Rick Springfield and Night Ranger perform at Sands Bethlehem Event Center on Aug. 19
From a press release:
It was announced this morning that Rick Springfield and Night Ranger will be performing at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center on Friday, Aug. 19 at 7 p.m.
Tickets, which range from $59.50-$79.50, go on sale this Friday, April 29 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at sandseventcenter.com, the Event Center box office (77 Sands Blvd., Bethlehem), ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, or by phone at 800-745-3000.
Rick Springfield’s first love has always been music, a lifelong passion ignited after picking up his first guitar at the age of 12 in his native Australia. Mastering the craft of songwriting far preceded his accomplishments as an actor and best-selling author.
With 25 million records sold, a Grammy Award for his No. 1 smash hit “Jessie’s Girl,” and a whopping 17 Top 40 hits, including “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” “An Affair of the Heart,” “I’ve Done Everything for You,” “Love Somebody,” and “Human Touch,” Springfield has no intention of taking his foot off the accelerator.
“I put everything I’ve got into making records,” he says. “Sometimes people think they have you pegged, but I trust my music shows them otherwise.”
In the early ’70s, Springfield had a handful of hit records in his native Australia before emigrating to the United States. Bouncing between record labels and looking to make ends meet until his musical career took hold in the U.S., he resorted to acting and eventually landing the role of Dr. Noah Drake during the heyday and cult phenomenon of daytime TV’s “General Hospital.”
Simultaneously, the explosive success of his breakthrough 1981 album “Working Class Dog” was followed by “Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet,” “Living in Oz,” the “Hard to Hold” soundtrack, and “Tao,” establishing him as a multi-platinum superstar. Despite his original and unwavering passion for music, many at the time mistook Springfield for a soap star hoping to convert daytime success to a faux and possibly fleeting music career. History proves that nothing could have been further from the truth. Springfield is content to let his music and four decades of productivity speak for itself.
“If you pay attention to where I’ve put my time, who I really am becomes clear.” In addition to “General Hospital,” his other notable TV roles include a four-episode arc on “Californication,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “Drop Dead Diva,” “Hot in Cleveland,” and the 1994-1997 TV series “High Tide.”
Never one to be confined to the recording studio where the music is born, Springfield has toured for over 30 years, hand-delivering the hits to millions of fans worldwide during his legendary, high-energy live shows. Hardly content walking in his own footprints for very long, 2013 saw Springfield reinvent himself yet again performing for the first time as a purely solo act. Rick Springfield’s “stripped down” performances offered an intimate glimpse in to the amazing life he’s experienced through music, with personal stories introducing each song in the set.
Springfield’s latest musical effort is “Rocket Science,” his 18th studio album released through Frontiers Music. Written largely with his longtime collaborator and former bass player Matt Bissonette, the album delivers the expertly crafted wide-ranging pop rock songs Springfield is known for.
“I wanted the album to be very open and electric – rock and roll with some country elements, and always with great hooks,” he says.
The lyrics largely address matters of the heart with the irreverence, wit, and dark humor that has always permeated his work.
“The songs usually start with titles for me,” Springfield continues. “A title will catch my eye and inspire a lyric. Both Matt and I are happily married, but there’s some heartache on this one. You can’t just write about how everything is all good and bore people out of their minds. When different emotions come up, I just go with that. I don’t set out to write about anything in particular. I just look for something that feels true and that I can hopefully say in an interesting way.”
With 30+ years in the business and more than 17 million albums sold worldwide, Night Ranger has proven they can still “Rock in America.”
It all started when five hard-rockin’ kids from the San Francisco Bay Area joined forces in the early ’80s to form Night Ranger. Like no other rock band, Night Ranger both epitomized and transcended the sound and style of that decade.
In 1983, Night Ranger earned widespread acclaim with their multi-platinum album “Midnight Madness,” which included their smash hits “Sister Christian,” “When You Close Your Eyes,” and the anthemic “(You Can Still) Rock in America.”
Over the years, the band’s music has made notable contributions to and been featured in many different areas of media and popular culture. Night Ranger’s songs can be heard in the “Rock Band,” “Guitar Hero,” and “Grand Theft Auto” video games; the “Rock of Ages” hit Broadway musical and feature film; the Oscar-nominated film “Boogie Nights,” “Friday the 13th,” and “The Secret of My Success;” TV shows “Glee,” “American Dad,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “Parks & Recreation;” JBL’s “Hear the Truth” campaign; and many more. To date, Night Ranger has sold 17 million units worldwide and boasts many platinum and gold-certified albums.
The band released their 10th studio album, “High Road,” in 2014 via label home Frontiers Records.
“It’s a great time to take a trip down the ‘High Road!’ Our new record features classic Night Ranger feel-good, high-energy kick-ass rock ‘n’ roll,” frontman/bassist/songwriter Jack Blades commented.
Drummer/singer Kelly Keagy added, “We’re so proud of this new record and excited to get back on the road to bring the new music to our fans.”
Night Ranger is Jack Blades (bass guitar, vocals), Kelly Keagy (drums, vocals), Brad Gillis (lead and rhythm guitars), Keri Kelli (lead and rhythm guitars), and Eric Levy (keyboards).
