I saw my friend Richard Marx at Steel Stacks in Bethlehem, Pa. on Friday night. He appeared at the intimate Musikfest Cafe, which seats appropriately 900 people. It was an acoustic performance and the venue was sold-out.
A few things before my review of the show..
There was a meet & Greet before the show. I had met Richard numerous times in the past. He has always been a funny, nice and kind guy, very accommodating and accessible. Totally down to earth. No ego. His personality was the same when my girlfriend ad I met him last night.
The problem wasn't Richard but the venue.
They charged $100 a person for the Meet & Greet- more than the ticket to the concert. That being said, no one forced me to pay for the Meet & Greet but I hadn't spoken to the music icon in a while and wanted to touch base.
The problem was the staff rushed everyone so fast it was ridiculous. Maybe it was up to Marx what fans were entitled to for their $100, but it seemed the venue was in charge, as staff swarmed everywhere.
A photo was taken, supposedly to be emailed to each ticket-holder by the venue. No personal photos with a cell phone.
You were given maybe 10 seconds to say a few words to Richard before a photo was snapped and you were asked to move on. Sure, there was a lengthy line to see Richard, but why wasn't the meet & Greet started an hour before the show instead of 30 minutes prior to the concert?
I managed to get a rare Marx CD signed and snuck in a few words, especially asking how fellow musician/friend Bruce Gaitsch was doing after his recent stroke.That was it. A rip-off.
I've been to other artists' meet & Greets and they were done smoother and were less expensive.
Another issue was the venue itself. My tickets were sold under the pretext that they were "accessible seats." Not true. We were on the first level but in Row 1, Section 500- all the way in the back.
I purchased the tickets the moment they went on sale.MusicFest Cafe's idea of "handicapped accessible" is "you are able to reach the seats." Wrong! "Handicapped accessible" means being able to see, with no one in the way, to enjoy the event.
I mentioned something to an usher ( they are all volunteers), who moved us up a bit. It's really management's problem for not having a real accessible spot in the venue- either upfront or on a platform above the crowd, not all the way in the back behind rows of fans who stand up to cheer.
The concert itself was great. Marx was his usual charming, funny, talented self, breezing through the ninety minute show, doing most of his hits, starting with "Endless Summer Nights" and ending with a tender piano-version of "Right Here Waiting."
The show was pretty scripted, with videos on the screens on wither side of the stage. No real surprises for Marx fans. Most of the humor we have heard before. There was an odd, funny event which occurred during the show; apparently there was another music show going on within the building at the same time. When Marx wasn't singing the crowd could hear the other show.
"What's that bullshit?" Richard commented, half-jokingly. It was pretty stupid, another strike against the venue.
One highlight was when Richard went unplugged- guitar and microphone- and sang "Angelia" at the front of the stage.
It was a fun night but hopefully the next time Richard comes our way, he chooses a better venue. Please return to Sellersville, Richard, or try the Colonial Theater in Phoenixville...
*** out of four stars.
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