In the lobby

I saw you in the lobby
But I didn’t say hello
I figured you were tired
And I’m not someone you know

But for a single moment
We were breathing the same air
I snapped a picture in my mind
So I still see you standing there

I saw you in the lobby
But continued walking by
Your back was toward me
So I couldn’t catch your eye

Opportunity presented
In a flash it disappeared
A one-sided memory
Of a moment that we shared.

——————————-

Hmm, crushes.

(See previous post for context.)

OK, I am a dork.

Update (April 4): I tried putting the lyrics to music. It’s not quite how I would like the guitar to sound, but it’s the melody. (In my mind, it sounds more like an Amy Winehouse song, although it obviously didn’t come out that way.) And here is a pic of the lobby. RS was standing at the left of the check-in counter and I walked by there on the left.

Sahuarita show

A few hours ago, I got home from Tucson, where my husband and I went to see last night’s show in Sahuarita’s Desert Diamond Casino. Before I heard about this concert, I never knew that Arizona had a town called Sahuarita, but I was glad to be there.

This concert was my fifth since last March and each show has had its own highlights.

A brief recap:

March 7: San Tan Valley, Arizona: Got to briefly meet RS after the show and get a picture with him (and give him a note with this blog address – still don’t know if he actually read it). I went with a friend I’ve known since junior high and we went to his concerts together in the ’80s and ’90s.

April 9: Stripped Down show in Tucson with my husband. Briefly met him afterward (after waiting outside the theater, much to my husband’s chagrin) and got a photo with him.

Oct. 21: Arizona State Fair – went with my husband and my two older sons, who got to sing “Don’t Talk to Strangers” with him.

Oct. 25:  Vegas show with my cousin, met some of the “Rick Chicks.” It was her first RS show.

And here are some highlights from this weekend’s show.

The overall highlight was that it was the first child-free trip with my husband since we’ve had kids and it was great to spend the time together. Before heading to Tucson, yesterday was spent packing bags and dropping each child off (and our dog) at different friends’ houses. (Very gracious friends, I might add – each of the kids had a great time and I’m guessing our dog did, too, because there is a spacious backyard.)

After checking into our hotel and parking the car, we walked back into the lobby to bring our luggage to our room before grabbing a bite to eat. There in the lobby, I saw Jorge (the drummer) on the phone and then saw the rest of the band – and RS – at  the check-in counter. I guess I stared too long because Jorge kindly gave me a little wave so I waved back. RS’s back was to me but I saw the other band members. Inside I was screaming, but I contained it and waited until we went around the corner to do a little happy dance and started babbling to my husband, “He’s staying at this hotel! He’s in the lobby!” and so on. It didn’t seem like an appropriate time to approach him and what would I say anyway? But he was staying in the same hotel as we were!

As we got to the elevator, I noticed Siggy (the bassist) walking our way and we rode up in the elevator with him.  We chatted with him during the brief elevator ride and saw him later that night walking in the hotel hallway after the show and later this morning outside the lobby as we were leaving. He was really nice each time we spoke with him and seems like a cool guy.

Then we headed to the casino’s buffet (the nicer restaurant at the casino was reservations-only) so we ate and then on to the show.

Our seats were in the fifth row and before it started, we started talking to a really nice couple next to us. It turned out that the husband went to the same Phoenix high school, though years apart, as my husband.

(Quick shift to a weird fan observation. In “Late, Late at Night,” RS mentions that he once lived on Maryland Avenue in Glendale and it caught my attention because I pass a Maryland Avenue and a Glendale Avenue on my way to work each day. So this guy sitting next to us said that when he lived in Phoenix, he lived on our street between Maryland and Glendale avenues. Of course I didn’t share my little observation last night, but I thought that was funny.)

Anyway, back to the show.

After the show started (there was no opening band), many people went up to the stage and my husband encouraged me to join them. So I did and it was so fun to have such a great view of everything.

Despite my previous post about not Periscoping during the concert, how could I not now that I was so close?! So I tried again and it happened to be during “I Get Excited” again. It still didn’t record a clear video, but because I was closer, it was better. After the first video, though, I had trouble connecting so that was only one I did. I took other videos, too, but they didn’t come out very well so they’re more for sentimental reasons than to share (but maybe I’ll make a mini-video recap again since I got some of the songs from “Rocket Science.” He played “Light This Party Up,” “Down,” “That One” and “Miss Mayhem.”)

