'70s Teen Idol Shaun Cassidy on Playing Pittsburgh the Same Night as Taylor Swift: 'She's Brilliant' (Exclusive)

While Swift was in her 'Midnights' era, Cassidy was busy just across town with his new show, "The Magic of a Midnight Sky”

As one of the biggest pop stars of the late '70s, Shaun Cassidy knows about packed arenas, screaming fans and chart-topping singles.

And even though he left the spotlight of the music stage decades ago for a successful career writing and producing television hits (most recently NBC's New Amsterdam), the new stage show he's created and is performing just happened to hit Pittsburgh on the same night as a certain female pop star.

"Hey that Taylor Swift," Shaun says with a chuckle, "I hear is doing well."

Shaun's new self-penned show, “The Magic of a Midnight Sky,” played at the Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall in Munhall, Pennsylvania, on June 17 — the same night Swift and her epic Eras Tour was smashing Acrisure Stadium records with a reported 73,117 in attendance.

(The largest audience at Acrisure was previously a 2019 Garth Brooks concert, according to reports).

Though his Pittsburgh show went great, he says, he knew going in it might not have as many people in the seats as other cities just because of Swift's huge draw and impact. But she can count Shaun Cassidy among her millions of fans.

Related: Taylor Swift Announces Even More International Eras Tour Dates: 'I Can't Wait'

"I like her work a lot," he says. "She's brilliant."

Part of Swift's appeal is her ability to tell stories through her songs. In songwriting and storytelling, "all you have to do is tell the truth," Shaun says. "And if you tell it in a funny way and don't get up on a pedestal, it's really easy for people to hear and it really opens the door to them feeling."

Shaun will take "The Magic of a Midnight Sky" to New York City’s 54 Below club on June 21 for a sold-out five-night run, giving fans an intimate look into his family life, including growing up with his mom, Oscar-winning actress Shirley Jones, 89; his dad, Tony-winning actor Jack Cassidy (who died in an apartment fire in 1976); and his half brother and fellow teen idol David of The Partridge Family fame. (David died of liver failure in 2017 at age 67.) 

"I mean, my story, even though it may be unique on the surface, it really is universal," he says. "And that's what everyone comes away from the show with, is like, 'Oh, this is my family you're talking about. These are my siblings you're talking about. This is my arc of self-discovery.'"

Related: Inside '70s Teen Idol Shaun Cassidy's Return to Performing: 'Something I Never Thought I'd Do Again' (Exclusive)

A father of seven kids — ages 42 to 11 — Shaun says that being open and willing to explore both the good and bad times in his past has led to the joyful life he shares in the Santa Barbara area with his wife Tracey and the kids they still have at home.

"I really do think we live two lives," he says. "We have the life we're born into and the life we make, and not everybody actually makes the choice to do the second thing, or has the opportunity. Well, I think we all have the opportunity, but it takes work and it takes a lot of self exploration and to let go."

Those experiences are joining him in his new show.

"My show's a survival story, and it's really fun and it's funny," he says. "Surprisingly funny, I think. And it's sexy and it's romantic and it's emotional, and it's revealing, and it has been incredibly illuminating for me to go through this process. Something I never thought I'd do again."

For more on this story and exclusive interview with Shaun Cassidy, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday. 

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