Madhouse Magazine
April 2017
Review of David's June 25, 2016 concert from www.madhousemagazine.com
David Cassidy “Up Close & Personal” at the NJPAC theater in Newark was a homecoming for the NJ boy. David grew up close by, in the town of West Orange, where he lived with his grandparents. However, it was much more than a homecoming, it was a family reunion.
It was also a reunion for me as the first concert I ever attended was David Cassidy at MSG in NYC in 1972. I was 7 and my older sister took me. I remember being so excited and fascinated by all the girls screaming and going crazy. I was mesmerized when the show started and David came out in his white fringed suit. It is a memory that I will cherish forever and I still have the concert book from that event.
I was as equally excited on this day some 45 years later, and still mesmerized at the girls going crazy for David. The crowd was a mix of the young and old, David’s schoolmates, family, and friends. A group of girls/women in the front row made me feel like it was 1972 all over again. They sang, danced, screamed, giggled, and hugged each other with glee. They brought their album covers, lunch boxes and posters. I have never witnessed anyone enjoy a concert more. Nothing but delight and pure happiness.
David hit the stage and looked and sounded great. Guitar in hand, he played for almost 2 straight hours. In a surprising twist, David took us on a musical journey of the last century. David touched on all the music that influenced him and that we all grew up together listening to. Deep Purple, Cole Porter, the Beatles, the Monkees, Jimi Hendrix, BB King, and his Partridge Family and solo career classics. The band was a tight, stellar group of musicians including Dave Robicheau on Guitar, Frank Fabio on Bass, Craig J on Keyboards and Felipe Torres on Drums.
David was charming, witty and engaging. He truly appreciates his fans and was enjoying the crowd as much as we were enjoying him. During the Partridge Family classic “Doesn’t Somebody Want to be Wanted” David joked how the producers wanted him to do spoken word during the song and how he rebelled at the time. It took him many years to come to terms, but he has embraced it and we all had a good laugh.
It was a moving, beautiful night. Warm memories, laughs and great music. You could see from the faces in the crowd, that everyone of these songs is meaningful. It took us all back to a great time, an innocent time. Back to the family living room, laying on the shag carpeting with family and friends watching the Partridge Family or sitting in bedrooms staring at David posters lovingly. “Albuquerque”, “I Woke up in Love this morning”, “Cherish”, and of course the #1 hit “I Think I Love You”. These songs are the soundtracks to our lives and what songs they are. Well written classics performed by the best musicians in the world and featuring David’s beautiful smooth vocals.
This is a show not to be missed! If you get the chance, run, don’t walk to the theater and enjoy a great night out. This was one of the most enjoyable and purely fun shows I have been to in a long time. To sum it up, at one point in the show, a woman threw her panties on stage and David had fun with it exclaiming “I hope you weren’t just wearing these?” All the girls still love David. He’s still got it.
Dennis Morgillo
