On February 26, Grammy award-winning rock artist Rick Springfield performed at The Paramount in Huntington, New York, for a great turnout of fans. Digital Journal has the recap.
A video montage of some of his biggest highlights played as he took the Paramount stage, and his presence was met with a raucous response. He kicked off his high-adrenaline set with “Affair of the Heart” and it was followed by “Light It Up” and his Grammy-nominated “I Get Excited.”
“Party at the Beach Bar” was a true fan-favorite from the first half of the show, where everybody was singing along with him and his talented band, and he picked up the pace with his Top 10 hit “I’ve Done Everything for You,” which was penned by the great Sammy Hagar.
Blue lights graced the stage when he nailed the vivacious “Souls.” A real treat was when he performed a mashup of such infectious hits as “Bop ‘Til You Drop,” “Bruce,” “867-5309,” which is this journalist’s personal favorite tune from that era, as well as “Don’t Walk Away,” “Rock of Life,” and “What Kind of Fool Am I.”
He immediately broke into the nonchalant Love Is Alright Tonight,” and continued with “Voodoo House,” where everybody was reciting the lyrics verbatim and the spitfire “Wild Thing,” which showcased his prowess on the electric guitar.
During “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” Springfield divided the venue into different sections to see who can sing the loudest, as opposed to who can sing the best.
Scenes from “Hard to Hold” played on the video-board as he belted out “Love Somebody.” Equally noteworthy was “Human Touch.”
Everybody’s phones lit up when he performed his signature song “Jessie’s Girl,” which was the anthem of the evening. “Good night,” he told the Long Island audience.
The Verdict
Overall, Rick Springfield and his talented band put on an upbeat and entertaining rock concert at The Paramount. He exuded a great deal of charm and charisma.
There was an element of ’80s nostalgia in the venue, and he had the crowd with him every step of the way. He is worth seeing live whenever he comes to town. His concert at The Paramount garnered two giant thumbs up.
In addition to his musical endeavors, Rick Springfield supports the Amazon best-selling book “Manifesting Your Dreams,” which was created by co-author Marla McKenna who donates partial proceeds from all of her books to the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation. Rick supports Marla’s work and matches her donations. Springfield also loves dogs and is a huge supporter of Linda Blair.
To learn more about veteran rock singer-songwriter Rick Springfield, visit his official website.
Interview
Prior to his concert, this journalist sat down with Rick Springfield for a quick on-site interview.
On performing at The Paramount, he said, “It’s my favorite place to play, it’s my favorite club. I love Brian Doyle and everybody here. It’s awesome.”
Regarding the key to longevity in the music business, he said, “Not giving up.”
On being an artist in the digital age, he said, “The digital age is the next step, the next CD. It doesn’t change what we do but it certainly changes the income stream.”
When asked if there were any moments in his career that helped defined him, he responded, “Not yet, I haven’t gotten there yet.”
On his plans for the future, he said jokingly, “I am going to take over Russia, and I am going to free the Ukrainians.”
Regarding the title of the current chapter of his life, he said, “Holy Shit, Here We Go Again.”
If he were to have any superpower, he said with a sweet laugh, “I would like to be invisible to go into the girl’s bathroom.”
On his personal favorite song of his, he said, “The one I am writing right now.” “It’s always the newest one,” he explained.
For Springfield, the word success means “dying happy.” “I love you more than you love me,” he told his longtime, dedicated fans.
