Looking back, I'm guessing that we went to about two dozen concerts last
year ... along the way we saw everybody from Alan Parsons to Peter Noone to
Graham Nash to Burton Cummings, Stevie Wonder, George Benson and Brian Wilson
... with several others thrown in between.
It's always hard to do a "Best Of" list because you don't want to leave anybody out. That being said, I can unequivocally say that the WORST concert event of 2015 that I witnessed had to be the David Cassidy Show at The Arcada Theatre. (March 26th)
I know that host Ron Onesti had the best intentions ... bring David up on stage ... do some one on one Q & A and then open it up to the audience ... give him a chance to talk about his new album, reflect back on his career ... and generally just have a loose, fun evening with his fans.
Cassidy, however, had his own agenda that night ... he knew EXACTLY what he wanted to talk about ... and no matter what questions Ron asked him, he steered the conversation back to the topics he wanted to cover.
He also looked in poor health ... almost skeletal in appearance ... and was fighting a terrible cold and case of laryngitis ... so was really in no position to sing anything.
It's always hard to do a "Best Of" list because you don't want to leave anybody out. That being said, I can unequivocally say that the WORST concert event of 2015 that I witnessed had to be the David Cassidy Show at The Arcada Theatre. (March 26th)
I know that host Ron Onesti had the best intentions ... bring David up on stage ... do some one on one Q & A and then open it up to the audience ... give him a chance to talk about his new album, reflect back on his career ... and generally just have a loose, fun evening with his fans.
Cassidy, however, had his own agenda that night ... he knew EXACTLY what he wanted to talk about ... and no matter what questions Ron asked him, he steered the conversation back to the topics he wanted to cover.
He also looked in poor health ... almost skeletal in appearance ... and was fighting a terrible cold and case of laryngitis ... so was really in no position to sing anything.
That's not to say there wasn't a poignant moment or two. Cassidy seemed to be holding his own personal intervention when he discussed alcoholism in regards to how it has affected his family ... stating that his grandfather was an alcoholic, his father, actor Jack Cassidy, was an alcoholic (with a raging temper), and that he, too, was an alcoholic ... stating that one of his greatest fears was that he may have passed this hereditary trait down to his own son. This particular segment was especially touching ... David acknowledging his weakness and then stating "But I'm working on it". That made his subsequent issues this past year all that much more disturbing and frustrating ... as he clearly doesn't have a handle on it after all ... and despite therapy and owning up to his illness, he is not in control.(Cassidy made headlines all over the world after he appeared intoxicated on a British talk show, talking about his divorce ... and was later arrested for leaving the scene of an accident where, although never tested, it was believed he was driving under the influence of alcohol.)
To an extent, Ron egged him on, trying to get more out of the interview process ... HE knew what David was contracted to do
... but Cassidy only wanted to talk about what he wanted to talk about ... and cut the whole evening abruptly short, simply leaving the stage
when he was done saying his piece, leaving a bewildered looking Ron Onesti in front of
the audience with not much more to say than "Well, I guess the show is over ...
thank you all for coming."
Truth be told, it was a pretty sparse crowd that night ... and anybody who may have come in the doors a David Cassidy fan most likely left with a much lower opinion of the fallen rock star.
*****
If I'm being completely honest, the best concert I saw in 2015 was Jeff
Lynne at Hyde Park in London ... but that was on DVD so it really doesn't
count. (Still, he put on an AMAZING show that I have probably watched at least
a dozen times now ... I can't WAIT for him to tour The States in 2016!)
http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2015/09/jeff-lynne-live-in-hyde-park-dvd.html
But OUR list will be based on the Ten Best Concerts We Actually Saw ... LIVE AND IN PERSON ... During 2015 ... and we'll start counting 'em down tomorrow ...right here in Forgotten Hits!
(Who made the list??? Well, you'll have to stick around in order to find out!)
But OUR list will be based on the Ten Best Concerts We Actually Saw ... LIVE AND IN PERSON ... During 2015 ... and we'll start counting 'em down tomorrow ...right here in Forgotten Hits!
(Who made the list??? Well, you'll have to stick around in order to find out!)
kk
