The fan-based Rick Springfield Birthday Campaign is now under way, raising more than $3,000 in the first five days. That’s pretty awesome, considering that surpasses both the entire 2008 and 2009 campaigns.
Perhaps in those days they weren’t offering DINNER WITH RICK SPRINGFIELD as the grand prize.
Yes, you read that correctly – the grand prize is DINNER WITH RICK SPRINGFIELD! (I felt compelled to use all caps since why not yell out that exciting news?)
There are some other cool prizes, too, such as original drawings by RS himself. (You may have heard that he’s a musician, songwriter, singer, author and actor – did you know he’s an artist, too?)
Here he is at work, sketching one of the prizes, Grand Prize #3:
Grand Prize #2 is a sketch of his cute dog Bindi:
It’s kind of like getting a signed photograph from the RS fan club back in the ’80s, but this time they are original drawings.
Check out happybirthdayrick.com to find out how to enter to receive these prizes. All donations go toward the Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation, which helps rescue dogs.
(When my 9-year-old overheard the video of RS announcing the campaign, he recognized his voice: “Is that Rick Springfield?” he asked. When I told him that RS fans were raising money for a charity for his birthday, I asked him what charity he thought it would be. “An animal shelter?” he asked. Yes, I told him, it’s for dogs. What made him guess that? “Because, dogs,” he said. “Dogs may drool, but they also rule.”)
Did you ever wonder what it would be like to have dinner with Rick Springfield? I can only imagine what it would be like – probably me just sitting there smiling and staring, unable to say a word. I’d have to bring a talkative friend with me so it wouldn’t be too awkward.
Although, I also suspect it would be really cool, like it was for this lucky fan on this “prom date” back in 2004 (video courtesy of rsandus):
The first response people have when learning Rick Springfield is turning 70 this year is “WHAT?!”
Not only is it because he looks about 20 years younger, especially when performing – running around the audience, jumping unbelievably high on stage, etc. – but also because if he’s 70, then his fans who were in their early teens when they started being fans are now either approaching 50 or in their 50s. WHAT?!
Yes, it’s true.
I don’t know how common it is for fans to run birthday campaigns for their favorite rock star, but Rick Springfield fans have run incredible campaigns in honor of RS since 2007 and have so far raised over $122,000 for different charities.
Today is the kick-off of this year’s fan-based campaign, “Orchestrating a Dog’s Life” and all funds raised will go to Linda Blair’s Worldheart Foundation, which helps dogs. As you may know, Rick Springfield loves dogs.
(See the Facebook post when he recently stopped at an animal shelter in Minnesota to visit the dogs while he was in town for a concert and he and some fans donated money to the shelter, too.)
So far on the first day, more than $700 in donations have come in and the campaign runs through Sept. 27 with a goal of raising $20,000 for the dogs. (Last year’s campaign raised more than $15,000.) In case this information hasn’t been imprinted on your brain for the past three decades or so, his actual birthday is Aug. 23.
In addition to raising money for charities, the campaign also has a fun prize component, where people fans donate Rick Springfield movies, CDs, merchandise, as well as gift cards and other items and every $5 donation gets a entry ticket and then there’s a big prize drawing at the end. (One year the grand prize was having dinner with RS himself!) Thank you to all the fans who work on this campaign each year and those who donate the prizes!
With so many of today’s “leaders” being such poor examples of being a good human being, thank goodness for all the artists, musicians and other creatives out there who follow their passion to be a positive force in the world.
By sharing their truths with the world, they often forge a connection with their fans and give them strength. As this is a blog about Rick Springfield, naturally I will use him as an example.
Although he has made some not-so-stellar choices during his lifetime, which he seems to often beat himself up over, he has, through sharing and baring his soul, brought strength to so many. Through his songs, his autobiography and in interviews, he divulges more than the average human being would about his negative actions and by doing so, brings solace to others who may have found themselves in similar situations.
Not only that, but he also seems to inspire creativity in others.
For instance, he recently posted a video based on “My Father’s Chair” created by a film student.
Then of course on YouTube there are several covers of his songs – mainly “Jessie’s Girl,” but here are some others that seem to exist not because the musicians are in an ’80s cover band, but because they’re RS fans :
From lespaulfanofsparta on YouTube:
And this cool father-daughter “Jessie’s Girl” cover, courtesy of Krizten Centino’s YouTube channel:
“Love is Alright Tonight” from posturex1:
There are several others if you’re interested in searching “Rick Springfield covers on YouTube.”
