Concert Review
Shaun Cassidy
Bear’s Den
Inside Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino
Niagara Falls, NY
Friday August 2, 2019
Review: Joseph Suto
Former teen heartthrob Shaun Cassidy returned to the concert stage Friday night for a rare show in the Bear’s Den inside the fabulous Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino. The show marked just his third show of his current five show mini tour. Cassidy prior to this year, had not played a concert since 1980 where his last show had taken place inside the 55,000 seat Astrodome in Houston, TX.
Cassidy wasted no time as he and his five-piece band tore into one of his staples, “That’s Rock N’ Roll” which ignited the crowd and set the tone for the evening. Quickly following up with “Be My Baby”, Cassidy made it be known he was here not to relive past glories but to give the fans who waited what seemed like an eternity, what they wanted. The show not only brought back many memories to the crowd, it also showed that Cassidy has not lost touch with his taste in music. Ten of the fifteen songs he played were from his first three albums.
Some songs such as the Brian Wilson penned “It’s Like Heaven”, “Do You Believe in Magic” and “Hey Deanie” have aged quite well and sounded so good and really stood out as the highlights. For “Teen Dream” Cassidy toned it down and redressed it. While it sounded decent in its new form it did lack the innocence and charm of the original.
Cassidy performed a reworked version of the Ricky Nelson cover “Teenage Idol” which he certainly related to. He also mentioned how fun it was working with Nelson on his television show “The Hardy Boys”.
While it was not a story-tellers show per se, Cassidy did tell a quite a few stories that were intertwined with the songs he performed which was a great touch. The moment where he talked about his half-brother David was very genuine as you could plainly see Cassidy was very emotionally.
Cassidy has had a long and storied career in the entertainment industry. From actor to musician to producer to writer (he mentioned he was working on writing an episode of his latest tv show New Amsterdam in his hotel room) Cassidy has seen and done it all. He has been on lunchboxes, poster pin-ups, and just about any other form of merchandise you can name from 1977. You would also be hard pressed to find a teen magazine from that era to not have a photo or mention of Cassidy. Fans for years have been hoping he would play live again. Friday night many got their wish and no one left the Bear’s Den disappointed. One wife asked her husband who was dragged to the show what he thought as they exited the venue and he enjoyed himself.
As for the future at this point it is uncertain if Cassidy will play any more shows. He seemed like he was really enjoying his time on the stage but with his busy television schedule who knows where he goes from here. One thing is certain if he wants to play more shows the demand and audiences will be there.
Set List
That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll
Be My Baby
So Sad About Us
Teenage Idol (Ricky Nelson cover)
It’s Like Heaven
Rock and Roll (Snippet Led Zeppelin cover)
Teen Dream
She’s Right
Taxi Dancer
Hey There Lonely Girl
Cool Fire
Do You Believe in Magic?
I’ll Meet You Halfway (The Partridge Family cover)
Tell Me It’s Not True (From Broadway show Blood Brothers)
Hey Deanie
Da Doo Ron Ron
