Back in early December I went with my friend Kelli to see singer Richard Marx on his solo acoustic tour. If that name rings a bell it's because Richard was quite the popular guy back from around 1987 until the early 90s. His first hit, "Don't Mean Nothing", came out in 1987 and he's still pretty well known for songs like "Right Here Waiting" and "Hold on to the Nights". My personal favorite has always been "Take This Heart".
I never got to see Richard back in his heyday and that's probably a good thing because I enjoyed this show so much more. Most people I told about the show scoffed, but Kelli was game to go and I had already purchased tickets as I knew I wanted to go, even if no one else did.
To be honest, I hadn't really listened to any of Richard's stuff since it stopped getting radio air play for the new songs until some time in early 2011 (or late 2010, it's hard to keep up) when I heard him in a radio interview on a local station and they were playing his song "When You Loved Me". I loved the song and started hunting up a few of his more recent records. Then I heard he had an acoustic record and snatched that up in 2012 and just loved it. I'm still behind in filling out all my Marx discography (I spent a lot of time last fall upping the volume of my Night Ranger CD collection you know), but I'll get there eventually. It's cool in some ways because while the tunes aren't new, they are new-to-me, even if it's older stuff like Rush Street that I bought used a couple of months ago from a local store.
The acoustic record - Stories to Tell - is truly wonderful though so I knew I would enjoy the live show. I thought I had snagged some pretty good seats, but they were better than I had expected:
It was a very cool venue as well. McGlohon Theater at Spirit Square is part of the Bluementhal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte, NC and seats 700. It felt like there could not be that many people in there, but the place was nearly full. I guess when you're used to venues with 25K or more screaming fans, 700 doesn't seem like a lot. But I loved that about the place and, of course, loved being so close. I never would have had seats this good 20+ years ago for a show of his. And I admit that the older I get, the more it is about how close can I get to the band. It's just more fun being up close.
I don't know what to say about the show except that I really enjoyed it. Richard is probably the funniest person on Twitter and if you don't follow him, you really should. He's just damned hilarious and he kept that up during the show. Between shots of self-deprecating humor directed at how his career has evolved over the years to taking a few shots at the ballads he is known for, he kept the audience entertained the entire time. The man could easily do stand-up if he ever wants to change careers.
What a lot of folks don't know is that he has had a thriving career as a songwriter and producer even if he's not churning out Top 40 "hits" for radio anymore. He did play those hits - "Right Here Waiting", "Hazard", "Take This Heart" (squee!! My favorite!!!) - and many others.
The song that hits closet to home for me is the song he wrote about his late father several years after he died called "Through My Veins". I had been listening to that song and knew it was a love song, but hadn't thought it was a love song from a son to a father. Oh, I knew it didn't always sound like a romantic love song, but I figured the "through my veins" wasn't so much literal as how people say someone just got under their skins and things like that. However, I had recently purchased a few weeks before the concert a CD/DVD combo of a PBS concert Richard did and he told the story of the song and then sang it. I cried my eyes out because it made me think of my mother. Heck, even typing this it makes me get a little weepy, but I managed only a sniffle or two during the concert. I figured it would not be good to totally break down smack dab in the middle of things. Might freak people out.
I want to go on and on about how much I enjoyed this show and the intimate setting and Richard's humor, but other than writing out a set list I'm not sure what else to really say. His voice is in tip-top form - as is his hair, though I'm sure we all miss that sweet mullet he sported in the 80s - and I love to hear singers singing live and have them sound just like they do on the record without it being the result of lip synching. He's not a studio creation and never was. He's the real deal with the talent to back it up.
The only minor disappointment for me is that he did not sing the song "Loved" which is probably my "other favorite" Richard Marx song. I wasn't expecting him to sing it, but had hoped it might turn up. It's such a lovely song and perfect in that setting. Eh. No matter. The show was still great. Except... There was this obnoxious guy sitting behind us who would NOT stop singing along! Even when Richard set up a song by saying, "...and if you know this song...don't sing along. You'll ruin it." Uh, yeah, this guy fit that bill. Although he did not ruin it for me, Kelli was closer to him so I'm not sure how wells he could tune him out. All the dirty looks in the world that we kept shooting him did not work. He just kept singing at the top of his lungs. And I must confess when Richard started, I think it was "Right Here Waiting", the guy said - in a voice filled with girlish delight - "That's my FAVORITE!" I nearly fell out laughing but it seemed like an inappropriate thing to do at that point and I didn't really want the entire audience starting at me as I gasped for air in the midst of hysterical laughter.
