Eddie Money, March 9, Club Regent Casino

Hasbeen corporate rocker or classic 70's-80's nostalgia act?

This was my first trip to Club Regent. About 500 people showed up to see 58 year-old Money, probably 20 years or more past his prime.

At first, I wasn't sure if I should laugh at Money's stage presence. He looked as if he had just run a marathon and his dancing looked so Vegas cheesy. Who knows? Maybe he has back problems. Nonetheless, he tore through about 5 hit songs in a row. Throughout the show, he played just about every hit song, plus a couple of covers of Ray Charles' and Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. The Ryder song, CC Rider, is appearing on the new Money album and it's classic rock'n'roll grooves made the best of Money's solid band. He has a distinctive, recognizable voice and has several excellent radio hits. His lesser material, a couple of songs, were quite forgettable, however.

I couldn't tell if Money was trying to entice the fans in some audience participation or if these gestures were just part of the show, but they made me feel awkward when the audience seemed uninterested.

The fans came for the hits, Money delivered, and he did his best to put on an enthusiastic performance which was met was plenty of warm applause. It wasn't the kind of show that would make me line up for tickets the next time he came through town, like I would for Van Morrison, but it was a pleasant trip through the 70s and 80s. My friend and I had free tickets from CITI-FM, otherwise I wouldn't have ponied up $25 to go.