Concert Review
Niagara Falls for David Cassidy
Avalon Ballroom, Fallsview Casino
July 16, 2016, 9PM
If a fortune teller predicted that I would be attending my ninth Cassidy concert of 2016, I would have assumed that he or she was dipping heavily into the champagne prior to analyzing me. Shockingly they would have been correct as June 16 marked a new yearly high for me to be seeing David live.
A sold out crowd again proved that his superstar light was still shining bright all these years later. The addition of more and more shows as the year progressed coupled with the consistently high quality of the performances has made my drives to the far reaches of the East Coast worth the effort. Traffic jams and high hotel prices are easily forgotten when David is at the top of his game as he has proven thus far in 2016.
The Avalon Ballroom is arguably Canada’s best theatre venue while David is undoubtedly the World’s greatest 70s Teen Idol. When these two entities merge, one can only sit back and enjoy the fireworks that follow.
Enthusiastic screams and cheers greeted David as he stepped on stage to the thumping beats of Felipe’s drums. I’ve heard David sing ‘C’mon Get Happy’ in all its various incarnations since 1991 yet it’s ironic that this well-loved tune was never filmed as a Partridge Family performance for the television show.
When David swung into ‘Heartbeat’ , a photo of his infamous Rolling Stone cover was flashed on the massive 20 ft screens. “What was I thinking?” asked David looking at this risqué pose with a touch of embarrassment. “Take it down” he said with a sly grin but I noticed that it kept popping back on screen various times during the show. I guess the videographer also had a sense of humour.
Albuquerque was performed at a significantly faster tempo than usual and I loved the energy infused into this well-known Partridge standard. People around me seemed to enjoy this version as they sang along in a multitude of keys different from David’s.
A few minutes were spent thanking Canada for the welcome that the people have afforded him over the years. He told us now much he enjoyed visiting and spending time here and was happy to be back after a couple of years.
BB King, an early influence was discussed prior to a guitar driven ‘Sweet Little Angel’. David talked about meeting him as a high school student in Los Angeles and then again three years later at the Grammys as a fellow entertainer. “I was in way over my head” said David while there at the awards show in the presence of BB King and Aretha Franklin probably thinking of how life can take us in so many unexpected directions.
A motorized ‘Hush’ accentuated by the occasional bumps and grinds of olden days kept the crowd near fever pitch and I could swear I saw smoke emanating from Dave Robicheau’s Hendrix style guitar riffs. David related the story of songwriter Gerry Goffin presenting him with ‘I’ll Meet You Halfway’ while at a Partridge recording session. This was also sung at a very nice, faster than usual, tempo yet still maintaining the sentiments behind the lyrics.
“We’ve only rehearsed this song once in two years…but I like to live dangerously, don’t you” he said. It only took a couple of taps on the body of the guitar for me to guess which song was coming next.
“Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone...” he growled “only darkness every day…” Performed after three years gave the song a freshness I hadn’t enjoyed since the first time I heard it over a decade earlier. Just as the song appeared to end, David turned to Felipe who picked up the beat and led us on a journey through another verse.
David admitted to getting a bit emotional prior to singing ‘Night and Day’, a song taught to him as a child by his father. Screen grabs of Jack and Evelyn and Jack and David added to the atmosphere and made for a fine version of the song.
David told us that John Lennon was the inspiration that led to him picking up a guitar while Davy Jones became a close friend in more recent years. Tributes followed as David sang ‘Daydream Believer’, ‘I’m A Believer’ for Davy and ‘In My Life’ for John.
David surprised the band by singing ‘In My Life’ faster than what they were accustomed to. I felt that tonight he gave the melancholic song a much a happier, more entertaining feel and I was enjoying it immensely.
All of us have different reasons for seeing and hearing David but I would venture to guess that most of the women look forward to ‘Cherish’ more than any other song. From pounding his fist to the heart and out in an “I Cherish you all” statement to touching fans’ hands as he sings, one can understand why so many love this moment in time. Sadly however it’s also for this reason that David is usually unable to sing it straight the way it was recorded. In Niagara, due to strict security, with fans not allowed to leave their seats I hoped for a perfect reading of the song. This was not to be however as our screen controller started posting up bare chested photos of 21 year old David that had him laughing and fumbling the words as he moved from one end of the stage to the other.
Band introductions and solos from each member allowed them all to display their various talents. “The best band I’ve ever had” said David as he bowed to his friends and colleagues in appreciation of all they had to offer.
A couple of verses of ‘Summertime’ during Craig’s keyboard solo was the icing on the cake for all of us. Perhaps another song learned during the formative years prior to superstardom it was performed at a slow, bluesy pace, quite different from the original.
“They asked me to sing a song and in the middle of it, we want you to talk. Talk? You mean like Elvis in 1958?” Mention of Elvis brought a large cheer from the crowd which prompted David to state “I love Elvis” and then do a mini imitation of ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight’. As David joked through the spoken part of ‘Doesn’t Somebody’ more sexy pictures of David were being posted up on the screen that even made my wife blush.
The end of ‘Doesn’t Somebody’ segued into my favourite song of the evening, ‘I Woke Up In Love’. Felipe pounded the heck out of those drums while David had the house rocking with his smooth vocals. “You are number one” shouted a member of the audience to which David replied, “No you are all number one”.
The love affair continued. “I think I know I love you” said David accentuating the “know” as he launched full force into ‘I Think I Love You’. In that moment we all saw David not just as an entertainer but as a symbol of a youthful fire still burning brightly. “I love you Canada, thank-you” he shouted while heading out and back home. For 90 minutes, a legend graced our Canadian shores and if fate is kind, he will soon return.
Thank you Lucio for your review and photos.
