David Cassidy concert

Right yeah, well, no way? Huh... beside my highly negative and cynical pre-conceived conceptions of the guys style,coupled with the thought of sticking out like a sore thumb Penguin Person in the theatre, being surrounded by screaming, frenzied women fans, normally an evening with an ex-teeny bopper heart-throb, fifty-something, would definitely not be my ideal scene as a wanted gig night out and I did not think wild horses would drag me along to a gig like this.

So what the heck was I doing in London? Watching the last gig of the David Cassidy Then and Now Tour at the Apollo Theatre Hammersmith?. Well wouldn't you just know it? My wife has been a fan of David Cassidy from the early seventies, so as this guys in town, wild horses or not. I got roped in. At home, if this guys stuff is put on in the house I leave the room or find something else to do. So actually I did not know much about Cassidy or his music, so I went to the concert with a very negative mind. Well now, did I enjoy myself? You Kidding!... surely... not!... but, surprisingly to me... yes! But Why? Well, I actually learnt something, how wrong pre-conceived expectations can be.

On stage the guy proved to be a polished Rock and Roll professional. David Cassidy Rocked the entire theatre to the unrestrained delight of his fans of all ages and with the energy of someone twenty-years younger than the fifty-something he is. Age it proves, is no barrier to an excellent performance. His new material is actually very good and Cassidy himself knew fully how to control and entertain his audience.

The show got back to the seventies with some outright fan hysteria and personal hand touches to the front row. Cassidy skilfully and without offence to the perpetrators, avoided being dragged-off stage by the mass of desperate out-stretched hands, but all the time communicated personal comments to sections of the crowd both after and during songs.

He whipped up the crowd with some old fan favourites, threw in some new material. All the girls knew the words and sang along loud enough to enable Cassidy to stop and just let them get on with it. They enjoyed it immensely and so did he. The girls danced in the aisles. Some of the husbands that I observed tapped their feet (hoping no-one was watching, is this cool or not, written on their faces).

As a family affair, in the background shadows Cassidy’s young son Beau with mom Sue could be seen also dancing to dads music. The audience lapped up a great energetic performance and Cassidy was genuinely happy that the old British fans had not deserted him and that there were a hell of a lot of younger faces too. So yes, I have to admit I was wrong.

Cassidy sweated, moved around the stage frantically proving first and foremost to be an energetic rocker. He does play a mean rock guitar and has some very good songs.

No longer a teeny bopper, but music is music. If its good and performed well what the hell else could you want for your ticket? OK. But what else did I learn?

Well after any show, my first instinct is to always head back to the club. I have no time or respect for any pretentious rock star types who let fame and fan worship, go to their heads. Besides I still find the whole screaming and idolisation scene in general, very bizarre. People don’t scream at busker's on the street and try to get as close as possible to them at any cost and turn into dribbling wrecks scrambling for an autograph? After all, isn't a musician, however famous, just an entertainer? But then, there is the whole weird showbiz adulation thing. Weird. Not my scene. I am usually very cynical like most guys. My view is you pay your money, you get entertained, dance, whatever, afterwards you may go have a social drink or you go home and chill out. But this time, after the show...

There were still a lot of people hanging around the theatre, doing that fan thing and waiting for a glimpse of David Cassidy. My wife wanted to stick around too. So I thought... well OK, this guys going to bug-out fast anyway, we wont be here for long. But after about half an hour or so, the guy appears on a low balcony and talked personally to the hundred plus crowd left over from the sell-out show. He thanked everyone for supporting him...

' I love you all' ....' thanks for coming and sticking with me' ....' I Will try to come back soon and not leave it so long'... etc... etc. Then David Cassidy asked everyone to be quiet, holding his finger to his lips, then both hands over his ears. Silence. Good trick that (husbands note). Cassidy then proudly and quietly asked his young son Beau to meet his fans. Out of a doorway and onto the balcony the little boy came and waved to everyone, though staying close to dad. Later during another surprise, second balcony appearance, Cassidy’s wife Sue appeared with Beau and the complete family unit waved to the still strong crowd.

Now as I stood there, not being a fan and feeling like I had arrived at the wrong family reunion. This is when It dawned on me that both David Cassidy and his wife Sue actually treat the fans as literally part of their family. They both do care, even 'love' them all... Well he said it with total conviction often enough (Yes you could be cynical about it, but really you had to have been there to experience and understand the honesty).

The feeling and comments were reciprocated with equal conviction by the crowd and as I somewhat uncomfortably looked around, it was written on every face.

The personal treatment this guy gives his fans is I believe unique. Its a difficult balancing act to get close to people emotionally when there are so many crowded together and for personal safety reasons you have to physically keep yourself and your family at a distance, most rock folk wouldn’t even bother to try. I cannot think of any other performer who has this closeness and connect ability with fans, even to introduce his family to them?

Of course David Cassidy and family wanted to go home! (So did I). The show was over, money earned, fans happy. He had just entertained these people full steam for hours, what did he owe them? Yet still took the time to talk, joke and have his photograph taken and also as a family unit. The whole thing Beats the heck out of me!... but it makes you think. In those difficult times, even the carefully constructed hero, macho image types of Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger were too terrified to fly or visit Europe.

But American based performer/actor David Cassidy came here and would not let his fans down in the UK, he still wanted at any potential risk to retain the close bond that exists. Maybe not a hero, but you have to respect the guy for that.

Its a darn shame the cynical stigma of his past teenybopper image still remain in the minds of the radio stations and media who will not let the guys music have the full coverage it deserves. But then I was myself cynical too, although now my personal opinion has changed somewhat. Every musician to stay popular in a fickle industry changes image many times, just to suit the ever altering 'in' fashion and I puzzled as to what image this guy David Cassidy is trying to portray now. When we got home I (for the first time) bothered to look at his latest album covers in my wife’s collection and Cassidy is just casually dressed, looks very relaxed, almost like he just came from a drink at the pub, or coffee with friends. Well even a cynical type like myself can see that the 'image' now is to be just himself, a performer who can let his music speak for itself and does not need or want the kind of chaotic, image obsessed frantic life he had in his youth.

He is a family man now. But still his loyal fans love him, he loves the fans. Pop idols come and go, get forgotten. Why is he still here then?.. Well he does his job well. You pay to be entertained and that is exactly what you get. As a fifty-something, he can and does, now laugh and joke about his age, reflecting on his stereotypical teenybopper image from the past, not spend time trying to live up to it. So I hope now that his future is on the airwaves and not held back for the sake of the past. A good song is just that, a good song. If you like it buy it, if not, don't. But don't knock it until you try it. Yes I had a good time at the show and learnt some things I did not expect. That's not bad for a night out. Especially one that I did not want in the first place. Do not get me wrong here. I’m still in no way a fan. But I thought it was as good a show as any I have been to before and go again? Why not! First class stuff. Although next time I really would like to head for the chill out bar afterwards.

This page has been created for the ladies at the event who had no camera or were not

there and missed out (I realise that there were many ladies who would like to have been where I stood. At the time I honestly wished you were). But, as a consolation. I hope you find the review interesting and if you desire copies of these photographs help yourself by downloading.

Good Show... goodnight... nice feller ... all the ladies are fourteen again ... so to everyone with negative pre-conceptions of this, or any performer. Well, we all learn something new. Usually off someone else. Who actually learnt it by an experience that they did not want in the first place. All you have to do, is go and listen, yourself.

Here is a video of David Cassidy talking to his fans.

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Review No 1

David Cassidy