Love Is All That I Ever Needed. Chapter 36. An Entertainer, A Horseman, And A Family Man..
2002 was the year of the ‘Rock Me Tour’. David played 26 concerts in the USA, 10 concerts
in the UK, and after 28 years he performed in Australia again.
He had his own band: Lon Bronson - musical director, keyboards, road manager ; Jim
McIntosh - guitar, Gary Olds - drums, Frank Fabio - bass, Lisa Mayer and Candace Davis-Martin - backing vocals.
It was a kind of world tour which brought a lot of memories.
David was in great form and the audience loved his gigs.
One journalist wrote that Keith
Partridge and his fans were grown up, but not much had changed. - “There is not really that
much difference between then and now - aside from the women’s underwear. Almost three
decades after The Partridge Family went off the air, the lust remains."
David said that it was
fun and he had the time of his life playing those concerts. In the 70s he had a very full social
life but that was then. He also added unasked: ’I’ve been with the same woman for 16 years.
We’re happy together.’
In 2002 David was twice in Australia. First for five days in September, it was a promotional
tour. He gave press conferences, there were a lot of interviews, and he guest starred on many
Australian talk shows. He met with fans and shared his memories from the 1974 World Tour.
He promoted his concerts and ‘Then And Now’ album.
There were also questions which irritated him. About his 15 year old daughter, Katie, who just
released her first single, with a cover of ‘I Think I Love You’.
The journalists were surprised
when he revealed meeting Katie just a few years ago.
In November he returned to Australia to play concerts. ’It was a night for the true believers (..)
It was a night to remember what it was like to be young again, young and silly (..) They grabbed
his legs and his tights. ‘Don’t hold me there baby’ he cautioned.. (..) It wasn’t a big crowd but
what an almost entire female audience for his concert in Brisbane lacked in number, it more
than made up for in volume.’
Not everybody was impressed. Some journalists wrote that the tour was a kind of nostalgia
sponsored by the pay TV channel, and they didn’t like David’s stories about his great career
and comparing himself to The Beatles or Presley. David "delivering a monologue about the
fond memories he had while being in Australia in 1974". To some it was like a learned text,
repeated many times. ‘The denim shirt was undone one button more than you might expect
(..) Narrow shoulders, narrow waist, no hips and legs like a young girl. (..) His skin is so unlined,
so taut. You were not the only one humming Carly Simon’.
David Cassidy didn’t return to Australia again.
In 2002 quite a lot was written about David’s horses. That year one of them, Lady D’Jour, a
horse he bought for $8000, won more than $ 100,000 on track. David was in that business for
many years. It was also his granddad’s, Fred Ward, influence.
David sometimes said in interviews that no
one in his family shared his passion for horses. However, he also gave some interviews for
specialist magazines, and he told them something different. How he and his grandfather watched
the Kentucky Derby together, that it was Fred who taught the young boy how to read Racing
Forum, and what's more gave him some dollars to bet. ‘I did pretty well, I like handicapping’.
He read and
learned about horses on The Partridge Family set and bought his first horse-in-yearling in 1974.
At first, he was a breeder, and quite a successful one. In the 80s he began racing horses. It
was an extremely risky and very expensive hobby. Despite many disappointments and loss of
money, David loved it. He loved horses, he loved the atmosphere of the horse track, and the
challenge.
He said: ‘It’s not a game for boys in short pants. I’ve been a passionate fan of thoroughbred
racing since I was five years old, and I’ve spent countless days, weeks, hours, months and
years doing a lot of pedigree research, which is what I love to do’. Reading David Cassidy
interviews for specialist magazines about horses and racing, it’s like getting to know someone
different from his show business persona.
In 2002 David owned eleven horses and had seven in training in New York with Gary C.
Contessa. A famous trainer and a talented bass player, they became very close friends. He
said that they never talked about music, or David’s career, only about horses. ‘He (David) was
a walking pedigree textbook and racing encyclopedia.’
At the beginning of January 2003 Sue and David put their Las Vegas house on the market. It
was a large house with seven bedrooms, a patio and swimming pool. David dreamed about
Saratoga Springs, but they decided to move to Florida. Sue was born in Miami and they also were
looking for a nice place with good schools for Beau. He was nearly 12 years old, and his
education was important for both them.
David and Sue loved their son and they found a great place
for their family.
Fort Lauderdale, a city just 28 miles north of Miami, adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, with 7
miles of beach and very nice average yearly temperature. 5 hours by plane to Saratoga. ‘It’s
a paradise. My wife and I were just talking about it this morning when we were walking on the
beach. She said: ’You know I don’t think I want to leave that place."
As was their custom, David and Sue redid and rearranged the house, known as Casa De
Mayan, a beautiful 7000 square foot waterfront villa. After several years of nomadic life, they
found, at last, their steady and lasting place on Earth. They wanted to stay there for the rest
of their lives...
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