Air Supply @ West Herr Riviera Theatre, North Tonawanda, NY 6-4-26

After 51 years in the business, there isn’t much Air Supply hasn’t seen or done. The duo of of Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock are considered the forefathers of soft rock. They are not resting on their laurels. They are still very prolific and just released their 18th studio effort “A Matter of Time” last month. The rest of the band includes Aaron McLain (lead guitar), Mirko Tessandori (piano/keyboards/vocals), Pavel Valdman (drums), Doug Gild (bass) and both Jessika Soli and Kaitlyn Findlay (cello). This is their 2nd appearance at the West Herr Riviera Theatre in the last 3 years. I didn’t know what to expect as I have never seen the band live. So, you can say that I was excited to see if those amazing melodies and harmonies would still hold up after all of these years.

Air Supply took to the stage at 7:30pm sharp and went into “Sweet Dreams” off of 1981’s “The One That You Love.” You can see that the fans were into it right off of the 1st chord that Russell struck on his guitar. The big hit “Even the Nights” followed. Shortly thereafter, Hitchcock was addressing the audience about a new look he was sporting. He proceeded to tell them that he didn’t have a hickey on his neck but a tattoo of a pair of lips from his wife. Hitchcock wardrobe was eye catching as it consisted of lot of sparkles and a few skulls. A super cool look, I have to say. Throughout the show, you noticed the camaraderie between both Graham and Hitchcock was like a great pair of comfortable shoes. They fit so well together. Graham even told the story of impromptu meeting between the two back in 1975 while at Jesus Christ Superstar in Sydney, Australia. What is more amazing is that he said the duo have never had an argument since they met. Graham had a solo spot where he read a poem he wrote called “Invisible.” He then followed that up with “Me and The River.” The rest of the band then returned. Air Supply received a standing ovation for “The One That You Love.” They kept addressing the crowd throughout their set to ensure the bond they created at the very beginning remained throughout their entire performance.

In two weeks time, Graham and Russell will mark their 5700 show. That is an astonishing accomplishment, for any artist! Known primarily for their vocal melodies and harmonies, the overall vocals still remain pretty strong 50 plus years later. After all of these years, they are still very relevant and still delivering on stage. That’s what matters most to their fans!

Setlist:

Sweet Dreams

Even the Nights

Just As I Aam

Every Woman

Here I Aam

Chances

Goodbye

A Matter of Time

Invisible (poem by Graham Russell)

Me and the River (Graham Russell solo)

Two Less Lonely