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Air Supply |
Date:
7 October 2004
Venue: The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts
Reviewer: John Jane
Air Supply, for most intents and purposes, is the music collaboration of Australian vocalist Russell Hitchcock and British songwriter Graham Russell. The two came together while performing in the Australian production of Jesus Christ Superstar in 1976. With their brand of heavily orchestrated, romantic ballads, the soft rock duo found a niche on early-80s radio.
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Air
Supply |
The compact Hitchcock is the more natural performer of the two. He moves easily around the stage, and during his rendition of "Here I Am, The One That You Love" he circulated among the audience with a portable wireless microphone. (Graham) Russell on the other hand, at six-four, looked awkward jumping and hopping round the stage like a manic punk rocker. Hitchcock, now a Los Angeles resident, still has a phenomenal voice. He now sings about half an octave lower and is closer to a natural tenor.
The pair were joined
on stage by side musicians, bassist Jonni Lightfoot, drummer Mike
Zerbe
and Jed Moss on keyboards. Excellent musicians, but why so loud? It appeared
as though the back-up band were playing a stadium gig, while Hitchcock
and Russell were doing a Vegas-style show.
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Russell Hitchcock |
Air Supply started their two-hour concert with new songs from their repertoire, including "Shadow of the Sun" and title song from last year’s CD "Across the Concrete Sky." It didn’t take long for the band to go back to their earlier successes. (most of which had the word "love" in the title) Songs like "Faith in Love," "Lost in Love" and the Jim Steinman anthem, "Making Love Out of Nothing At All" are what their core fans came to hear, and the audience response to each was terrific.
I personally enjoyed Graham Russell’s solo "unplugged" performance of "Why?" - a song he claimed to have written specifically for his son’s wedding. Russell, who now makes his home in Utah sings with a kind of folksy drone.
All in all, the concert was a fan’s delight. The most enjoyable part was the duo’s unpretentious rapport with the audience. It’s not surprising that this fan-friendly band has managed to retain a core group of enthusiasts. What is surprising is that twenty years after the group's heyday they number so many.
© 2004 John Jane