David Cassidy on the Web
David Cassidy plays the Partridge hits and more during casino set
June 25, 2013
By: David Hens
www.examiner.com
From the moment David Cassidy walked out onto The Bear's Den stage, he was bombarded with fanaticism from forty to fifty-something women seeking to carry out their 1970s teen idol fantasies.
They came armed with lighted signs, weathered issues of Tiger Beat magazine, and enough salacious verbal come-ons to keep Cassidy on guard the entire evening. He had barely broken into the set when a woman tossed her bra in his direction, which, given the intimacy of the room, was impossible to ignore.
At 63, the former face of The Partridge Family has seen everything, and he wasn't about to let a few overzealous admirers distract him from the task at hand.
The songs, after all, are what really matter in the end, so Cassidy and his impressive collection of musicians did their best to keep the show moving in a forward direction even if the madness seldom subsided.
Opener, "C'mon, Get Happy," was given a slick pop overhaul that was light years away from the original recording, although the ladies were so overtaken by the sight of him that the altered arrangement didn't matter much.
His voice and stage presence were strong throughout, despite being hindered by a fractured finger that limited his guitar playing on certain selections.
Other Partridge classics such as "Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque" and "I'll Meet You Halfway" came off fairly well and stood among the stronger points of the evening. Sure, Cassidy's voice strained at times, but his enthusiasm for the material made up for anything he's lost from a vocal perspective.
The crux of the set, however, involved a number of songs that have influenced Cassidy throughout his life, so the crowd was treated to spirited takes on gems from Van Morrison, Traffic, and Billy Joe Royal, all of which kept the crowd purring at maximum volume.
Because this music isn't geared toward 25-year-old males, experiencing David Cassidy live in concert is something I never thought I would do, but he appeared at home on the stage, and produced a well-rounded evening of musical entertainment.
By the time "I Woke Up in Love This Morning" and "I Think I Love You" hit, though, I was more than ready to leave the teen idol grounds for good.
Here's hoping Cassidy made it out of the meet-and-greet alive.
