Rick Springfield headlining a night of fun-filled melodic rock at Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, CA on Aug. 2, 2018. Photo: Robert Kinsler |
Headliner Rick Springfield's inspired set featuring a mix of crunchy power pop-styled '80s hits and arresting new material from his latest album The Snake King (released in January 2018).
Taking the stage and opening with the aptly-styled good times anthem "Light This Party Up," Springfield proceeded to get the fervent crowd on their feet. The second selection, a powerful take on Sammy Hagar's "I've Done Everything For You," certified that this was a crowd set on having a great time and cheering on the Aussie native and his talented four-man band.
"Little Demon" was the first song from The Snake King he performed, a heavy blues rocker that showcased in dramatic fashion how Springfield has a range far beyond the hits he carved out throughout the early '80s. Later in the set, he again visited the new disc, using his nimble skills on the fretboard and with a slide on the Delta blues-flavored "The Voodoo House."
Rick Springfield going into the crowd during "Human Touch" on August 2, 2018. Photo: Robert Kinsler |
Springfield closed with his best-known song, the 1981 number 1 hit "Jesse's Girl," a song whose infectious allure elevated the vibe inside the venue to even greater heights.
Doug Johnson on keyboards and harmonica. |
Loverboy singer Mike Reno. |
The quintet then launched into "Queen of the Broken Hearts" and proceeded to play a score of high-energy rockers. The band gained momentum with "Lovin' Every Minute of It," "Hot Girls in Love," "Turn Me Loose" (likely the band's most creative anthem) and "Working for the Weekend," all which had many in the audience dancing and cheering on the outfit's big sound.
Loverboy's encore "The Kid Is Hot Tonight" capped the band's hits-minded hour-long outing.
Tommy Tutone and Greg Kihn each had hits in the '80s, and both those artists were featured in brief 20-minute sets that set the stage for the aforementioned high-profile artists.
Tommy Tutone (featuring singer Tommy Heath) opened the night with a four song set capped by his 1981 hit "867-5309/Jenny," offered via a buoyant power pop sing-along. But the early part of his set also yielded some melodic nuggets including a memorable version of his 1980 single "Angel Say No" and a complete roots-rock reworking of Jim Croce's 1972 hit "Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels").
Greg Kihn at Pacific Amphitheatre on August 2, 2018. |
This writer was especially taken with his new track, the original "The Life I Got" off Kihn's latest LP, the cleverly-titled Rekihndled (released in 2017).
Review and photography by Robert Kinsler
1 comment:
Good review! I enjoyed seeing Greg Kihn and Tommy Tutone live for the first time.
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