America plays its hits on a perfect evening
Tuesday was perfect for an outdoor evening concert at Artpark.
At first it was warm and sunny with not a cloud in the sky; lawn chairs and blankets were spread out, and shade was at a premium. Then, as the day rolled on and the shadows grew longer, a slight breeze wafted up from the Niagara Gorge cooling concertgoers but not enough to make them slip on another layer of fabric.
Right from the get-go there were deep lines at the food and beverage concessions as people made their advance preparations in anticipation of the day’s headliners, America. It was such a large crowd, attracted by the fortuitous congruence of weather, a free concert and a still-viable baby boomer band, that there was barely enough room down near the stage for listeners to stand. The hill to the left of the stage (when viewed from the audience) was populated by the overflow.
After the opening act, a young Grand Island group called One and One, was done with their well-received, surprisingly polished set, even more people piled into the venue. It ended up looking, to this observer, like one of the biggest crowds that Artpark has ever had for the Tuesday free music series.
By the time Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell (aka, America) stepped onto the stage, the audience was primed and ready to hear the duo and their backup trio of musicians wend their way through a catalog of hits that stretched back more than a couple decades.
America has always been known for their close vocal harmonies and pleasant tunesmithing but, unless you’ve seem them in prior concerts, the fact that they can actually rock out at times isn’t something that comes to mind readily. So, yes, they played mid-tempo hits like “Ventura Highway,” “You Can Do Magic” and their first biggie, “A Horse With No Name,” along with a sampling of ballads like “I Need You,” but they also took “Don’t Cross the River” and pumped it up, tossing a few raucous chords into the mix.
Some of their more recent material also has a slight edge to it, but America is America, with a specific reputation and a fan base that has followed the group from early gold record years through the lean times, until now.
Concert Review
America
Tuesday night as part of the Tuesday in the Park series at Artpark Outdoor Amphitheater.
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