I found out later that the first guitar pic that RS threw out into the audience made it over to our seats and bounced off my husband’s forehead onto the floor. He rescued it and saved it for me.

After a few songs, the security guard came over and told everyone to go back to their seat. After RS basically gave the OK for people to come back to the stage, I returned. My view wasn’t as good as it was before being sent back to my seat, but was still great to be so close.

During “Human Touch,” he walked right by where I was, but I couldn’t get my camera to work and I didn’t actually get any human touch. My husband was nowhere to be seen so he didn’t capture any of it either. (I found out later that he was out for a bathroom break. That serves me right, I guess, for leaving him  alone back at our seats for most of the show.)

Anyway, it was a great show. It was a small venue  – RS said during the show that it was the smallest stage they have performed on and that he and Siggy keep running into each other (my husband said he heard Jorge tell RS not to sweat on his drum set.) The crowd was civil, no pushing/crowding near the stage or anything like that. One new thing the band did was cover Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” which seemed to get a good reaction from the crowd. He prefaced it by saying it’s for the younger ones in the audience. I couldn’t help thinking of the scene in “Ricki and the Flash” where the band broke into Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.” I like the song so I thought it was fun to see/hear and thought the message suited him well. After the song ended, I thought I heard someone – I think it was one of the band members – say “Yes, that just happened.”

After the show, we drove back to the hotel and during our search to find a place to get food and drinks, we saw Siggy then Tim (keyboardist/guitarist) walking through the hotel (I wished Tim a happy birthday though he probably thought it was strange that some random person walking through the hotel knew it was his birthday. But then again, he’s probably used that sort of thing when it comes to RS fans.) And when I was in the restroom, my husband saw George (guitarist), too.

We had a drink in the casino/hotel (with me keeping an eye out for RS), and then headed back to our room around 11:30 p.m. Apparently we just missed him, as a couple people tweeted that they met him at the hotel around that time.

In the morning, we went to the fitness center to work out and I listened to the RS “Workout Songs” playlist on Spotify. It just seemed like the appropriate music to listen to!

We saw most of the band in the lobby as we were leaving this morning and I wanted to head back to see if RS would show up, but my husband reminded me that we needed to get back to Phoenix to pick up our kids. (Plus he finds the whole stalking thing creepy.)

Before leaving Tucson, we stopped for breakfast at this cool little restaurant called Sunny Daze and then headed back to Phoenix – and back to reality.

Cute little restaurant in Tucson- Sunny Daze

Ad on the restaurant table: “Rick’s RV Service”

Sign on the way home to Phoenix.

New T-shirt from the show

 

More pics from the show:

Close to the stage

Close to the stage, zoomed in.

Hello there.

View from the fifth row in Sahuarita, Arizona.

I suck at selfies.

Band members having fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Periscope concert footage

One of the coolest current inventions is the ability to “teleport” to a concert as it is happening. I’m not sure how the performers feel about it – I know I would hate to be filmed at work, but since that’s what they do regularly, I guess they are OK with it – but for a fan, it’s really cool to be able to watch a concert as it’s happening if you can’t actually be there.

Having enjoyed a few concerts via Periscope, I wanted to reciprocate. So when I was in the third row at a concert last October, I made sure the settings were set to save the video on my phone and filmed a little. (I also did some non-Periscope filming, just in case.) When RS came out into the audience during “Don’t Talk to Strangers” and “Human Touch” and was standing right in front of me, what was I doing? Trying to film it. But I couldn’t get the camera to work; I guess I was a little flustered. Fortunately I had informed my husband before the show that he was on “Don’t Talk to Strangers” and “Human Touch” filming duty and he took care of it. (Fortunately, because two of my sons got to sing with RS and my husband captured it on video).

After the concert, I couldn’t find the Periscope videos on my phone. It wasn’t until recently that I was downloading pictures and videos off my phone to my computer and found them in a different folder in the gallery. Whoo-hoo, unexpected concert footage!

And then I watched them.

