Concert Reviews
Showboat Casino
Showboat Casino, Atlantic City, NJ
April 27 & 28, 2001
By Barb
Hi all,
We were waiting in line for the Friday show, and just chillin' in the Hallway of the Showboat...when this side door opened back behind the elevators and some security guards came out...and who do you think was walking right in the middle of them? A disguised David with a baseball cap and sunglasses on. We all took a step back, believe it or not, because we wanted to give him room. One brave soul said, "Hi David," and he was almost to the door that said, 'Employees only'. He took off his sunglasses, turned around and said, 'Are you ladies waiting for me?' We all said "yes" in unison. He looked at us, and said, "That's nice, enjoy the show!" We all wished him luck in one way or another and he disappeared through the door. He was dressed in black and had that cute little sway in his hips!!! I couldn't believe our luck!!!
We listened to him rehearse through the doors, he sounded unbelievably good, which made the anticipation great to see him and hear him. I had never seen David do a live concert before..the Copa yes, but this is so much different.
Oh, we did have a fabulous time!!! I will tell you that David was fabulous!!! I did get to sit down in front for all three shows, David looked wonderful, he gave the singing and dancing 350 percent!! He was all over the place. He sang River Deep with Candace Davis Martin and Tenderness and Mack the Knife from the Copa Show!! Those were my favorite numbers. And I saw them 3 times a piece!!! And we were so close, I could see the spit when he sang, the veins in his neck, and the color of his eyes. They looked blue, I wonder if he was wearing blue contacts. I found out David is far sighted and he can see the back of the room very well, but the front is kind of subtle. Isn't that interesting, they we were in the very front, and he could see much better in the back! I thought it was ironic. BUT, since we were so close, I did get to hold his hand for about 2 seconds when he was singing I think I Love you. He was just all over the place. The first night, during I Think I love you, so many people were at the stage, and he was shaking hands with them, and one group of fans almost pulled him into the audience. That was scary. I think it is stupid to hold onto him for that long, they just wouldn't let go!
So at the first Saturday night show, the security guards wouldn't let anyone go up to the stage until he started singing, I think I love you. That was the night I did get to sit up front. I wanted to go up to the stage soooo bad when he was singing Cherish, but I think I would have looked pretty stupid since I was in the first row to begin with. Anyway, he called us up to the stage when he got to "I think I love you"! That is when he held my hand, coz I was right in the front. It was cool! His voice was the best I have ever heard him sound on Friday night and the Saturday night late show. He was sooo on!!! You could tell David was tired the first show on Saturday. He looked tired, but the audience did energize him. Anyway, we fans did behave ourselves and the show was subdued. But then he came out for the 10:30 PM show, and I want to tell you, he was reenergized~!~ The last show was the best. He really gave 400 percent and he just sounded so wonderful and sang with so much feeling. The show has definitely improved since November! He sounds better and is more together with the band. David loves to make his audience laugh, and he did have us laughing. He is so cute with his facial expressions! Everytime he would say I love you, or anything similar, we would scream! He loved it and ate it up, and the more we screamed the happier he got. Saturday's last show was wild!! I am so glad I got to see all three shows. His face just lit up and he would raise his eyebrows and smile when we would scream. He was gyrating those slim hips and doing pelvic thrusts during Tenderness! He sang that one with sooo much feeling. He is just a wonderful performer to watch as he puts sooo much energy into his music. He and Candace danced together during River Deep and you could see his face when he looked at her. He looked at her you know with THAT LOOK that just sends you over the edge. They did a bump and grind kind of thing during the dance that had us all screaming.
Here is a run down of the songs as best I can remember them:
He came out first and did Heartbeat...David just bounds on the stage. He definitely knows how to make an entrance! He had on a shiny maroon shirt and black pants for Friday night's show and the last Show on Saturday. He wore a shiny purple shirt for the first show on Sat. He really got the audience going.... pounding his chest and looking sooo hot!!! The audience was screaming and whooping...he can still whip us into a frenzy!!
He went right into Summer Days... the band was awesome and the horns were blowing away.... and David was dancing and singing and really bringing that song to life. He was skipping and hopping and smiling and loving the audience. I appreciate that so much about him..that he reacts to us so much!
