Remember the Richard Marx Concert at Mesker Amphitheatre?

Okay, 80s fans! Here's a blast from the past for you.

Who remembers when Richard Marx brought his concert tour to Mesker Amphitheatre in Evansville? I remember it. I was there. It was the summer of 1988.

I wasn't even supposed to go the show. My good friend Allen Putman invited me to go at the last minute. He and our friend Melissa bought tickets in advance. Well, Allen decided he wanted some company, so he invited my friend Jill Harris and me to go with them. Jill and I literally bought tickets the day of the show. We climbed into the back seat of Allen's car and off we went to see a guy who was quickly becoming an 80s superstar,

By the summer of 1988, Richard was riding a string of Top Ten hits from his self-titled debut album, Richard Marx.

The lead off single from the album, "Don't Mean Nothing", peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Full confession, I never cared for that song and still don't understand why it was the first song released.

The follow-up, "Should've Known Better", reached #3 as well. Sidebar, this is my absolute favorite Richard Marx and the one I was most looking forward to hearing live. He didn't disappoint at Mesker.

Then, Richard climbed even further up the charts. His song "Endless Summer Nights" reached #2 on the Billboard chart.

The next release was an absolute smash. Richard's "Hold Onto The Nights" climbed all the way to #1.

I remember that particular moment in the concert vividly. There was a big grand piano on the stage at Mesker Amphitheatre. Richard sat down, played the piano, and sang the song. The crowd was entranced and, yes, we all sang along.

My other favorite moment from the concert involved a guitar pick. My friends and I were in the lower level of the seating, literally just rows from the stage. I remember Richard, at one point during the show, throwing a guitar pick. I didn't see it until it was just inches away from my face. Like an idiot (instead of a crazed fan), I ducked. The pick flew behind me and some other concert-goer got the souvenir. It coulda, woulda, shoulda been mine. Yes, I guess I should say, I "Should've Known Better."