Rather than try to explain why I may not Periscope from this weekend’s concert, I thought I’d share snippets from my Periscope videos:

20 songs on the Hot 100 chart

Recent articles about Rick Springfield have referred to him as “rock legend,” “’80s icon” and “the legendary Rick Springfield.” (Also “singer-guitarist-actor,” “Australian rock star” and “Aussie rocker.”) These are definitely better than the “Jessie’s Girl singer” label that was often used in last year’s articles announcing “Ricki and the Flash” and “True Detective.”

But there are still those snide comments that appear now and again that refer to him as a one-hit-wonder. So although those people will likely never come across this post because they are the type to unleash snide comments out into cyberspace without doing any research first, I wanted to share this cool video that was recently posted on the Hot Music Charts YouTube channel: “Rick Springfield Complete Hot 100 Chart History,” which showcases his many hits. (There are lots of great videos on this channel, by the way.)

I’ve provided a recap below for easy reference but I recommend that you watch the video because it shows clips from different RS videos throughout the years so it’s really fun to watch. (The dates on the video are the dates the songs debuted on the chart, the ones below are the ones listed on Billboard.com as the dates the songs peaked. One other difference is the video includes “Taxi Dancing,” which isn’t listed on billboard.com.)

Speak to the Sky: Oct. 7, 1972
Peak: 14, weeks on chart: 13

What Would the Children Think: Dec. 9, 1972
Peak: 70, weeks on chart: 4

American Girls: July 13, 1974
Peak: 98, weeks on chart: 2

Take a Hand: Oct. 2, 1976
Peak: 41, weeks on chart: 9

Jessie’s Girl: Aug. 1, 1981
Peak: 1, weeks on chart: 32

I’ve Done Everything For You: Nov. 7, 1981
Peak: 8, weeks on chart: 22

Love is Alright Tonite: Feb. 13, 1982
Peak: 20, weeks on chart: 16

Don’t Talk to Strangers: May 22, 1982
Peak: 2, weeks on chart: 21

What Kind of Fool Am I: July 3, 1982
Peak: 21, weeks on chart: 12

I Get Excited: Oct. 30, 1982
Peak: 32, weeks on chart: 12

Affair of the Heart: June 18, 1983
Peak: 9, weeks on chart: 18

Human Touch: Sept. 10, 1983
Peak: 18, weeks on chart: 15

Souls: Dec. 3, 1983
Peak: 23, weeks on chart: 15

Love Somebody: May 5, 1984
Peak: 5, weeks on chart: 16

Don’t Walk Away: July 7, 1984
Peak: 26, weeks on chart: 12

Bop ‘Til You Drop: Oct. 20, 1984
Peak: 20, weeks on chart: 15

Taxi Dancing: Peak 59 (on video, but not listed on RS’s Billboard.com list)

Bruce: Jan 12, 1985
Peak: 27, weeks on chart: 13

Celebrate Youth: May 18, 1985
Peak: 26, weeks on chart: 11

State of the Heart: Aug. 17, 1985
Peak: 22, Weeks on chart: 15

Rock of Life: April 2, 1988
Peak: 22, weeks on chart: 15

Hopefully this will become just a “Part 1” video of his Hot 100 songs and the “2016 and beyond” compilation will be started soon with songs from “Rocket Science.”

A Rick raffle

Although I haven’t met many of the “Rick Chicks,” it’s evident on the Facebook fan pages that there is a lot of camaraderie there among some of the women who have attended Rick Springfield shows (and trips) together for many years.

Throughout this month, there is a raffle going on to help pay mounting medical bills for a RS fan – a mother of three daughters –  who is battling stage 4 breast cancer.

Somebody donated 16 Rick Springfield items, 14 that are autographed, and the winners of these 16 items will be put into a winner’s circle raffle with a chance to win a Meet and Greet with RS.

Raffle tickets are $25 each and the drawing is on April 1, 2016.

For details on the items, and how to donate through PayPal, visit facebook.com/RockinPinkForKim.

Here is the video that tells Kim’s story. Sending prayers for Kim and her family…

Two more weeks ’til the next show

Two more weeks until the next RS show! Fifth row!