All in all, a great evening with Mr. Marx. I hope I get to repeat it again some day.
I never got to see Richard back in his heyday and that's probably a good thing because I enjoyed this show so much more. Most people I told about the show scoffed, but Kelli was game to go and I had already purchased tickets as I knew I wanted to go, even if no one else did.
To be honest, I hadn't really listened to any of Richard's stuff since it stopped getting radio air play for the new songs until some time in early 2011 (or late 2010, it's hard to keep up) when I heard him in a radio interview on a local station and they were playing his song "When You Loved Me". I loved the song and started hunting up a few of his more recent records. Then I heard he had an acoustic record and snatched that up in 2012 and just loved it. I'm still behind in filling out all my Marx discography (I spent a lot of time last fall upping the volume of my Night Ranger CD collection you know), but I'll get there eventually. It's cool in some ways because while the tunes aren't new, they are new-to-me, even if it's older stuff like Rush Street that I bought used a couple of months ago from a local store.
The acoustic record - Stories to Tell - is truly wonderful though so I knew I would enjoy the live show. I thought I had snagged some pretty good seats, but they were better than I had expected:
 |
| Hi Richard!! Can you see us??? (Yes, I know he wasn't on stage yet. Humor me.) |
I don't know what to say about the show except that I really enjoyed it. Richard is probably the funniest person on Twitter and if you don't follow him, you really should. He's just damned hilarious and he kept that up during the show. Between shots of self-deprecating humor directed at how his career has evolved over the years to taking a few shots at the ballads he is known for, he kept the audience entertained the entire time. The man could easily do stand-up if he ever wants to change careers.
What a lot of folks don't know is that he has had a thriving career as a songwriter and producer even if he's not churning out Top 40 "hits" for radio anymore. He did play those hits - "Right Here Waiting", "Hazard", "Take This Heart" (squee!! My favorite!!!) - and many others.
The song that hits closet to home for me is the song he wrote about his late father several years after he died called "Through My Veins". I had been listening to that song and knew it was a love song, but hadn't thought it was a love song from a son to a father. Oh, I knew it didn't always sound like a romantic love song, but I figured the "through my veins" wasn't so much literal as how people say someone just got under their skins and things like that. However, I had recently purchased a few weeks before the concert a CD/DVD combo of a PBS concert Richard did and he told the story of the song and then sang it. I cried my eyes out because it made me think of my mother. Heck, even typing this it makes me get a little weepy, but I managed only a sniffle or two during the concert. I figured it would not be good to totally break down smack dab in the middle of things. Might freak people out.
I want to go on and on about how much I enjoyed this show and the intimate setting and Richard's humor, but other than writing out a set list I'm not sure what else to really say. His voice is in tip-top form - as is his hair, though I'm sure we all miss that sweet mullet he sported in the 80s - and I love to hear singers singing live and have them sound just like they do on the record without it being the result of lip synching. He's not a studio creation and never was. He's the real deal with the talent to back it up.
The only minor disappointment for me is that he did not sing the song "Loved" which is probably my "other favorite" Richard Marx song. I wasn't expecting him to sing it, but had hoped it might turn up. It's such a lovely song and perfect in that setting. Eh. No matter. The show was still great. Except... There was this obnoxious guy sitting behind us who would NOT stop singing along! Even when Richard set up a song by saying, "...and if you know this song...don't sing along. You'll ruin it." Uh, yeah, this guy fit that bill. Although he did not ruin it for me, Kelli was closer to him so I'm not sure how wells he could tune him out. All the dirty looks in the world that we kept shooting him did not work. He just kept singing at the top of his lungs. And I must confess when Richard started, I think it was "Right Here Waiting", the guy said - in a voice filled with girlish delight - "That's my FAVORITE!" I nearly fell out laughing but it seemed like an inappropriate thing to do at that point and I didn't really want the entire audience starting at me as I gasped for air in the midst of hysterical laughter.
All in all, a great evening with Mr. Marx. I hope I get to repeat it again some day.
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