Wednesday, June 11, 2003
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Wednesday, June 11, 2003 |
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Former teen idol Rydell brings repertoire to PTC By MICHAEL
BOYLAN The end of the first half of the summer concert series at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater is upon us. Bobby Rydell closes a terrific first half that gave audiences rock, rhythm and blues and something they could dance to. With his concert this Friday and Saturday, Rydell will take listeners back to a simpler time with his whiz-bang show that includes a number of hits from a stellar career. Rydell is a Philadelphia native and the city of brotherly love is also where he caught his first big break. His voice was already stirring up excitement on the radio and when he performed his hit song "Kissin' Time" on American Bandstand, which was filmed in Philadelphia, Rydell became a superstar. According to Billboard, Rydell recorded 34 Top 40 hits, therefore making him one of the top five artists of his era. Some of his hits include "Volare," "Sway," "Wild One," "We Got Love," and "Forget Him." Rydell soon moved from the radio to the stage, where he played Riff in "West Side Story" to network television programs such as Red Skelton, Danny Thomas, Ed Sullivan, Walt Disney, the series "Combat" and more and then on to the silver screen. He played Hugo Peabody in "Bye, Bye Birdie" opposite Ann Margaret, appeared in "That Girl From Peking" and provided the voice of Marco Polo, Jr. in an animated film. In his concerts, not only does Rydell sing his big hits but he also performs a tribute to his friend Bobby Darin, singing "Mack the Knife," "Splish-Splash," and "Dream Lover," as well as a medley from "Bye Bye Birdie." When not touring, Rydell lives with his family in a suburb of Philadelphia. He is an avid supporter of all of Philadelphia's sports teams and also had the 2400 block of S. 11th street named after him. It is now known as Bobby Rydell Boulevard. Tickets for the show are $45. There are a handful of tickets remaining for Friday and some single seats available for Saturday. The concert will begin at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday with 2 a.m. opening. 2 a.m. was formerly known as Papparazzi and opened for David Cassidy last year.
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