I was planning on covering Richard Marx playing at the Palladium and was planning to leave after the first 3 songs, but when my wife found out about the concert and that I had not bought us tickets, she begged me to try and find tickets to the otherwise sold-out concert. So, I did! And it was the best decision I could have made. Even though my wife and I ended up in separate seats due to the concert being sold-out, we both loved the incredible evening we had with Richard Marx.
The crowd delivered thunderous applause as he set foot on the stage. He's a beloved Gen-x singer-songwriter after all and the crowd at The Palladium loves him. He greeted the audience with ebullient energy and confirmed there was no band. It was going to be an unplugged night of just Richard Marx, his guitars, a piano, and us.
The stories he shared were fun and personal, taking the audience with him as he described being friends with Sir Rod Stewart and having Sir Rod's fashion sense rub off on him as he showed off his sparkling shoes. His anecdote of writing 'Always" with Burt Bacharach before his death was especially touching. I really loved his account of recording the song "When You Loved Me" with his three sons. Then proceeded to sing with a video showing his sons playing the instruments and singing background vocals. These accounts set up an intimacy with the crowd that made one feel as if we were in Richard Marx's living room while he was telling these stories. No pretense, no fuss, just a singer songwriter connecting with his audience through the stories behind his incredible music.
Other elements of the show that showed his playfulness was his interactions with the crowd. As anyone knows when you go to a show there's always that person or persons yelling play "Angelina", play "Should've Known Better". Well, his response was perfect in my opinion. He said, "You know I go to shows as well, we will get to all the hits." "I think it's a dick move not to play your hits." And added, "I love my songs, why wouldn't I play them." Having been to a few shows over the last year where artists don't play their hits, I can attest to the disappointment an audience member feels when one doesn't hear one's favorite songs during a concert.
Richard Marx is one of those few super talented artists who managed to sell 30 million albums and has 14 top 20 hits. He's worked with artists as diverse as Lionel Richie to NSYNC. At 60, his voice is as good as it was in his younger years. My wife mentioned that this concert reminded her of why Richard Marx was one of her favorite singers in the 80s and 90s. Last night, we both fell in love with his music again, but this time, we both walked out of there with a higher level of respect for this amazing artist.
Now that you've read this review, please do yourself a favor and get tickets to see his current tour.