Then I think he welcomed the crowd...and sat on a stool and started singing I'll Meet You Halfway...it was a sight to behold! The lights were twirling and going into the audience! He played the guitar on this number and it was so beautiful... he sang, "Will there come a time, we can find the time, to reach out and TOUCH one another?" and the audience would scream when he got to the word TOUCH and he would raise those eyebrows and smile and laugh and giggle. I love it when he giggles!~!! This was a very cool song.
No Bridge was next, I think. Anyway, he would turn on the amp on his guitar and play some Hendrix before he started the song. THAT was so cool... his face was just set in concentration and you could see he really wanted to play that kind of music. Then the audience went crazy and he started NO BRIDGE... what a fabulous song... another classic for him. One show, he said, "That doesn't sound right" and continued to play a while longer on the Hendrix part. At the last show, he skipped the song all together and played an entire Hendrix Solo! I loved it, he was just in his element and flying so high. It was terrific.
After that, he needed to rest, so he sat on the edge of the stage and sang, I Am A Clown... let me tell you that first night was unforgettable!!! One gal from our group, who shall remain nameless, (she knows who she is, LOL!), was right in front of David while he sat on the stage with his legs hanging over. She was kind of staring right at David's unmentionable, and he caught her!!! I guess he could see that OK!! He looked right at her and said, "You're baaaaddddd!!!!!" Then he put his legs back up on the stage!!! Her face was a million shades of red. Another gal from our group had drawn the initials DC on our hands and someone showed him... he wanted her to stand up and show the audience, but she wouldn't do it. He said something like, "You stopped the show, but you won't get up and show them?" She just said "no!" Anyway, before he started singing I am A Clown, he was talking to the audience... I love it when he does that! And he was telling us that the song was written by Tony Romeo and he wrote it just for David. David said he didn't want to sing it because he didn't think it would make him look 'COOOOLLLLL'. And he said that "Hollywood young bucks have to be cool." He also said he didn't understand the song, but now he gets it because he is older. And he sang it with such feeling. He is truly awesome to watch up close.
Next came Sing Me, he got up and strolled the edge of the stage for that one. When he got to the phrase, 'Rock me to sleep in your arms', he used that sexy, throaty voice of his. He would wrap his arms around himself and just close his eyes and rock. We would all like to rock him to sleep, that is for sure!!! The crowd would yell when he would do that. His voice was so clear and he hit the notes perfectly, making it a beautiful ballad!
Next, he asked the audience if we would like to hear some songs from the Copa. Of course, the roar went up and he began to sing Tenderness, after introducing the song as an Otis Redding song! He started with that, "OH, she may be weary," and the crowd went crazy. David was a sensual pleasure to watch! He was down on his knees, demonstrating the lyrics, 'hold her, squeeze her, never leave her,' again in that sexy, throaty voice! The sight of David gyrating and thrusting his body drove the women in the audience mad! At least it did me. Every so often during the show, he would place his hands on his backside and thrust! He must be turned on and every fibre of his being is alive when he is on that stage. It is truly amazing what 'The Man' does to himself and to the audience. We are all worn out after a DC concert! I was dancing in my seat, and wanted to get up and move!!!!
Next came River Deep, Mountain High, and Candace sang it with him. She had on a black halter top that had a see through mesh net under the halter part and fringe at the bottom. It tied in the back in two places, and tight black pants that had sequins on them. She is a beautiful blonde with a deep throaty voice. David introduced her as one of the most talented singers and dancers he has ever had the pleasure to work with! They were dynamite together, David would look at her with that LOOK and the crowd would scream! They would put their arms around each other when they sang, "Do I love you, my oh my?...." and just hold those notes!!! He changed the words every night when he sang, 'I love you baby just like Johnny loves to sing, yeah!" Then it was 'Just like I love to sing, yeah"! I can't decide which song I loved better, River or Tenderness. Tough choice! Definitely one of the high points of the show!!!! He turned her around at the end of the dance and put his body right next to hers, and did like a snake charmer dance! I think we all melted right about then. That song gives me goose bumps every time I hear it!
Then David went off the stage and Candace did Rescue Me. She can really belt out a tune. She is quite good!!
Then David came back and he had changed into a black long sleeved shirt that had sparkles in it and picked up different colors. It wasn't tucked in, I think he wanted to be comfortable for.... Mack the Knife! He starts out by the drummer and says, "Jakooba, give me a little something like this..", just like in At The Copa! He asked the audience to all snap their fingers, and if he saw a guy not snapping, he would put the spotlight on them and embarrass them. He really conducts that horn section when he sings this one. I love to watch David do this number!!! He gives it his all and really dances all over the stage. He loves to demonstrate the lyrics... it is so cute the way he does it too!!! He has Bobby Darin's movements down to a science. Such an upbeat number!!!