Still working on finalizing the plans. Since the venue is about two hours away, my husband and I decided to make an overnight getaway out of it. It’s actually our first overnight trip ever without the kids, so it’s kind of a big deal. (And yes, I realize it is ironic that the reason for the trip is to go to the show of somebody I’ve had a crush on for more than three decades, which is just one example of what a great husband I have.) So the hotel is booked and I’m trying to make arrangements for sleepovers for the kids and someone to take care of our dog.

I told my husband that we don’t have to stalk, I mean, hang out after the show in hopes of running into RS, but he doesn’t believe me. Then he told me that there were only two times where he saw a side of my personality that kind of freaked him out. Once was last year after a RS show when I fervently insisted that we hang around afterward (but I think in the end he really didn’t mind because we did get to meet RS and he thought that was cool). The other time is whenever I drive in Los Angeles.

Anyway, if we do happen to run into RS again (maybe when hanging out in a casino bar to have a drink or two after the concert instead of waiting outside near the loading dock?), I’m thinking that I shouldn’t mention this blog. When I met him last March, I gave him a piece of paper with this blog address on it (because I knew I probably wouldn’t be able to say anything). And then the second time, I think I mumbled something about it, but I’m not sure if he understood what I said  – he laughed, but didn’t say anything about it so I’m not sure what actually came out of my mouth. So I don’t want to be THAT fan that shows up after a show every few months and mumbles something about a blog.

And if he has read it, would it make any difference if he knew who wrote it? It won’t change anything in the grand scheme of things. And plus, if it annoys him or he hates it, then that would just be awkward.

Light it up TV promo

Was that “Light This Party Up” playing in the background of an ABC Wednesday night promo?

I had to watch it a few times before I could hear it because it was buried under dialogue, but you can hear the announcer say “Lighten up” and it sounds like RS singing “Light This Party Up.”

I didn’t see it live  – someone posted it on Facebook – but if I find a video link, I will come back and add it. (Update: Check out the Facebook page for “The Middle” – it’s as clear as day that it’s “Light This Party Up.” Whoo-hoo!)

Meanwhile, if you came across this post while searching “song on ABC Wednesday night promo?” here is the song in its entirety.

Rocket Science: the singles

In interviews, Rick Springfield has mentioned that he had no idea “Jessie’s Girl” was going to be the big hit off “Working Class Dog.” And now it’s one of the quintessential ’80s songs.

Since “Rocket Science” has so many good songs, it got me wondering which one(s) will make the most impact on the musical world.

So here’s a look at some ideas for the songs. I’ve included YouTube videos when available, but the songs are also available on Spotify. (You can also listen to the commentaries from the CD liner notes on Spotify.) (Update on May 3, 2016: I’ve learned that this post was mentioned in a podcast – whoohoo! Here’s the link: Rock and Roll Geek Show: Show 687. I also realized that this post would be a better stand-alone post about “Rocket Science” if it had more details about the songs, so I’m adding more links now.)

“Light This Party Up”: This song could be to party compilation playlists to what “Jessie’s Girl” is to ’80s compilations. It would work well during party scenes in movies or in beer commercials. But it’s not just a standard party song, it would go nicely in movies where a character who has been kind of a downer during the first part of the film eventually lightens up during a party scene. (Read more here.)

 

“Down”: Also a good candidate for a movie. During a flashback montage scene showing how one character was always there for the other character and then the second character decides he/she needs to make some bold move to show that he/she realizes how much the other character has done and now he/she is determined to never let them down. (More details here.)

 

“That One”: This break-up related song would also work well in a movie, in a scene when the protagonist realizes that he’s lost his girl to another guy. This would have been appropriate for Jessie to sing if “Jessie’s Girl” had been interested in RS. (If that would have happened, then we wouldn’t have the “Jessie’s Girl” song, so I guess everything worked out in the end.)

“The Best Damn Thing”: This is great for radio station call-in shows where people dedicate songs to their loved ones. This song is for the reformed jerk to dedicate to his girl.

“Miss Mayhem”: As RS describes it, “We have all met her/him at some point in our romantic past. A burning hot, amazing-in-bed, beautiful/handsome fucking whack-job! Aren’t they the BEST!!!” This one is great for cranking up loud in the car and singing along. Definitely good for a movie, probably an action-adventure one where “Miss Mayhem” does something totally crazy but the main guy character just can’t seem to resist her. (Read more details here.)

