverfront Nights, Southern Brewery Festival, Roof Top Hop, Wine Over Water, Tivoli Theatre Foundation, AC Entertainment, benefits and events. Media affiliation with www.chattanoogan.com
Check out more at www.facebook.com/chattanoogalivemusic
Email at MAHerndon@ChattanoogaLiveMusic.com