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Review: Jessie’s Girl puts on highly effective 80s show at The Paramount (Includes first-hand account)

Their set opened with the “Final Countdown” intro, and they began with the upbeat “Working for the Weekend,” by Loverboy. They had the crowd singing along with them on “Any Way You Want It,” with Jenna O’Gara displaying her powerhouse vocals and Eric Presti rocking the guitar.

After acknowledging that it was a “full house” tonight at The Paramount, Mark Rinzel sang lead vocals on Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl,” with 1,500 Long Island fans as his back-up vocalists.

Chris Hall sang lead on George Michael’s “Faith,” as he sported a leather black jacket. Jenna paid a tribute to the late Whitney Houston by belting out “How Will I Know.” “Put your hands up in the air,” Jenna said, and the crowd fulfilled her request.

Mark paid homage to Sting and The Police with “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.” Chris showed his audience his toned physique on “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record),” while simultaneously having a fun time with the song. Jenna invited the female fans on stage with her for a refreshing rendition of Cyndi Lauper’s signature tune “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” Mark sang lead on Journey’s “Separate Ways,” which was an instrumental masterpiece.

Jenna gave “The Queen of Pop,” Madonna a fitting tribute with her soaring version of “Like a Prayer,” as she was dressed in an elegant white gown. It was followed by noteworthy 80s covers of Queen’s “Under Pressure,” “We Built This City” and Toto’s “Africa.”

The highlight duet of the evening was Chris and Jenna’s collaboration on Eddie Money’s “Take Me Home Tonight.” “I think it’s sexy time tonight,” Chris said, as he took his shirt off. Jenna took on the role of the original “Bad Girl of Rock and Roll” Ronnie Spector, and the result was magical. Mark went on to belt out AC/DC’s “Shook Me All Night Long.”

After a birthday shout-out to Lisa and Kathy, they delivered a rocking version of “Happy Birthday,” prior to tipping their hats to the Wilson Sisters (Ann and Nancy Wilson from Heart) with their smash hit “What About Love.”

They closed their memorable set with “Video Killed The Radio Star,” which was the first music video aired on MTV, as well as “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” and Journey’s inspirational tune “Don’t Stop Believing.”

The Verdict

Overall, Jessie’s Girl was superb at The Paramount on Long Island. All seven band members were talented in their own right, and the group was able to shine as a whole. From the fans’ standpoint, there was a feeling of nostalgia in the venue, which brought them back to simpler times. They are highly recommended seeing live whenever they are in town. Their show earned 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information on Jessie’s Girl and their upcoming concerts, check out their official website.

Markos Papadatos
Written By

Markos Papadatos is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for Music News. Papadatos is a Greek-American journalist and educator that has authored over 20,000 original articles over the past 18 years. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, lifestyle, magic, and sports. He is a 16-time "Best of Long Island" winner, where for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, and 2022), he was honored as the "Best Long Island Personality" in Arts & Entertainment, an honor that has gone to Billy Joel six times.

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