The evening brought all of their classic hits from the 70’s and on. Songs like “Tin Man” and “You Can Do Magic” were a couple of the first featured songs of the evening and were quick to draw the crowd into a singing unison.
Now I have personally been a fan of America since I was a kid. I am 31 years old and to get a glimpse of reality I became a fan in the back seat of my father’s Oldsmobile. When I was a child we used to take these family Sunday drives through the back country roads just listening to music. My brother and I sat in the back seat while my dad played the oldies station to my mom. I was one of those who would beg my father to change the station from oldies but he refused. The best thing that could have ever happened was him not change that radio station. There I was taught, “A Horse With No Name”, “Sister Golden Hair” and of course, “Don’t Cross the River”. Still in their early set in the evening when the opening chords for “Don’t Cross the River” began, a wave of emotion set in that made my eyes water. As a child I used to dream of that banjo part. Thank you for that.
The set continued on with tracks from every album made by America. Gerry Beckley and Steve Bunnell traded jokes and shared stories of their 4 decade long career. They played tribute to The Beatles by playing Eleanor Rigby. Another favorite track performed was “Ventura Highway”. The moment the guitar gave the famous opening sequence, the crowd responded with, “Chewin’ on a piece of grass, walking down the road…” The venue came alive for this one!
“Sandman” was particularly a favorite of the evening as well. The performance also included a slide presentation on the back curtain that had historical elements that had occurred throughout the history of America. Elements such as the Vietnam War, MLK’s speech, a segment of “I Love Lucy”, and images of Hollywood, California which led to the “Hollywood Walk of Fame” zoomed in on America and their much deserved star. “Sister Golden Hair” was one of the final songs performed of the evening and was greatly received by the crowd as well. As America bid farewell to a remarkable evening, the crowd knew, everybody knew there was still one song left to be sung. The band left, the crowd lingered and chanted for one more song, for that one song, and so they returned to play, “A Horse With No Name”. Their first hit that catapulted America to stardom. A hit that I would not have discovered until roughly 15 years later after its debut, when I was a child. Almost a perfect evening.
I often say music is my passion, and it is rightfully so. I listen to music more than most, I have daydreamed of bands like America since I was old enough to appreciate their talent. Thanks to my parents who never changed that radio station. By the way, my mom and dad were sitting in the mezzanine area also singing along throughout the evening.
By the time the concert ended, it was an almost perfect evening. I have had my experiences of hanging out with rock stars and rock bands by the will of my determination. So I grabbed my wife and we booked it to the back of the venue where the America tour bus was and waited. We lingered in the chilly air until they came outside and I called out to them, “May I please have your autograph?” On came Gerry Beckley and Steve Bunnell to fulfill a childhood dream of mine to meet my favorite legendary band. They were gentlemen, they greeted, signed their autographs on top of an article I wrote which featured their Greatest Hits record and thanked me for attending their show. I thanked them for everything, the evening, the music, the day dreams, the banjo part in “Don’t Cross the River”, for my dad not changing the station and of course, the perfect evening.
The Scientist
“Either write something worth reading, or do something worth writing”
-Benjamin Franklin
“Hey Ho, Let’s Go”
-The Ramones