David Cassidy on the Web
David Cassidy brings the '70s back to Tarrytown
February 1, 2013
By Jenny Higgons
www.lohud.com
David Cassidy will perform at The Tarrytown Music Hall on Friday.
It's the 1970s again — or at least will seem like it on Friday, when David Cassidy, one of that decade's biggest teen idols and the lead singer and star of the 1970-74 hit sitcom "The Partridge Family," stops at the Tarrytown Music Hall Theater as part of his Once In A Lifetime tour.
Cassidy, who makes his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., lived in Irvington as a teenager with his family (dad Jack Cassidy, step-mom and "Partridge Family" co-star Shirley Jones and half-brothers Shaun, Ryan and Patrick), traveling to Manhattan for auditions. That was when he was still anonymous. The success of "The Partridge Family" and a series of hit singles such as "I Think I Love You," "I Woke Up In Love This Morning" and "Cherish," made Cassidy a sensation and those days of commuting on Metro-North were quickly erased.
"One February, I left Madison Square Garden in the trunk of a Toyota," he says. "There was a massive traffic jam outside because most of the kids at my concert couldn't drive, so their parents had to pick them up. The fans literally destroyed three limousines; they jumped on them, pounded on them and tried to tip one over." Cassidy was whisked by a driver to "some (crummy) hotel in Queens. All I had was my jumpsuit and a towel."
His hit records have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. Cassidy's resume also includes stage work, such as Broadway's "Blood Brothers" and the Las Vegas stage extravaganza "EFX." We caught up with the former "Keith Partridge," now 63, in Los Angeles where he was shooting a guest-star spot on the TV drama "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." He has a son, Beau, 22, with his wife, songwriter Sue Shifrin, and a daughter, actress Katie Cassidy, 26, from a previous relationship.
Q: What can the Music Hall audience expect from your show?
A: "Partridge Family" songs, David Cassidy solo songs, as well as some songs relating to very key moments in my life when the music intertwined with the experience. There will be a lot of really high energy and a band with arguably some of the greatest musicians in the world.
Q: What are the audiences like these days?
A: The majority are in their late 40s to 60; there are also older people who were young parents watching me on "The Partridge Family"; and some kids, because their parents played my CDs, watched the "Partridge Family" and maybe saw me on Broadway in "Blood Brothers" or something like that. But I think most of them are there because of the music, of both David Cassidy and "The Partridge Family."
Q: How do your audiences react?
A: All of my shows have incredible energy. I hope they say, "Wow, we didn't know he could do that. It was great to hear the songs and see the show, but his band was unbelievable."
Q: Did you like living in Irvington?
A: Moving to Irvington from Los Angeles in 1968 was the most significant and dramatic life change I had ever made, and it still is to this day. I would take the train back and forth every day and work from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; in the afternoon I'd study in classes and go on auditions. Then I landed my first Broadway professional job and couldn't commute all the way from Irvington because I had to be in Manhattan so early and leave so late.
Q: What was it like being the No. 1 teen idol in the 1970s?
A: I can't remember — I swear. In a nutshell, I got up at 6 a.m., showered, dressed, shaved what little chinnychin chin hair I had, went to the set, got into makeup, got into the wardrobe and worked all day until 7:10 p.m. That was in Burbank.
Five days a week, I would then drive over the hill to Hollywood and record about six to eight months a year, both for "The Partridge Family" and David Cassidy solo. Then on Friday nights I would fly to wherever I was performing. I would do two shows on Saturday, two shows on Sunday, fly back that night to the West Coast and get up at 6 the next morning. I did that for nearly five years. I lived in a bubble; I had security around me 24 hours a day. I couldn't go anywhere, I couldn't go out, I had no time. It was all insane.
Q: Your son Beau is also a talented musician.
A: He's a wonderful songwriter and he has a lovely, fantastic voice. In six months to a year from now, you'll be hearing a lot about him and his music.
David Cassidy was a teen sensation during the 1970s.
If You Go:
What: David Cassidy in concert
When: 8 p.m. on Feb. 8
Where: The Tarrytown Music Hall Theater, 13 Main St., Tarrytown. 914-631-3390. www.tarrytownmusichall.org.
Tickets: $45-$80