Obviously, he’s been a big inspiration to me, which I explained in a 2015 post about a year after I started writing this blog “Blogging to inspiration.” Can you believe that it’s almost the five-year anniversary of this blog?! Since then, I’ve been on my own little songwriting journey, definitely inspired by RS.
Some people don’t get any opportunities to inspire others and others inspire others simply by doing what they love and being kind to others. So once, again, thank you RS for being a source of inspiration!
Earlier this month, Rick Springfield had back-to-back-to back-to back California shows, which I’m sure was a thrill for people in that area who were able to attend all four (or any combination of them).
First there was the July 11 show with the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, which got a lot of rave reviews from multiple publications. In The Greene Room Magazine, the writer shares many fun moments from the show and shares her enjoyment of the show.
Rick Springfield is the ultimate showman, having charisma, sex appeal, over the top talented musician, and very fan friendly, he plays with the fans, teases the fans, takes selfies with the fans, all this while onstage. …
In closing, Rick Springfield turns seventy next month; it’s a thought that never crossed my mind. His energy, dancing, jumping and kicking, his zest to entertain, he gives us life.
Another great article covering the July 11 show, from The Vinyl District, from a male writer experiencing a Rick Springfield show (and Rick Springfield fans) for the first time.
Over the next few hours, Rick Springfield delighted his legions of fans with a spectacular set composed of 14 songs that spanned an amazing musical career of over 40 years. Sure, fans came for classics like “Don’t Talk to Strangers” and “Affair of the Heart” but lesser known hits like “Souls,” “Irreplaceable,” and “Kristina” were simply incredible and showcased Rick’s amazing talent as a vocalist.
Both articles also have some great photos from the show.
A couple of the articles mention a RS comment about him playing with an orchestra:
“My mom would have loved this except she wouldn’t have been happy with me swearing: ‘Richard, you’ve got to be a good example for the kids!’ “The kids are all in their 50s, mom! They’ve already decided if they want to swear or not.”
Other recent articles:
A Q&A in the Baltimore Media Blog, where he mentions that one of the reasons he rerecorded the vocals for “Orchestrating My Life” was because he doesn’t own the masters (which I found interesting in light of the recent coverage of Taylor Swift’s masters). There was also this:
What do your fans mean to you?
They are the reason I do what I do.
Awwwwww…..
In the Las Vegas Review-Journal : ‘80s icon Rick Springfield still rockin’ after all these years,” we get to hear a little more about the third novel he’s working on (the first being “Magnificent Vibrations” and the sequel reportedly being called “World on Fire.”)
According to the article, the new novel is about music and depression. “The main character is a musician who suffers from depression and is a sex addict. It’s kind of interesting. People say to write what you know, so I’m writing what I know. This is my third novel and this time it’s truer to life.”
Whoa, can’t wait to read that!
Here are videos I found on YouTube from the July 11 show (posted by Johnny Maldjian). I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but I sure dig that burgundy suit and haircut:
The next evening, at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, California, RS performed a show with Richard Marx, playing their own songs separately and some together. Here’s a video (courtesy of Rick and the NEWSflash RATNF Radio) of them playing Richard Marx’s song “Don’t Mean Nothing.”
The following evening, he performed at Wente Vineyards in Livermore, another full-band show, this time with Tommy Tutone and Greg Kihn.
Then on July 14, a Stripped Down show at Rodney Strong Vineyards in Healdsburg, CA with Richard Marx. (When I saw a video posted on one of the RS fan Facebook pages, I noticed there was a small RS sign on the wall behind the stage, which I thought was cool before I realized that it related to the name of the vineyard and not the rock star.)
When I was looking for videos from these shows, I came across this one posted by donna2kayak, from the show I attended last month and since it’s taken from the the other side of the stage, I see my blurry self standing there filming the same song, “Souls.” Me in the same room with RS only a few feet away. So incredible. Ooh, it looks like he’s looking in my direction. Did he see me?
Oh sorry, was I writing a post here? I got a little distracted.
Here are both videos if you want to attempt getting them to the same timing so you can see it from both angles at the same time.
(Note: The pic at the top of this post is from the June 2, 2019 show in Chandler, AZ.)
What a fantastic show tonight! An outdoor symphony performance in Costa Mesa, California, with RS in his burgundy suit and a recent haircut playing all his hits.
