Richard Marx at the Des Plaines Theater: Sometimes you have to take one for the team
A few months ago we were at the Des Plaines Theater to see Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits fame. They have a display showing who will be coming to perform at the venue. When we saw the name Richard Marx, my partner in crime got excited and mentioned she was interested in seeing him.
OY!!!!!
By reading that one word, you can tell I’m not a big fan. I wasn’t that interested in him when he became a big star in the 1980s-90s. I always thought of him as a Peter Cetera or Bryan Adams type of singer, but at least Pete had the early Chicago days while I do like some of Adams's tunes. With Richard…nothing, nada, zip!
But, when you’re in a relationship there are always compromises. There are times you have to suck it up. Sometimes you have to take one for the team. So, last night it was off to the Des Plaines Theater for an evening with Richard Marx.
I like to prepare whenever I attend a concert. I check out the artist’s setlist to see what songs they’ve been playing. I find the tunes I don’t know on YouTube to try to get somewhat familiar with them. I also like to know what kind of touring they’ve been doing. So, I did this earlier in the week to get ready for the show.
For the last couple of months, Marx has been doing a whirlwind tour of Europe. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? His concerts have a setlist of about twenty songs. I listened to most of them; they sounded somewhat familiar. I’m sure his big fans would be excited to hear him sing them.
After all of the research, I figured it couldn’t be too bad. I can handle almost anything for that amount of time. After all, I regularly fly Spirit Airlines; if I can do that I can do this. Plus, Richard is a Highland Park boy! I am, too. Solidarity!!
So, enough of this nonsense. How was the concert?
It was a Richard Marx solo show. No band, just him with Richard with two acoustic guitars and a piano. I enjoy those types of shows. It usually leads to plenty of interaction between the artist and the audience…and last night was no different. The crowd was singing along with almost every tune. Usually, I hate that, but last night it seemed appropriate. It even led to some nice harmonies. Maybe I’ll change my opinion on this…..NAAAAAAAA!!!!
If you want his big hits, you definitely got them. Marx said when he went to a concert, it would piss him off if he was paying big money for tickets, parking and food and all you heard were deep tracks. About those hits: “People ask if I’m tired of playing the same songs for the last thirty-five years. I love those songs. They paid for my kid’s school l.”
Along with the tunes, Marx told stories about recording with Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, a month before he died, writing a song with ninety-one-year-old legend Burt Bacharach and texting with Bryan Adams about a voice remedy.
He also mentioned about how lucky he is to still be recording and playing music: “After thirty-five years or so, I don’t take any of this for granted. I’m deeply grateful.” You hear this from a lot of musicians, especially after being sidelined for the last two years due to the Covid pandemic, but this time it felt true and heartfelt.
Although I’m still not much of a fan of his music, Richard Marx provided two and a half hours of entertainment and fun. A guy who took one for the team can’t ask for more.