Eddie Money rocks the hits and troops tribute at the Raue Center

Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Throughout the 1970s and ‘80s, Eddie Money’s string of smash singles and platinum albums was virtually unstoppable, and though he doesn’t record nearly as much these days, he keeps popping up in prominent places. In recent years, the Grammy nominee played himself on “The King Of Queens” sitcom, had songs in video games such as “Grand Theft Auto” and “Guitar Hero,” plus starred in a tongue-in-cheek GEICO insurance commercial.

The man of many hats also scored major points on the relatively recent tribute to America’s troops “One More Soldier Coming Home,” along with the quintessential “Take Me Home Tonight” (blended with The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby”) featuring his gifted daughter/fellow recording artist Jesse ably taking on the parts of Ronnie Spector.

Along with all the pop culture appearances, the New York rocker is also touring fairly regularly, stopping by the beautifully restored Raue Center For The Arts (the crown jewel of Crystal Lake) as part of his ongoing “Sound Of Money” excursion. With a set list that basically mirrored the famed greatest hits collection of the same name (give or take a few tunes), the 66-year-old and his six piece band (including three of his 20-something kids) tore through 75 minutes worth of melodic MTV memories for a near capacity crowd.

Although Money’s chummy stage presence remained and his backers were a blast from the opening beats of “Baby Hold On” to the hand-waving “Shakin,” the leader’s voice wasn’t what it used to be and his singing/speaking trade off proved somewhat inconsistent. Having his supporting players kick in harmonies on cuts like “Walk On Water” and “I Wanna Go Back” certainly helped, while the headliner helped respectively spiced up “No Control” and “Trinidad” (amongst others) with his own sturdy harmonica and saxophone playing.

The man of many hats also scored major points on the relatively recent tribute to America’s troops “One More Soldier Coming Home,” along with the quintessential “Take Me Home Tonight” (blended with The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby”), featuring his gifted daughter/fellow recording artist Jesse ably taking on the parts of Ronnie Spector. Throw in “Think I’m In Love” then “Two Tickets To Paradise,” and the pile of hits kept stacking up, further pointing to Money’s staying power as a songwriter and personality, even if his vocals couldn’t quite match their original studio quality.