I wasn’t actually there in person – although I did explore the possibility a few weeks ago when it looked like our family might be in town – but I did enjoy it vicariously through the videos of thoughtful fans’ live stream videos.
Wonderful, very close-up, zoomed-in type of videos with him looking directly at me the camera several times during one of my favorite songs, “Souls.” Awww, my 12-year-old self was fully crushing (OK, my nearly-50 self, too). Thank you, thank you to the wonderful people who posted videos, it was such a fun escape after an exhausting day.
In case you missed it earlier today, here’s a video from earlier today, on LA Times Today, that promotes tonight’s show (and also features his “manager,” Bindi).
This past week, I also watched a couple other cute videos that people posted. What I love so much about them is that they are from before he reached his American success in the 1980s and watching them now after reading his autobiography and seeing him perform all these years, it’s really inspiring to see all he’s accomplished.
This first one is from 1981, about six weeks after RS started on “General Hospital” and when “Jessie’s Girl” was a recent release and before it took on a life of its own in TV shows and movies. RS is 31 at the time (which means it’s nearly 40 years ago – WHAT?!) How cute are those “dance” moves and that seductive look? I’m so used to seeing him perform with a guitar, it looks like he’s not quite sure what to do with himself. (Teen crush alert: There’s a little Australian accent in this video.)
I think one of the attributes RS fans find so appealing is his authenticity. In this interview, he’s pretty much talking about the same things that he was talking about in the L.A. Times interview above – his dog, his desire to do both acting and performing and how much he enjoys working.
Now let’s go back in time a little further – to the 1978 MDA Telethon, where RS performed “Bruce” and “Cold Feet.” All dressed up in a tucked-in dress shirt and a wide tie. He also performed without a guitar and was very expressive with his hands; there’s also clapping, kicking and hip-shaking. It’s so darn adorable. After all these years performing, he’s got the rock star look and moves down so well, that it’s so fun to see this performance. There’s even a clip of Jerry Lewis enjoying the song. I used to watch the telethons, I wonder if I saw this back when I was 9.
The Rick Springfield & Friends fan trip that was scheduled to take place this November at the Hard Rock Hotel Punta Cana has been rescheduled to the Hard Rock Hotel Cancun in 2020.
In some of these articles, RS was referred to as “the ‘Jessie’s Girl’ Singer” and a “1980s hitmaker” and the fan getaway was called “an upcoming show,” “an upcoming performance,” a “gig” and a “music festival.”
But to devoted Rick Springfield fans who know he is much more than “the ‘Jessie’s Girl’ singer” and “1980s hitmaker,” the fan getaway is the ultimate RS trip because it’s a multi-day RS extravaganza filled with concerts (from acoustic poolside singalongs to piano bar singalongs with special guests to full-band rockin’ concerts), meet-and-greets, fun activities and a whole resort (or cruise ship, depending on the type of getaway) filled with people who feel the same way you do about your favorite rock star.
Disclaimer: I’ve never actually been on one of these trips, but this is my impression of it based on social media posts and videos I’ve watched.
We have been closely monitoring the situation in the Dominican Republic. In an abundance of caution and for the peace of mind and well-being of my fans, band and crew, the ‘Rick Springfield & Friends’ event in Punta Cana is being rescheduled to take place at Hard Rock Hotel Cancun in 2020. New dates will be determined as soon as possible. We hope to have this announcement within the next two weeks.
As you can imagine, organizing this type of event requires extensive planning and logistics. Unfortunately, we are unable to move the trip to the new location during the November 7-11, 2019 period.
We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding. Once the new dates are formally announced, any guest who wishes to cancel will have an option for a full refund through Rose Tours.
While this decision has not been easy, the safety and well-being of our amazing fans, band and crew will always be the most important consideration in any situation. Sending our love and best wishes to all of our friends in the Dominican Republic.
Thank you for your patience while we work out the new details.
Look forward to seeing you soon in Mexico! Rick
Although I hadn’t planned on going to Punta Cana and sympathize with those who rearranged their schedules, purchased tickets, etc., I’m relieved because the recent news from the Dominican Republic is worrisome. Is there something sinister happening there or is the media sensationalizing it? I don’t know, but the multiple deaths of American tourists reported does seem to require an investigation and hopefully the families of the victims will get some answers.
As the statement mentioned, the new dates will be announced soon and with the trip relocating a little closer to my part of the world, there’s also renewed hope that I can go…
My Rick Springfield crush 