An Evening with Molly Ringwald in Taylor, Michigan

Tonight, we had the pleasure of attending An Evening with Molly Ringwald at WCCCD's Heinz C. Prechter Educational and Performing Arts Center in Taylor, Michigan. It was nice to attend a concert without having to drive an hour to get to it! We had fourth row seats to what was an amazing show. Afterward, we met Molly, got her autograph, talked to her, and shook her hand. In the photo above where she's sitting at the table, she was talking to me. What a memorable night!

I will admit that I was there primarily for the fact that she's the Molly Ringwald from the classic '80s movies that I grew up on, and because I really wanted to meet her, but I was beyond pleasantly surprised by what a wonderful show she put on and what a great storyteller she is. I definitely loved the attention that she paid to who wrote what song and sharing that info with the audience. She was as entertaining onstage as she always has been on-screen.

I read some reviews prior to the show and they were quite mixed, most praising her genuine love of jazz, having been involved in it through her Dad's band as a child, but saying that she wasn't quite up to par vocally. Well, I'm going to play devil's advocate as usual and say that she's very much in her element during her live performances.

She may not have hit every single difficult note, but she absolutely nailed some of the more understated ones that a non-singer may not recognize to be difficult, and I was impressed. Her lower tones were something that I especially enjoyed and I'd love to see her explore that part of her range a bit more. She put on a damn good show. I'm tempted to say that her live performance was more passionate and inspired than the studio versions of these songs. It was nearly a two-hour performance and I'd have happily sat through another couple of hours' worth, and I told her so.

The musicians (pianist Peter Smith, drummer Clayton Cameron, and bassist Alex Frank) were outstanding. I was a drummer for a couple of seconds back in high school band after having done xylophone for a few years prior, so I'm a sucker for good drumming, and that drum solo was absolutely sick. I didn't want it to end. Molly said that Clayton had early gigs with Sammy Davis Jr. and Tony Bennett, and I am not one bit surprised. Smith, Cameron, and Frank are clearly the backbone of the show and I didn't want to write this post without commending them on that!

From an aesthetic viewpoint, the lighting and stage setup was understated and simple, which was nice because I'm generally attending pop shows but I'm never big on the pyrotechnics and effects. (Not to go way off topic here, but frankly, if it weren't for Pepsi's pyro in 1983, Michael Jackson would never have been burned, may never have gotten addicted to prescription drugs, and may still be here. Ty Longley of Great White would still be here, not to mention all the others who perished in The Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island in 2003. I could go on and on, but I'm just not a big fan of that stuff. I can go see a fireworks show on Independence Day if I want to. Just give me the music.)

Back on topic, I'm about the music and the moves, so the simplicity tonight was appreciated. No outfit changes, but Molly wore a GORGEOUS golden glittery dress that matched the drum set just perfectly (I wish the pictures captured that, but we weren't even supposed to take photos during the show, so that's as good as it gets!). When the lighting changed, her dress reflected it, and it was just as eye-catching as could be.

What an epic night. Just a great night out and a really good show! Thank you to Molly Ringwald, not just for tonight, but for so many years of great entertainment. It occurred to me last night when we were watching behind-the-scenes documentaries on The Breakfast Club that all of these things that I watched growing up have really shaped me as a writer and as an artist... even the small things that you weren't paying attention to get absorbed and make their mark. It was an honor to spend an evening with someone who has certainly made that mark on my life. I hope she enjoyed visiting our neck of the woods as much as we enjoyed having her here. Much love to you, Molly!