I think Echo Valley was next. He introduced this song, but I can't remember what he said, something about all of us taking a trip to a valley. He loved singing this song, he did say something about people asking him to sing it. Of course, he changed the words again to "you have reached a disconnected decade". He was grinning all through this song.
Then came Lyin' To Myself! He has never sounded better on this one! At the Saturday night show, the guards were nowhere in sight and right before he started this number, he told the audience to 'Come on, get up' and "No Rules tonight!" He obviously wanted to change the pace of the show from wild to frantic!! A lot of fans went up to the stage. It was fine at first, but as more women began to come down, it looked like the 70's all over again. At one point during I Think I LoveYou or maybe sooner, David told the crowd, "no, push back". I can just imagine he must have been thinking about Bernadette Whelan at that point. I was getting crushed and I got out of there before I got hurt. It was only about 4 or 5 lines deep, but still dangerous enough! It was a little scary. It made me realize how easily Bernadette did get crushed. It happened really fast. Anyway, the best version of this song came on Saturday night's last show, he just sounded so awesome, letting the back up singers do the high parts again. Wonderful!!!
Then came Rock Me Baby, and since we were all on our feet, everyone was dancing! He was all over the stage, jumping and rockin'!!
After that he introduced the next song as the way he felt about all of us... he talked about the Internet and how it kept him in touch with his fans. He said this was the most requested song.... Cherish. Of course, he sang that so beautifully and he sang to one lucky girl Friday night, caressing her face. We all wanted to be her! That is why I wanted to go up to the stage!
Next came, I Woke Up In Love... I loved it! It has so much energy... and he had us all screaming again. He sang, "This is you, this pillow that I'm hmmming and I'm kissin'" Of course, he would raise his eyebrows and give us that impish smile when he said 'hmming'! He was all over the stage again!!!
The next number was too much fun. He started by saying how much he appreciated us and how happy we made him. Also that he learned the words to this song in like 10 minutes, sang it once and never heard it again. He said people would come up to him and start singing it on the street, and he didn't know it. He said he never saw the show, he was always on the road when it was on. No VCRs back then!! Then he sang, "I wanna tell you a story from a long time ago, bout this here boy on a TV show!" He started introducing the band one at a time with this rap/jazz song. I think he made it up as he went along... it was different each night of the show! He would say something like, 'Now this here drummer is the best in the land, and introduce, Jacooba Griffin, and then he would rock with each member and let them play a minute or two! Then he would throw his hand up and circle it in the air for them to stop. He got sooo wound up. Then, when he was introducing the singers, he messed up Candace's name during the first Saturday show. He laughed and then when he got back to the microphone, said, 'They are neevver going to let me live that one down!" However on the second show, he got it right, and said, "I got that right, coz I'm smart." Everyone was laughing, David can be so goofy. But that is OK, coz I am goofy too! He was having as much fun as we were, probably more. Everyone was hamming it up. Then, he finally starting singing, C'mon Get Happy. He did it rap/jazz style... Lon arranged it... I love it like that... so different from the original version. Lots of hand clapping on that one!
Then he did, I Think I Love You. Which of course brought the house down. He started by saying this is how he feels about all of us, but of course we all ready knew that by this time. He truly appreciates his fans and it shows!!! He went along the stage, high fiving people's hands and singing his heart out.
Then he said goodnight, but we knew there was one more song!!! It was his beautiful ballad Cry. He would step up to the microphone, close his eyes, and sing, 'If your sweetheart sends you a letter of goodbye....it's no secret, you'll feel better if you cryyyyy...." I can still hear him singing it...it was totally incredible. He had a towel around his neck Saturday night, which he threw into the audience. One gal from our group caught it! He had tears running down his cheeks, not sweat, on the last show Saturday night. I think they were tears of joy. The audience went nuts when it was over, chanting, 'we want David, we want David' on Friday night. I saw him at the side of the stage, he looked like he wanted to come back out, but he didn't.
It was truly an amazing show!!! I can't wait until Thursday!!! (in St. Louis)
Thanks for listening... I hope you all get to see David real soon... he is unbelievable in concert!!!
Love,
Barb
Thank you to Barb and Erik (David Cassidy Fan Site of Norway).
