According to Billboard magazine, acclaimed singer/songwriter/producer Richard Marx is back at the top of the charts with the No. 6 single in the country - only he isn’t singing it.
His piano serenade of “This I Promise You,” which he wrote for ’N Sync, was one of the many highlights of his acoustic performance Friday night at the Meridian Mall, 1982 W. Grand River Ave. in Okemos. The concert, which took place in the mall’s new food court, was sponsored by WFMK (99.1-FM) radio.
He performed many songs from his successful career including “Right Here Waiting” and he supported his most recent album release, “Days in Avalon.”
“I had a pretty good run from 1987 to 1997,” Marx said. “It was like 10 years of wow, but in 1997, radio changed for guys like me.
“My kind of music just ceased.”
Lansing resident Lester Cortright, 40, has been a fan of Marx’s music for 10 years.
“I think (the concert) is great,” he said. “I like a lot of his older stuff, especially ‘Right Here Waiting.’”
The concert, in conjunction with the grand opening of the new food court at the mall, allowed fans to ask Marx questions throughout the set, providing an intimate and personal atmosphere with the acclaimed artist.
Throughout the set, he made jokes with the audience and when one attendee asked what it was like to work with ’N Sync on “This I Promise You,” he jokingly replied, “I only remember the people I work with who make it big.”
Lansing resident Lori Planck, 38, attended the concert.
“You can understand (his music),” she said. “He actually relays words through his music, and it’s nice to know he has got a funny side.”
The only downfall of the performance was the lack of seating for fans. There were three times as many people watching as there were chairs.
Lansing resident Sandy Jones, 40, was standing on a chair in the back.
“I just enjoy this type of music,” she said. “It’s great that the mall is doing this. I only wish I wouldn’t have missed Jim Brickman.”
Brickman performed at the mall when Jacobson’s opened.
Marx said for this radio promotional tour he is basically calling radio stations up and saying, “Hi, remember me?”
“If we get to the next step, maybe we’ll do a tour,” he said. “A majority of my performances on this tour will be like tonight with brief sets.”
In the past 12 years, Marx’s five studio albums and greatest hits collection sold millions worldwide. His 17 singles were routinely found at the top of the charts and continue to be mainstays on pop and adult contemporary radio.
However, Marx said doing a greatest hits album was the last thing he wanted to do because it usually signifies the end of a performer’s career.
“It was my way out of the hell of Capitol Records,” he said. “My manager told me if I did the greatest hits album they would let me go, so I did.”
Even though he’s still writing and performing music, Marx now considers himself more of a record producer than an artist .
He said he has a lot of fun producing a variety of different artists. Marx has worked with a diverse list of artists including Lionel Richie, Chicago, Poco, John Farnham, Luther Vandross, Billy Joel and Bryan White.
“At one point, in a 10-day period, I was working with ’N Sync, Kenny Rogers and The Tubes,” he said. “It’s the most fun because you never get locked into anything and every project calls for a different assignment.”
