For three decades, former teen idol Shaun Cassidy traded the spotlight for the writers’ room. After a career creating hit television series behind the scenes, Cassidy is now stepping back onto the stage and heading to the Sandhills.
Cassidy will perform his new show, “The Road to Us,” at the Bradshaw Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, Dec. 9. The performance blends his chart-topping music with personal storytelling, marking a return to live performance that Cassidy says was a long time coming.
“What inspired the show is my desire to connect with people after having been locked in my room for like three decades,” Cassidy joked in an interview with Sandhills Sentinel. “My primary job has been writing and producing television. My last big show was in the Astrodome in 1980, and I said goodnight and didn’t realize I wouldn’t do another show for years.”
Now, “The Road to Us” brings Cassidy back to North Carolina, a state he says he holds in high regard. In the mid-1990s, he filmed the horror series “American Gothic” in Wilmington and was taken with the charm of North Carolina.
“I lived in Wilmington on and off for about a year in the mid-90s and got to know North Carolina really well as a whole,” Cassidy said. “It’s a beautiful state and has a lot of the same stuff I love about California: forest, mountains, beaches.”
While Cassidy is known globally for multi-platinum hits like his cover of “Da Doo Ron Ron,” “That’s Rock n’ Roll,” and “Hey Deanie,” he spent the last 30 years building a formidable resume as a writer and executive producer. His credits include “American Gothic,” “Cold Case,” and the recent NBC hit “New Amsterdam.”
“The Road to Us” explores this unique journey. Cassidy says it’s not just a concert, but a narrative experience. During the show, he shares stories about his life, including growing up as the son of Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy, his time as a teen star on “The Hardy Boys,” and his transition to behind-the-camera work.
However, Cassidy says that his time away from the microphone actually benefited his musical ability, and that this is noticeable in his newer performances.
“I hadn’t been singing professionally for years, which saved my voice,” Cassidy explained. “Not only is my voice stronger than it was when I was a kid, I get to sing a lot of these hit songs I might have been sick of after singing for years. It’s fresh to me.”
The show also allows Cassidy to address what he calls an “unfinished relationship” with his original audience. He explained that when he left performing, both he and his fans were very young.
“For the core audience, I was their first record or their first poster or concert,” Cassidy recalled, laughing, “and now we get to reconnect.”
Yet, the demographics at his shows are shifting. Cassidy noted he sees people in their 20s in the crowd, along with more men than he expected. He attributes this to the humor in the show, specifically the stories about his failures, auditions that went wrong, and the humorous journey of meeting his wife, Tracey.
“My show now is funny,” he said. “They laugh, and so do I. They leave really loving it.”
Despite the return to touring, Cassidy remains active in television. He shared that he is currently writing a pilot for NBC, and though the details are still under wraps, he says that if the pilot is picked up, viewers may see the show airing next fall.
He added that the balance between the solitary work of writing and the communal experience of performing keeps him energized.
“Being able to go back and forth between different art forms is invigorating,” Cassidy said. “If I was doing the same thing over and over again, I’d get sick of it. Touring again is a great experience. I didn’t know if people would come, honestly, but they are, and they’re loving it.”
Audiences can expect a four-piece band and a night that spans the emotional spectrum from high-energy pop hits to intimate stories.
“Come for the songs, stay for the stories,” Cassidy encouraged. “So many people tell me afterwards that they love the stories. That seems to be the case.”
For ticket information regarding the upcoming performance at the Bradshaw Performing Arts Center, visit the show’s page on TicketMe.
~ Article by Sandhills Sentinel Assistant Editor Abegail Murphy. Abegail has been writing for Sandhills Sentinel since 2021. Photo courtesy Bradshaw Performing Arts Center.
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