November 8, 2007
Everyone had a great time at the America concert at the New Theatre Wednesday night. For those who are too young to know, America is an American pop group who had a string of hits mostly in the early to mid-70s, and are known particularly for their choral harmonies borrowed from the likes of Crosby, Stills & Young. Perhaps it will improve their 'street cred' if I mention that they recorded with George Martin in the 70s and completed an album in 2007 produced by James Iha (formerly of Smashing Pumpkins) with songs written by Ryan Adams and Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne.
When the group came on stage they mentioned their ties to the UK: the three original members (one of whom left the group in the 70s after renewing his Christian faith) had been children of USAF servicemen stationed here in the 60s and had met in high school in London. Having grown up in the States listening to the FM rock stations that totally dominated the airwaves in the 70s and 80s, I heard America's hits so often that 'if I had a nickel for every time' I heard one of their hits, I truly would be rich. I mean, I know their songs as well as I know my own name so I was unabashedly excited whenever they sprinkled in hits such as Tin Man, Lonely People and You Can Do Magic among their new material, which was really quite good, along with deeper cuts from their earlier albums.
It was a wonderful night though some concertgoers might have been disappointed as only 400 or so folks were in attendance, probably owing to both the group's lack of recognition around these parts and ticket prices that were a bit prohibitive to all but the more fervent of admirers. But it was really intimate and more diverse than I would have expected. Among the audience I heard plenty of English and American accents. There was even an animated group of Spanish speakers who knew the band's music quite well.
I was particularly impressed with their maturity and professionalism. This isn't just bunch of has-beens trying to recapture their youth like so many riding the revival/reunion gravy train these days. And although they have been playing about 100 concerts a year for the past 38 years, the concert was as fresh and rewarding as I could have hoped for. Sister Golden Hair, perhaps their best song, was easily the highlight of the night and had me secretly wishing I was among a predominantly American audience who would have felt quite entitled to get out of their seats and dance. I was only left scratching my head (and giggling a bit) when they performed the theme song they recorded for the animated feature The Last Unicorn. Their encore was the cryptic but mesmerizing Horse with No Name, which didn't disappoint. It was a pleasure to see them live, and as they promised to come back to Oxford the next time they're in the UK, you should be sure and not miss out.
When the group came on stage they mentioned their ties to the UK: the three original members (one of whom left the group in the 70s after renewing his Christian faith) had been children of USAF servicemen stationed here in the 60s and had met in high school in London. Having grown up in the States listening to the FM rock stations that totally dominated the airwaves in the 70s and 80s, I heard America's hits so often that 'if I had a nickel for every time' I heard one of their hits, I truly would be rich. I mean, I know their songs as well as I know my own name so I was unabashedly excited whenever they sprinkled in hits such as Tin Man, Lonely People and You Can Do Magic among their new material, which was really quite good, along with deeper cuts from their earlier albums.
It was a wonderful night though some concertgoers might have been disappointed as only 400 or so folks were in attendance, probably owing to both the group's lack of recognition around these parts and ticket prices that were a bit prohibitive to all but the more fervent of admirers. But it was really intimate and more diverse than I would have expected. Among the audience I heard plenty of English and American accents. There was even an animated group of Spanish speakers who knew the band's music quite well.
I was particularly impressed with their maturity and professionalism. This isn't just bunch of has-beens trying to recapture their youth like so many riding the revival/reunion gravy train these days. And although they have been playing about 100 concerts a year for the past 38 years, the concert was as fresh and rewarding as I could have hoped for. Sister Golden Hair, perhaps their best song, was easily the highlight of the night and had me secretly wishing I was among a predominantly American audience who would have felt quite entitled to get out of their seats and dance. I was only left scratching my head (and giggling a bit) when they performed the theme song they recorded for the animated feature The Last Unicorn. Their encore was the cryptic but mesmerizing Horse with No Name, which didn't disappoint. It was a pleasure to see them live, and as they promised to come back to Oxford the next time they're in the UK, you should be sure and not miss out.