Springfield makes it feel like 1981 for fans

By ALAN K. STOUT

WILKES-BARRE - Rick Springfield can still make women swoon, and he can still deliver a pop song with command. More than two decades after his commercial heyday, the singer doesn't seem much different than he did then, and to the 800 or so fans - mostly female - who saw him play at the F.M. Kirby Center on Thursday, that seemed to be just fine

He also, however, gave them a steady dose of some fine new songs

Still boyish at 54, Springfield frequently shimmied about the stage, pointed at the crowd and, to his credit, also played some very good eclectic guitar. He opened the show with "I'll Make You Happy," which proved to be prophetic, and followed with "Will I?," an excellent track from his new CD, "shock/denial/anger/acceptance.

"Affair of The Heart," "I've Done Everything For You" and some old-style blues were other early highlights

"How many people here were at the Kingston Armory show?," asked Springfield , referring to his early '80s performance at the West Side facility. The question, like most everything he did, drew a cheer from the audience

"I believe we played this one that night," he said, as he led his band into "Don't Talk To Strangers.

What was somewhat odd about the show, at least during the first hour, was that whenever Springfield got up close on his microphone and sang with conviction, he voice appeared as strong as ever. But, for some reason - again, only in the beginning of the show - he was sometimes lackadaisical with his vocals and would pull his head away from the mike and not finish verses. Sometimes, his vocals were simply too deep in the mix

Fortunately, both problems were later corrected and, particularly during quality new tunes like "Beautiful You," he sounded great Springfield is a crowd-pleaser and he held a comfortable rapport with the audience. During "I Get Excited" he brought about a dozen fans to the stage to sing with him, and he later ventured out among the crowd for several songs, including a fun cover of The Kinks' "You Really Got Me.

By the concert's end, Springfield really picked up steam, frequently broke into a broad smile and had the crowd fully in his grasp. And though "Human Touch," "Jessie's Girl" and "Love Is Alright Tonight" may have made it feel like it was the summer of '81 again for his fans, his well-paced mix of quality new material and big hits gave them even more than they likely expected

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Rick Springfield brought two hours worth of big hits and some quality new material to the F.M. Kirby Center on Thursday.