(Photo credit: Elizabeth Attenborough)
Over the past four decades, Rick Springfield has worn many hats as an entertainer and performer. The creator of some of the finest power-pop of the ’80s, a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and musician who has sold 25 million albums and scored 17 U.S. Top 40 hits, including “Jessie’s Girl,” “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” “An Affair of the Heart,” “I’ve Done Everything for You,” “Love Somebody,” and “Human Touch.”
Now, the artist behind ‘80s hits “Jessie’s Girl” and “Human Touch,” is bringing his power pop sound to RiverEdge Park on Thursday, August 31 at 7:30 p.m.
The Grammy Award-winning rocker, known for his powerful connection to his legions of fans, will play a hot outdoor show in the heart of downtown Aurora, on the banks of the beautiful Fox River. Special guests are The Hooters, Paul Young and Tommy Tutone.
In 2019, Springfield released his 17th studio album, “Orchestrating My Life,” a career-defining re-visitation of a lifetime of hits. The album is a collection of all the hits the public loves re-recorded with an electrifying mix of rock and accompanied by a full orchestra. It also includes a brand-new song, “Irreplaceable,” dedicated to Rick’s mother who passed away in 2017. Springfield toured and continues to tour this record with symphony orchestras throughout the U.S. and world.
Music has always been a healing force in the Australian-born Springfield’s life. The son of an Army officer, Rick and his family moved every two years. “Which meant every time I made a friend, I knew I’d be leaving him,” he says. “It was super stressful for me. I’d go to a new school and go through the trauma of trying to fit in.” Books and records became his savior. Then at age 11, he encountered his first guitar. “This kid brought one to a Christmas fair at my school in England and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen,” Springfield recalls. “He let me hold it. I hit two strings and the two strings happened to be the first couple of notes of the theme song to my favorite cowboy show at the time, Cheyenne. I realized instantly I could play the guitar. Some guys fall in love with cars, some with football teams. I fell in love with guitars.”
It has been a long and fruitful affair, one that has gifted him with a powerful connection to his legions of devoted fans, who pack his annual fan getaways, as well as the nearly 100 shows a year he performs both with his band and solo in an intimate “storyteller” setting that he captured on the 2015 CD/DVD and concert film Stripped Down. Though too self-deprecating to discuss his immense appeal, he will acknowledge that the fans connect with him through the music. “I guess they think I’m honest,” he says. “They must like my approach, what I write about. I think they like that I have a sense of humor in it at times. Because the ‘cute’ thing isn’t going to last forever.”
Tickets to the “I Want My 80s Tour” with Rick Springfield go on sale to the general public on Friday, May 5 at 10 a.m. Tickets are $39.
For tickets and information, visit riveredgeaurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, stop by RiverEdge’s satellite box office, Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and until show time on show days, or purchase day-of at RiverEdge Park. All tickets are general admission. Fees not included.
RiverEdge Park is located at 360 N. Broadway in downtown Aurora, right across the street from Metra’s Aurora Transportation Center.
