Music
Beloved ’70s Teen Idol Didn’t Return to the Stage for 40 Years and Has No Regrets
Shaun Cassidy, 67, walked away from performing at his peak in 1980 and returned 40 years later, now touring on his own terms and loving it more than ever.
In the late 1970s, a young Shaun Cassidy was one of America’s biggest teen idols, selling out concerts and starring on The Hardy Boys. Then, at the height of his fame, he walked away from performing for decades.
Cassidy’s last concert during his initial run as a musician was in 1980 at the Houston Astrodome with 55,000 fans in attendance. He has said that when he told them good night at the end of the concert, he had no idea he would wait 40 years before returning to the stage.
Now he is touring again and loving it. Cassidy, 67, talked with People about his decision to walk away more than 40 years ago, and why he loves it so much now.
The decision to stop performing “wasn’t because I didn’t love doing concerts. It wasn’t because I didn’t love playing music and being in front of an audience,” Cassidy explained.
Moving into writing and producing gave Cassidy something he had never really experienced before: a more normal, grounded life.
The entertainer noted that throughout his childhood, he didn’t have a stable, grounded life. As an adult, he realized he craved some normalcy, and he found that with writing and producing television shows such as New Amsterdam and Invasion.
In 2020, Cassidy began performing for audiences again, although he was initially hesitant. He’d been asked many times during his performing hiatus to return to the stage. For years, he resisted.
He explained, “I always felt like I was going to be either trying to recreate the success I’d had at 20 … or I was afraid I might jeopardize my writing career because suddenly, people aren’t taking me seriously in my desk job.”
Even after deciding to begin performing again, Cassidy wasn’t sure anyone would still want to see him perform. He was delighted to discover that longtime fans embraced both his classic hits and his newer music.
On Facebook, fans reminisced over the love they had for Cassidy when they were young. Many expressed their excitement that he’s back and loving it.
“I’m glad he’s back interacting with his ‘old’ fans in a way that feels personal and familiar,” one fan wrote.
Someone who went to one of his concerts in 2021 added, “Still as charming as ever, and what a set of pipes!”
Another fan who has seen Cassidy perform live both when they were a child and now as an adult gushed that Cassidy is “still so handsome and still can sing!!!!” She raved, “It’s nice when you look up to someone & they live up to it!!!!”
Several months ago, Cassidy chatted with Jessi Collins, the vocal director for The Kelly Clarkson Show. He noted that his decision to stop performing “Has been, frankly, better for my life.”
Cassidy added that while he loved performing and acting when he was younger, it “wasn’t delivering the life that I wanted.” Now, more than four decades after stepping away, Cassidy says he’s finally able to enjoy performing on his own terms.
