David Cassidy — I think I love him.
I don’t love him in the way a teenage fan adores her idol. I was only 5 years old when "The Partridge Family" first aired, and 9 when it ended, so I wasn’t into the whole heartthrob thing. I didn’t fully appreciate Cassidy until I saw reruns of “The Partridge Family” as an adult, and then enjoyed his music enough to sometimes listen to one of his CDs. I’ll even admit that there are DVDs of “The Partridge Family” in my home, and I still think it’s a good show.
So when I had the opportunity to watch him perform live, July 2, at Layton’s Kenley Centennial Amphitheater, I was excited.
First of all, I think Cassidy deserves credit for agreeing to perform in place of his friend Davy Jones, who died unexpectedly on Feb. 29. I have, on occasion, performed songs that were strongly associated with friends and family members who have passed away, and it’s not easy — it’s a wonderful way to pay tribute, but at the same time it’s painful.
Cassidy, as promised in advance of the Layton show, spent quite a bit of time talking about Jones and performing a few of his biggest hits with The Monkees. It seemed to me that Cassidy wanted this part of the show to be casual and unrehearsed — just a guy remembering his friend. It could have used a little more rehearsal, because he struggled with the lyrics to some of Jones’ songs, but he did a good job with others, including The Monkees hit “I’m a Believer.”
Cassidy started the show with a couple of memorable Partridge Family songs, including the television theme song, but then things slowed down and I would have preferred a little less talk and more music. Once he settled down to performing a string of his own hits, the pace of the show picked up and it was the fun I’d hoped for. Among the songs he sang were “Cherish,” “Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque” and “I Woke Up in Love This Morning.”
Cassidy’s sarcastic version of “Doesn’t Somebody Want to be Wanted,” a song he says nobody plays anymore because the studio made him speak the lyrics in part of it, was funny — as was his impersonation of his famous father telling him to do what the studio wants because a contract’s a contract, and that’s what a professional does.
He ended the show with “I Think I Love You,” and on a high enough note that I can still say of David Cassidy, “I think I love you.”