In the late ‘70s, I attended my very first concert at the old Baltimore Civic Center. My parents and younger brother, Dave, joined me.
My 13-year-old heart was not only beating to the music; it was exploding with young love.
My first crush, Shaun Cassidy, was onstage and singing directly to me. He performed songs from his albums that played on my turntable over and over again until my brother also knew all of the words.
Like many young girls at that time, my bedroom was adorned with pinups of Shaun from the popular teen magazines of that era. Wall space was scant, and it was only after my parents prepared to move a decade later — and my father filled all the holes with spackle — that I realized how deep my crush had been. Daily, I talked to a pair of life-size promotional cardboard cutouts of Shaun when I awoke and went to sleep.
If I’d told my teenage self that I would see Shaun Cassidy again more than four decades later — and actually meet him in person — I never would’ve believed it.
In mid-September, Shaun embarked on a 50-city national tour, called “The Road to Us,” with a stop at Rams Head On Stage in Annapolis last Saturday night, Oct. 18. I’m eternally indebted to my brother who decided to celebrate my birthday with tickets as a bookend to our concert-going lives together.
Now 67, Shaun belted out his classics like “Hey Deanie,” “That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll” and of course, his first hit “Da Doo Ron Ron” (originally sung by The Crystals), just like he had more than 45 years ago. His voice was strong, full of range and still quite commanding.
I was also impressed with my long-term memory as I could still belt out the lyrics to all of those songs from his albums. Yes, I had been listening to Shaun’s greatest hits album — a gift from my brother for a previous birthday — and I remembered some of the less popular tunes just as well.
Equally compelling was Shaun’s willingness to share his life story with the audience. He explained that after just a few years on the road, including a concert before a sellout crowd of 50,000 at the Houston Astrodome, he decided to stop performing. He said he couldn’t relate to that audience and preferred a more sane private life, away from screaming preteens and prying paparazzi.
At that time, he was also busy with television. After starring in “The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries,” he had multi-episode appearances in “Breaking Away” and on “General Hospital.”
Since his teen idol days, Shaun has made his mark as a television writer and producer for such shows as “American Gothic” in the late 1990s and, more recently, “New Amsterdam.”
Prior to the pandemic, Shaun started performing again with a few dates. More recently, he embarked on his first full national tour, enabling him to pay tribute to his music, his famous family and his longtime fans. He also wanted to find a way to connect with audiences of the 21st century.
Shaun acknowledged that many of us in the crowd were those same little girls for whom he served as their first teenage crush. He was the one who performed at their first concert and smiled back at them from posters on their walls.
His reflection on that time, the role he played in our young lives and seeing his own children endure similar crushes led him to write new music, including “My First Crush,” which he performed to an appreciative sold-out Annapolis crowd.
Shaun also spoke about his family, and the values that his late father, actor and singer Jack Cassidy, instilled in him. One was a dedication to family above all else, and Shaun shared with us his love for his mother, Academy Award-winning actress Shirley Jones, who remains a special part of his life at age 91.
He also talked about the impact and influence of his older brother and fellow musical icon, David Cassidy, who died in 2017. Shaun dedicated a song to his brother, “You Still Surprise Me,” noting that he often feels David’s presence and that of their father.
Shaun also revealed how he met his wife of 21 years, Tracey Lynne Turner (for whom he said he still has a crush), and noted that his lead guitarist is his nephew Cole Cassidy, son of his younger brother, Patrick.
After performing “Da Doo Ron Ron,” Shaun stayed on stage for the encore, singing Meredith Wilson’s “Till There Was You,” and shared why that was his final song. The show tune, performed by Shirley Jones in the 1962 film adaptation of “The Music Man,” also appeared on the Fab Four’s second album, “With the Beatles.”
As a four-year-old, Shaun said he constantly listened to both records on his old Fisher-Price record player, sealing his show business fate.
Thanks to a good friend who worked with Shaun on “New Amsterdam,” I was transported back to my teenage years when I was personally escorted backstage with my brother and greeted by my smiling teen idol with a huge embrace. Like any fan girl, I asked Shaun to autograph a few of his albums, and we also showed him photos taken by my late father during that first concert in the late ‘70s.
We spent about 10 minutes chatting with Shaun about his music, talked a little bit about us, and of course, I referenced his remarks about him being my first concert and my first crush. Shaun was welcoming, charming and genuine. We hugged again when my brother and I departed, and the smile remains on my face, and in all likelihood, our parents’ faces from above.
Shaun hoped this would not be our last concert together. He assured us he’s writing more music and will be touring again.
This “old” smiling teenager simply can’t wait!
Linda L. Esterson is an Owings Mills-based freelance writer.
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