I Want My 80’s at Liberty First CU Arena in Ralston, Nebraska on August 30th, 2023.
Photos and Review by The Pit Magazine Contributor, Peter Amisano Photography
The “I Want My 80’s” tour made a stop at Liberty First Credit Union Arena in Omaha, Nebraska and it delivered. Headlined by Rick Springfield, the tour also featured Tommy Tutone, Paul Young and The Hooters.
Tommy Tutone started the I Want My 80’s evening, backed by Rick Springfields band, with a five song, 20-minute set. Starting with his hit “Angel Say No”, followed by a raw cover song by The Clash, and ultimately ending with the infamous “867-5309/Jenny”, making reference to his guitar…named Jenny. Tommy had the masses singing the classic chorus in a crowd participation rivaling any 80’s anthem.
Next up for I Want My 80’s was Paul Young, also backed by Rick Springfield’s band. He performed a 4 song, 20-minute set of his hits “I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down” and “Every Time You Go Away”. The English singer had the ladies swooning as evidenced by the screams one would expect at a Beatles concert. It was a short but powerful performance.
I Want the 80’s featured The Hooters return to Omaha, having not played in Nebraska since the 90’s, and their high energy show would have one believing they were 30 years younger. They filled the arena with their hits “All You Zombies”, “Day by Day” along with the Ska/Reggae tracks from their latest album Rocking & Swing. They ended the set with songs most do not know were written by members of the band. First was the song “One of Us” made popular by Joan Osborne. Second, the song “Time After Time” a hit performed by Cyndi Lauper and finally ending with their biggest hit “And We Danced”
Headlining the I Want My 80’s evening was Rick Springfield supporting his new album, Automatic, but the show was filled with his hits. He started with the hit “Affair of the Heart” and continued with additional hits such as “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” “You Better Love Somebody” and “Jesse’s Girl”. The highlight of the show was during the song “Human Touch” when Rick climbed over the barriers and walked out into the crowd. Unaccompanied by security, he waded through the crowd, fist bumping and high fiving all while singing the song. The fans ate it up! The evening ended with the crowd singing along with his biggest hit, “Jesse’s Girl.”
The highlight of the show was during the song “Human Touch” when Rick climbed over the barriers and walked out into the crowd. Unaccompanied by security, he waded through the crowd, fist bumping and high fiving all while singing the song. The fans ate it up! The evening ended with the crowd singing along with his biggest hit, “Jesse’s Girl.”
Photos by The Pit Magazine photographer, Peter Amisano Photography in Omaha, Nebraska. ©2023.
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