David Cassidy on the Web
David Cassidy takes the stage one last time
October 27, 2011
By: Nancy Dunham
Examiner Correspondent
Washington Examiner
http://washingtonexaminer.com
OK -- don't freak out, but this upcoming David Cassidy show may well be the last concert he gives. Honest.
That's not to say that Cassidy won't return to D.C. any time in the near future. The multitalented performer, who became arguably the most recognizable international teen idol of the 1970s thanks to the television show "The Partridge Family," is turning his attention to a project to which he has personal ties.
"I never say never," said Cassidy, who then went on to talk about how he doesn't see any more concerts in his future. "I love to play [music], travel and act but I want to use whatever time I have left for something different."
Onstage
David Cassidy
When: 7:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria
Info: $49.50; ticketmaster.com; 202-397-SEAT
Cassidy, 61, has turned his sights on influencing lawmakers and other decision makers to enact legislation to support Alzheimer's research and care. The subject is an incredibly dear one to Cassidy now that he has watched as his own mother, the actress Evelyn Ward, has the disease.
"It's an enormous responsibility," Cassidy said of caring for elderly parents and other loved ones, especially those with Alzheimer's. "It's up to [the baby boomer generation] to bring an awareness of it and to work to get systems in place. ... Thank God I can afford [to pay for my mother's care], but what about those that can't?"
Cassidy is the son of Ward and legendary actor Jack Cassidy. When he was about 3 years old, the younger Cassidy got the acting bug after watching his father perform onstage. After training professionally as an actor, Cassidy made his own name both on Broadway and television. Yet it was the role of Keith Partridge, eldest son in a family rock band that toured the country and was based on the then-popular Cowsills, that made him a teen idol. And not just any teen idol but one with the largest fan club in music history, according to Allmusic.
Cassidy and many others have written extensively about his life and the show. He went on to his own singing career and an acting career, which took him to Broadway and London's West End. Many likely don't realize that Cassidy is also the man behind the multimillion-dollar, award-winning show "EFX" at the MGM Grand Hotel that became one of Las Vegas' major attractions. "The Rat Pack is Back" and other shows followed. No matter what, though, the image of him as Keith Partridge has stayed in the hearts of many of his generation.
"I've had an awful lot of good fortune. I still have the passion for being creative, for playing the songs and music everyone loved," he said. "The world has changed now and I get to go back and celebrate it. That is what this last show is going to be. ... It will be fantastic."
