Concert Review
Riviera Theatre, North Tonawanda, NY
April 16, 2016
A Spooky Night With David Cassidy
It was a bright sunny afternoon as we hopped in our car from Toronto to head over into Tonawanda for David’s 8PM concert at the beautifully renovated 1926 built Riviera Theatre. Main street was bustling with excitement at the prospect of finally having a man they’ve cherished all these years as special guest in their hometown.
Upon entry into the theatre and seeing at least 50 guards, ushers and volunteers, one could be forgiven for thinking that the President of the United States was coming for a visit. We were allowed to pass through to our seats after being thoroughly searched for what would be one of, if not the best, concerts that Tonawanda has ever experienced.
David immediately captured the minds and hearts of the enthusiastic crowd with an opening Partridge Family troika of ‘C’mon Get Happy’, ‘Heartbeat’ and ‘Alburquerque’, all sung with energy and his usual commitment to excellence. The voice was smooth and clear with David effortlessly gliding up and down the octaves as he did over forty years ago.
A couple of ladies in the front row held up a banner stating “I’m Here, You’re Here” which prompted David to sing a couple of lines and suggest out loud that he add it to his repertoire. Perhaps this may be something to hope for in the upcoming months as he heads back on the road.
I was happy to see David reinstating ‘I’m A Believer’ into the lineup as it always seems to get a rise out of the audience with people dancing and singing along to the bouncy rhythm. Summer Days is another crowd favourite that I’ve missed at recent shows and would like to see David singing live again.
Personally, the highlight of the concert was a perfectly executed version of ‘Spooky’ that took most of us long-time fans by surprise. With a punchy beat, the song rocks and allures while David’s impish come-hither smile had a number of young ladies excitedly giggling away.
The variety continued with a jazzy ‘Night and Day’, sing-a-long ‘Daydream Believer’, theatrical ‘On Broadway’, hard hitting ‘Sweet Little Angel’ and fierce ‘Hush’ before David made the announcement about his first solo top 10 single. I could see security grimace when they had to again chase away the wild women of Tonawanda as they rushed the stage to the opening bars of “Cherish is the word I use to descri-ibe…”. As one of the lone males in the front row, I felt THE PAIN as these Amazonian ladies climbed over my shoulders to get to the front remembering to elbow the side of my head and step on my feet on their journey to touch David.
By the time ‘I Think I Love You’ took form, even the burly guards realized that they were not match for the frenzy and pandemonium of a David Cassidy concert. It was a show with lots of songs, great memories and a general feeling of good things to come as we follow David into his cross country summer tour.
He came, they saw, he conquered-the only way to describe this evening in Tonawanda.
Thank you Lucio for sharing your review and photos.