“Pay It Forward”: A feel-good song. This would be good as music to use for a slideshow video for a fundraiser where the nonprofit shows all the great work they do. Or in a movie montage when a group of kids get together to help others to raise money for a cause – showing scenes of them washing cars, having a bake sale, etc., so they can help whoever it is they are aiming to help. (More details here.)

“Found”: Ladies, admit it – you would have liked RS to have written this song about you. After all, your 30-second encounter with him at the meet and greet had a profound impact on you, why couldn’t it also have affected him in a similar way and inspired him to write this song about you? OK, maybe it sounds crazy, but in his liner notes about this song, he says it’s about fantasies, so fantasize away.

“Crowded Solitude”: A scenario for this song isn’t as clear. Maybe in a scene where somebody is driving out of a big city and the camera follows this person driving and driving to a more remote place?

“Let Me In”: One of my favorite songs off the CD. A movie could be written around this song. (More details here.)

 

“All Hands on Deck”: A very patriotic song, good for the Fourth of July, Veterans Day and Sept. 11.

“We Connect”: Good for a sci-fi thriller, when the good earthlings band together to fight the guys that are trying to take over the world.

“(I Wish I Had a) Concrete Heart”: Good song for a romantic drama. (Hear original song by Niclas Lundin here.)

“Earth to Angel”: Similar to “Light This Party Up” – not really a party song, but could be used when the downer character realizes that life is short and he/she makes a decision to do whatever it is that he/she does to give the movie a happy ending.

“Beautiful Inside”: (Bonus Track on Amazon and iTunes) Great inspiring feel-good song of encouragement.

Bonus songs on Best Buy CD: (according to the Best Buy  CD booklet, the stories behind the bonus tracks of “Mercy” and “Walkin’ In” are supposed to be on rickspringfield.com, but haven’t found them on the site. Has anyone else?)

“Mercy”: Catchy song, Good for an action-adventure-romantic-comedy.

“Walkin’ In”: Sweet, sentimental song for a romantic drama.

Feel free to comment on how you envision these songs!

(Note: From what I’ve read, YouTube views now count toward Billboard rankings and these videos look like approved versions, so they appear to be OK to post here, in case anyone was concerned.)

On the charts

Checking in on Twitter tonight, there were all kinds of Billboard chart highlights for “Rocket Science.” Really good news!

For its first week on the Billboard charts, here’s the recap that I was able to find on billboard.com.

Top Rock Albums: #10 (This week’s top-selling albums across all rock, ranked by sales data as compiled by Nielsen Music.)

 

Independent Albums: #4  (This week’s top-selling albums across all genres, sold via independent distribution, including those fulfilled via major branch distributors. Titles are ranked by sales data as compiled by Nielsen Music.)

 

Tastemaker Albums: #2  (This week’s top-selling albums based on an influential panel of stores comprised of independent retailer coalitions and smaller regional chains, ranked by sales data as compiled by Nielsen Music.) This one is second only to David Bowie’s “Blackstar.” RS’s “Stripped Down” CD from last year debuted at #20 but was only on for one week.

 

Top album sales: #27: (This week’s top-selling albums across all genres, ranked by sales data as compiled by Nielsen Music.)

 

Billboard 200: #69 (This week’s most popular albums across all genres, ranked by album sales, audio on-demand streaming activity and digital sales of tracks from albums as compiled by Nielsen Music.) To track this against his other albums/CDs, see this. (This list lists the peak position of each CD, but not its debut appearance, so I’m not sure how it compares against past ones, as far as the first week on the charts.)

Through the years, he’s been on 13 different Billboard charts. I don’t typically follow these sort of things and don’t know much about it, but I’m surprised that “Songs for the End of the World” was only on the Billboard 200 chart for one week and “Venus in Overdrive” was only on the charts for two weeks. What?!

The last time he was on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, after several years on it, was for “Rock of Life” in 1988. That chart measures radio airplay, sales data and streaming data. “Rocket Science” has so many great songs – at least one of them should be able to end this nearly 30-year hiatus of him being on the Hot 100 chart!