‘I want to go back and do it all over, but I can’t’

Classic 80s cheese flowed like a river through the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort Wednesday evening.
The cheese was served up by 80s rockers Eddie Money and Rick Springfield. Both haven’t figured out that the 80s were 20 years ago. Then again the majority of the sold out audience had yet to figure this out either.
The Grand Ball Room at the Casino served as a time warp straight back to 1985 when Money and Springfield ruled the airwaves. Mullets, tight jeans, baggy t-shirts tucked into the tight jeans and leotard tops filled the room all eager to relive their golden years of rock.
Eddie Money, who is notorious for opening the season at Meadowbrook took the stage first sporting his saxophone, black sunglasses and a black silk shirt with white polka dots, all while asking the question, “Where’s the Party?”
Money was so money and he knew it, he entertained in a very Gary Buseyesque kind of way. He ran out on tables knocking drinks over, getting the crowd charged up for the headliner, Rick Springfield and this was all in the first song.
Immediately after the opening tune Money stopped to tie his black low top Chuck Taylor Converse, “I have to tie my shoe, my wife has so much insurance on me it’s crazy.”
The majority of the crowd wasn’t there for Money but rather for Springfield, leavin applause and crowd participation to a minimum during Money’s blistering hour long set.
Money at one point was almost begging the audience to participate in a sing along and even to went to far to plead with the audience for applause while sharing the fact that he even washed his hair for the show.
It was really too bad that the crowd wasn’t into all of Money 80s rock moves. Some of the better moves included, spins, jumps and a very intense shoot out with his bass player using their fingers during Money’s song, ” I shot a man at the Mexican border.”
Money closed out the evening with the two chart toppers, “Take Me Home Tonight” and “Shake It,” which both brought the crowd to their feet.
Then the “Karma” (the name of Springfield’s tour) portion of the show began, and as the lights went down and chanting music of some sorts played on for several minutes. Former teen idol (a title which he is still trying to shake, unsuccessfully 20 years later) Rick Springfield stormed the stage with his shiny silver pants, which kept the middle aged women screaming all night long.
The crowd was complete pandemonium, during which Springfield played some old hits (he had other hits than “Jesse’s Girl?”) like, “Better Love Somebody,” “I’ve Done Everything For You” and “Don’t Talk to Strangers.” Which I thought was a Barney the Purple Dinosaur cover, until was told otherwise.
Bouquets of flowers littered the stage all through Springfield’s set to which every single bouquet, and I mean every single one, Springfield would pick up and strum hi guitar in a great windmill fashion, sending flower petals a flyin. For other entertainment purposes Springfield would toss one of his six guitars in the air at the end of almost every song.
All of Springfield’s antics grew tiresome by the third or fourth song. Then the cheese factor was stepped up a notch when Springfield pulled a guy up on stage and asked him his name, he replied, Jesse (the crowd goes crazy) then Jesse preceded to bring his “girl” on stage to propose to her.
Springfield would have been off playing “Jesse’s Girl” five or six times instead of his “other” hits.
I think Eddie Money summed it up best in his song, “I Want To Go Back,” doesn’t everyone? But the majority of us move on.