Rick Springfield equals spontaneous combustion

Hot-cha-cha! I thought I was going to burst (some areas burst-ier than others). That man exudes such dynamic sexuality, I could swear by the time the concert ended I'd been impregnated by osmosis. Good giggily! He's white hot! Please allow me to objectify and testify! Woohoo girl fully engaged!!

I had such an incredible night attending the Rick Springfield concert in Peoria, IL. The venue, Paradice Casino and Hotel, left little to be desired as far as its accommodations. They called it a ballroom, but it looked more like a conference room that had been converted.

I complained to the security officer who seemed to take a keen interest in us. I noticed the first two sections had comfy, cushioned chairs where as our section had plastic folding chairs. As if we were an afterthought. How rude! I have no idea how those chicks got tickets in the first two sections. My companions, Timi and Kelly were on the phone the second the lines opened and we only had the rear section to purchase. Then, I was consoled by the fact that we wouldn't be sitting down once Sir Hotness hit the stage. My girls were right.

While we held our seats and waited for the show to begin, we sipped some adult beverages. We seemed to be the only ones remaining in our seats while other women had placed concert t-shirts or other belongings on their chairs. A group of 5 women whose items occupied the seats next to me finally came running in moments before Rick took to the stage. The woman closest to me said errr slurred, "we were getting our drink on out in the lobby!!!" See photo for my reaction to my newfound friends.

When Rick first hit the stage and sang a couple of songs (I can't believe I have no recollection of which songs he opened with) he commented that the light fixtures were so f'ing ugly that he'd do them the favor of smashing his guitar into them. He wasn't being rude. It was honest. Everyone laughed in agreement.

I can't remember the order in which songs were played. I think his newest hit off Venus in Overdrive, "Victoria's Secret" was played 3rd or 4th. When he started to play the title song from the cd, it hit me that my peanut sized bladder couldn't wait. Since it's not my favorite tune, I bolted and rushed back. While in the bathroom there were three women attempting to keep another very intoxicated friend from hitting the floor. The show had just begun and she was too drunk to enjoy the hottest 60 year old man since Tom Jones.

Sunday, August 23rd is Rick's actual 60th birthday, but the crowd of 800 or so celebrated by singing Happy Birthday. Then, Rick invited a sing-a-long to the Beatles Love Me Do. The harmonica he played during the song was thrown out into the audience. It was such a blast! Naturally, I caterwauled my way through which is evident on the video. Already sweating through the t-shirt and vest he wore, he ripped them off to bare his chest. Day to the yummm!! He put another shirt on. He was sweaty. A dry shirt was needed and he didn't want to leave the stage. Psh! Such a wasted step when we were all more than happy to see his partial nudity. He knows what the ladies like after all these years of performing.

I managed to snap a few photos, but learned the zoom on my camera leaves little to be desired when trying to capture a moving, sweaty, smoking hot target. I'm just delighted I was able to document the awesomeness of the night even if my photo and videography skills leave little to be desired.

I've Done Everything For You also initiated a crowd participation sequence. The crowd went into a total frenzy at the first notes of Jessie's Girl. I was hopping and bopping when Human Touch and Working Class Dog were played. Oh, who am I kidding? I never stopped jumping, dancing and flailing my arms in the air.

I found amusement in the number of women who seemed to be in a non-stop state of primping. I guess they assumed he'd pluck them from the audience and they needed to be Rick ready. Also very bewildering were the number of people who didn't seem to quite fit the model Rick Springfield fan.

Of course I took photos! The older couple seemed utterly confused. They sat there looking around as if they'd been mysteriously plucked from the slots and placed in the middle of the concert. They departed by the time I got back from the bathroom.

Rick left the ballads out of his set. I think he did that as a favor to those of us with hard, plastic, unstable folding chairs.

Once he finished his last song we all knew it wasn't really the end. A concert with no encore? Get serious! There was a build up of chanting and amplified music. Then, it happened. He came back out without his shirt on but wearing his black specs. I felt a cosmic connection through our eyeglasses. Totally awesome!

Then, it was over. The lights came on and fans started feeding out the doors. With hopes he might grace us with a meet and greet after wards, we headed toward the stage. That's when I heard my name being called out. I turned and it was fellow Stuck in the '80s fan Carla!! It was her 40th birthday and her boyfriend surprised her with tickets to the show. They drove from Davenport, IA! It was an unexpected meeting. I was enthralled to finally get to meet her. What's kind of ironic about meeting her at the RS concert was that a couple years ago STUCK IN THE '80s blogged live from one of his concerts in Tampa. Carla and I were both simultaneously commenting on the blog. That's my first real recollection of her. It was apparent we shared a lust in Mr. Springfield. So, it was quite serendipitous that we met this way.

The security chicks up on the stage were clearly less than enthused that we were ... enthusiastic about meeting our favorite 60 year old. Searching for a token of the birthday boy, Timi grabbed a clump of confetti strands and rose petals and handed them to me. The rose petals were damp which led me to insist it was Rick sweat. I didn't want to jam it into my pants pocket so I put the souvenirs some place safe: My cleavage.

This was one of the best birthday presents I could have given myself. I got to meet some great girls. Have a grand old time with someone I've known since 3rd grade, Timi. I need to thank her for getting the tickets and providing Mancub with an invitation to be entertained by her sons. Also, she gave us a place to rest our heads until morning. I was too hyped to sleep, but I managed to relax my weary legs. Hopping around like a kid on a pogo stick for an hour and half takes a lot out of a 44 year old woman.

To see the rest of the videos I bouncingly shot, click this link and you'll be taken to Facebook For more images, click this link. Again, you'll go to Facebook.