RICK SPRINGFIELD LIVE!! | REDHAT AMPHITHEATER
Photo by Chris Sturk
We covered Rick Springfields tour stop in Raleigh at the Redhat Amphitheater on August 7th, 2022.
Rick Springfield is a rock icon who dominated the 80’s not only with his major hit songs but he was also an actor on a soap called General Hospital from 1981 to 1983. Before Rick Springfield took over the 80’s with his iconic songs he was a part of the band Zoot from 1961 to 1971. Rick’s first big hit was a song called “Jessies Girl” which was released in 1981 from his album “Working Dog” which famously had a picture of his beloved bull terrier dog on the album cover whose name was “Ronnie”. Rick continued to dominate the 80’s with several hits including “I done everything for you”, “Don’t talk to strangers”, “Human Touch”, “Affair of the Heart and so many others. The list of hit songs goes on and on! He has sold over 25 million records throughout his incredible music career.
John Waite
Photo by Chris Sturk
Now let’s talk about the show!
We were excited to be covering Rick Springfield as he is a living rock icon and seeing him perform his classic album “Working Dog” in its entirety was something we could not miss. Before Rick hit the stage he had an incredible supporting act with John Waite whose big hits include “Missing you” and “When I see you smile” which was recorded with the band “Bad English”. John did an acoustic set and he brought a great mix of humor and classic songs. After John finished his set we then got to see another legend in music “Men at Work”. Now this was not the original lineup as only the original singer Colin Hay was performing with a new cast of musicians. Colin actually made a joke about this when coming on stage he stated, “you can see we kept the original lineup”. The venue started laughing and clapping as they went into their first song. Colin still sounded great and they played some of their biggest hits including “Down Under” and “Who can it be now”.
Men at Work
Photo by Chris Sturk
Now onto the headliner Rick Springfield. We entered the pit and the lights dimmed and a countdown began on the large screen behind the drummer. The rest of the band walked out first in dim light and then we saw the shadow of Rick Springfield walk out on to the stage. The venue went wild with fans screaming and yelling Ricks name. He came out and started into his first song while smiling at the crowd. He sounded great and was moving around the stage even at some points standing on top of the speaker system close to the barricade to get closer to the fans. He played his “working dog” album in its entirety including “Jessies Girl”. Now Rick is almost 73 years old and he was still tearing up the stage while dancing, jumping around and even taking his shirt off towards the end of the show. Rick sounded great and even after an incredible 40+ year career in music he still brings everything he has to the stage and puts on a great show. If you get the chance to see this legend at work definitely do not miss him on tour.
Lead Photographer and Editor Chris Sturk
Photo by Chris Sturk
Photo by Chris Sturk
Photo by Chris Sturk
Photo by Chris Sturk
Photo by Chris Sturk
Photo by Chris Sturk
Photo by Chris Sturk
Photo by Chris Sturk
Photo by Chris Sturk
