Entertainment

CONCERT REVIEW

Rick Springfield still leaves female fans screaming

Five-piece local ensemble got the crowd on its feet for Fraze Pavilion headliner.

Staff Writer

Saturday, July 19, 2008

KETTERING — It was girls' night out Friday, July 18, at Fraze Pavilion when the agelessly attractive rocker and actor Rick Springfield returned for his fourth appearance on the outdoor amphitheater stage.

While the show didn't sell out as the Australian-American's past Fraze performances did, the largely female audience nevertheless screamed with the exuberance of a full house. The men in attendance, some of whom even came of their own accord, seemed to enjoy themselves as well.

Springfield, after all, was a rocker with a mean way on electric guitar well before he became a heartthrob as Dr. Noah Drake on daytime television's "General Hospital."

And TV had nothing to do with the widespread popularity of Springfield's 1981 Grammy winning "Jessie's Girl," which helped set the standard for the decade's radio-friendly pop-rock sound.

While Springfield focused much of his 90-plus-minute show on the hits that first made his reputation — "I've Done Everything for You," "Don't Talk to Strangers," "Affair of the Heart," in addition to "Jessie's Girl" — he also brought more recent material into the mix, including his new single, "What's Victoria's Secret?"

The song is featured on his album, "Venus in Overdrive," due out July 29.

As a newcomer to the Springfield concert experience, watching him shred fans' flower bouquets on the strings of his guitar felt more like a hostile gesture than a wild rock move. But it's apparently a familiar part of the show, and the flower-bearing fans expected it.

Opening the evening was the Miami Valley's own 1980s cover band Stranger, fronted by the affable and energetic Jeff Stevens of Mix 107.7's morning show. The five-piece ensemble managed to get the crowd on its feet, fully prepared for the night's headliner.