Rick Springfield at Westbury Music Fair,
Westbury, New York

The crowd gathered at the circular Westbury Music Fair to see Rick Springfield was about the uncoolest concert crowd I have ever seen. Many carried bouqets of flowers, for heaven's sake! This was a bad sign, I thought. And then Springfield took the stage, grabbed the first bouquet he saw and proceeded to destroy it by windmilling it against the strings of his over-amplified guitar. A tone was set. This was not to be a by-the-numbers pop shop. This was rock and roll.

Springfield and his band powered through the favorites, turning pop tunes into all out guitar assaults, rattling the little in-the-round theater with a crisp and thunderous sound. Springfield shared an amazing rapport with his audience, often charging into the crowd, standing across the backs of seats wailing away on a solo while his fans reached up and kept him from falling over. He invited groups of fans on stage to surround him and sing along while he continued to soar on the guitar.

With goatee, straggly hair, and knee length leather coat, this did not look like the squeaky clean pop star of the 80's, but a man trying to live his dream of being a true rock and roll star. And doing a damn good job of it, I might add.

- Mike Castro