Rick Springfield and George Thorogood Turn Back the Clock at Summerfest

Rick Springfield shows no signs of slowing down, bringing energy to the stage that puts many of his peers to shame.

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Concert Reviews

Dressed in a sleeveless black shirt, black jeans and high tops, Rick Springfield looks like the prototype rock and roller who never ages. For his show Friday night at the Uline Stage, the 75-year-old attracted an overflow crowd for his “I Want My 80s Tour.”

As the Dorian Gray of rock, you have to guess there is a painting of the real Springfield gathering cobwebs in some Australian attic.

Whether due to genetics, voodoo or clean living, Springfield’s onstage energy put many of his peers to shame. With as many guitarists onstage as vintage Molly Hatchet, large video screens and even larger volume guaranteed the back rows shared in the action.

Depending on your math, this is Springfield’s third or fourth act. His 1972 hit “Speak to the Sky” put him on the map; in the early ‘80s his string of hits were timed perfectly for the MTV video era; “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” “Human Touch” and “Jesse’s Girl” were all included in Friday’s set. As Dr. Noah Drake, Springfield appeared on soap opera “General Hospital,” followed by many acting roles.

Through it all, he’s been at home on the stage appearing in recent years at Pabst Theater, Wisconsin State Fair, Potawatomi Bingo Casino’s Northern Lights Theater and Gathering on the Green, as well as previously at Summerfest. As demonstrated Friday, Springfield shows no sign of slowing down.

The Lake Path

Perhaps Summerfest’s most appreciated lagniappe is the lakefront path, a not-so-secret route that allows concert-goers—in this case concert reviewers—a clear path from the northernmost stage (Uline) all the way to the south (BMO) without getting stuck in the human traffic jam of the Fest’s main thoroughfare.

While certain publications employ reviewers who seem to defy the laws of space and time—giving the impression of reviewing multiple concerts in real time, that was not the case here. After getting a good sample of Rick Springfield it was time for a stroll to the BMO Pavilion.

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George Thorogood and the Destroyers

Too often middle-aged white guys playing the blues devolves into lowest common denominator music (lcdm). Yet when George Thorogood and the (Delaware) Destroyers broke onto the national scene in the late ‘70s they were adrenalizing as punk rock (aspr).

Combining the manic blues energy of Elmore James and Hound Dog Taylor (for whom Thorogood once worked as a roadie) with vintage showmanship, Thorogood leaned into his signature sound: an open tuned, hollow body Gibson guitar, nearly assaulted with a slide.

At one point between songs, he offered a taste to the people of Milwaukee. “AAGH!!,” Thorogood hollered—tossing the cup aside, “That’s tea. I have a reputation to keep!” “Get a haircut and get a real job,” he sang about the advice he never took. “How does it feel to be 17 years old again?” he asked the overflow crowd.

Maybe Summerfest missed a chance at co-marketing Friday with AARP. Like Springfield, Thorogood (also age 75) was clad in black. Yet Thorogood’s image came of as a guy whose neighborhood mentors were juvenile delinquents who grew up into greasers. And like Springfield, his energy level throughout the show was impressive.

Backed by bass, drums and rhythm guitar, Thorogood generously allowed plenty of time in the spotlight for saxophone solos. Like all great blues men, he knows the value of self-mythology; “Bad to the Bone” will always be the logical centerpiece of his show. He even tried to drum up a rivalry between Milwaukee and the state capitol when introducing “Madison Blues.”

Then something interesting happened. As the house music came up playing “The Star Spangled Banner” with the sign language interpreter working the lyrics, the music came to an abrupt halt as George Thorogood and the Destroyers returned for another number.

Ever the showman, Thorogood kicked into “Born to Be Bad,” walking offstage shaking hands with the audience and singing.

Foghat, who preceded the headliner, used to play around these parts so often folks thought they were from Oshkosh. The English road warriors formed as a splinter group from Savoy Brown in the early ‘70s. Thorogood called them “the champions of rock and roll.”