Rick Springfield, Wang Chung, Excite As ‘I Want My 80s' Tour Continues
MURPHYS, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 16: Rick Springfield performs during the "I Want My 80's" tour at ... More Ironstone Amphitheatre on September 16, 2023 in Murphys, California. (Photo by)
Over the course of more than five decades, rocker and actor Rick Springfield has sold more than five million albums, tallying record sales in excess of 25 million worldwide while charting a whopping 17 singles in America.
They say everything is cyclical and the 2025 concert calendar reflects that, with 80s and 90s acts experiencing a renewed resurgence.
Featuring Springfield alongside fellow 80s acts John Waite, Wang Chung and Paul Young, the 'I Want My 80s' tour stands as a perfect example, with the chart topping collective crisscrossing the country into early August, a run set to wrap up August 10, 2025 in Henderson, Nevada.
'We went out with Rick last night…' mused Waite midway through a Friday night performance in New Lenox, Illinois (about 45 miles southwest of Chicago), part of the village's annual summer concert summer series (one which has featured acts like Ringo Starr, Sheryl Crow and ZZ Top since its inception). 'He took us out to dinner, the whole crew - and it's a fabulous crew,' he explained. 'And we got wrecked. Just wrecked,' said Waite with a smile.
NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO - AUGUST 09: Paul Young performs during the "I Want My 80s Tour" stop at OLG ... More Stage at Fallsview Casino Resort on August 09, 2023 in Niagara Falls, Ontario. (Photo)
Following an appearance by country act Chris Young earlier this month, the New Lenox concert series wraps up in August following a performance by pop singer songwriter Andy Grammer on Saturday, August 16.
'Come on, stand up!' implored co-founding Wang Chung guitarist and vocalist Nick Feldman. 'Let's have a dance!'
While temperatures soared toward 90 in the Chicago suburbs, Wang Chung offered up a rewarding set despite the heat, taking to the stage with virtually no break following a quick set from English hitmaker Paul Young, who finished up with his take on 'Every Time You Go Away.'
While Hall & Oates failed to release the track, from their 1980 album Voices, as a single, Young took his cover to #1 in America five years later, an early highlight Friday outside the Windy City.
Out of early cuts like 'Rent Free,' 'To Live and Die in L.A.' and 'Let's Go,' Wang Chung quickly hit their stride.
CEDAR PARK, TX - AUGUST 23: Musicians Jack Hues (2L) and Nick Feldman of Wang Chung perform onstage ... More during 'Lost 80's Live'' at the HEB Center on August 23, 2018 in Cedar Park, Texas. (Photo by Rick Kern/WireImage)
Lead vocalist and guitarist Jack Hues cupped his left ear with his left hand as Feldman leaned into him, with tracked sax ringing out during the group's performance of 'Dance Hall Days.'
'You gotta help us out with this next song!' said Hues excitedly.
Putting their spin on 'Should I Stay or Should I Go,' a 1981 hit for U.K. punks The Clash, Wang Chung reworked the song's familiar chorus as the suburban faithful took over lead vocal.
'If we're gonna have some fun tonight, should we wang or should we chung now?' asked the singers rhetorically of the near capacity crowd. 'We drove a million miles - to get to New Lenox tonight,' joked the vocalists, continually reworking lyrics as they egged on the Chicagoland crowd, moving deftly into their biggest hit 'Everybody Have Fun Tonight' (a #2 hit in 1986 from the group's gold fourth album Mosaic).
Over the course of about an hour, singer songwriter John Waite took a unique look back, touching upon everything from The Babys to Bad English throughout his set on stage in New Lenox.
'These guys have been my friends for decades!' said Waite, introducing his all-star band.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 30: Singer John Waite, former member of The Babys and Bad English, ... More performs onstage at YouTube Theater on August 30, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by)
Out of a sparse intro, Waite's group, featuring longtime Matchbox 20 guitarist Kyle Cook and drummer Alan Childs (David Bowie), slowly built to an all hands jam during 'When I See You Smile,' a 1989 smash #1 for Bad English, which found Waite handling lead vocal on a Diane Warren-penned track featuring Journey members Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain and Deen Castronovo.
Continuing the hit parade with his own 'Missing You' (a #1 from his sophomore studio effort No Brakes in 1984), Waite looked back upon The Babys, a British rock act which found Waite performing again with Cain as well as drummer Tony Brock (Close Enemies).
'Come on, stand the f–k up!' implored Waite, arms held triumphantly aloft as the group worked up 'Back on my Feet Again,' putting their spin upon Led Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love' as Waite's set entered its final moments.
'Hello!' said Springfield to rapturous applause on stage in New Lenox. 'Good lord. We went out last night - all of the bands,' he explained, picking back up a story begun by Waite about a half hour earlier. 'Any time I get together with John Waite, I always drink too much,' continued Springfield, echoing Waite's sentiment. 'But we're very happy to be playing with these guys! We're big fans.'
Springfield, 75, spun a whirling dervish during 'I'll Make You Happy,' shredding a bouquet of roses as he windmilled away ala Pete Townshend on the opening number.
STERLING HEIGHTS, MICHIGAN - AUGUST 06: Rick Springfield performs at Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre ... More on August 06, 2023 in Sterling Heights, Michigan. (Photo by)
'Warning: Loud Noise' read the drumhead accurately as Springfield tore into 'Affair of the Heart' from his platinum 1983 album Living in Oz. Engaging in a choreographed sway with bassist Siggy Sjursen, Springfield spun his guitar over his left shoulder as the energetic cut drew to a close, following up with the Sammy Hagar-written 'I've Done Everything for You.'
An early medley hit upon megahits like 'Jessie's Girl' and Eddie Money's 'Two Tickets to Paradise.' But Springfield was saving a poignant message.
'I figure our job is to give you a few hours of freedom from the monkeys in your heads that tell you bad things. It does the same for us,' he explained, striking a resonant chord for a moment on stage Friday outside Chicago. 'My little PSA every night is that I deal with depression,' Springfield continued candidly. 'I talk about it,' he said. 'Because you're not alone and you can't keep it inside - because that's when it does its damage,' said Springfield, shining a needed light on the importance of mental health in 2025. 'I try to turn it into a positive. I write. And this is the first song I wrote about that,' he said, introducing 'World Start Turning.' 'It's a lifelong thing - deal with it the way you want,' advised Rick Springfield midway through Friday night's 'I Want My 80s' tour stop in New Lenox, IL . 'But this is how I deal with it," said the rocker, returning to form.
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