I listened to Air Supply when I was still in high school and they were all the rage back in the 1980’s. Their hits were constantly playing on radio and I had their albums (in cassettes back then) all stacked up on the shelf.
This renowned Australian soft rock band – Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock, who turned 65 and 66 this year are still as popular as ever. This was evident in the one-night-only performance by the duo at One World Hotel earlier this month. This concert was part of Air Supply’s 40th Anniversary World Tour Final Leg. The Grand Ballroom of the hotel was transformed into a concert hall with endless rows of chairs, a huge stage and powerful sound & lights system. The fans filled up the entire hall well before Air Supply took to the stage.
After the not-so-funny stand-up comedy show ended, everyone waited with bated breath for Graham and Russell to appear. Finally, the familiar notes of their hit song “Sweet Dreams” filled the ballroom and the duo came on stage amidst thunderous applause. Russell Hitchcock’s trademark soaring tenor was still as good as ever as he belted out their hits. They both may appear older and a bit stouter but their voices have not wavered much.
“The One That You Love”, “Making Love Out of Nothing At All”, “Lost in Love”, “Goodbye”, “Even The Nights Are Better”, “Here I Am”, “Chances” – all their No.1 Hits were performed to the delight of the audience, many of whom sang along with Air Supply.
When Graham started singing their latest single “I Adore You”, the audience went completely quiet, to fully appreciate the beauty of the lyrics. It became even more magical when Russell joined in with his vocals lifting the song beyond beautiful.
It’s clear both Graham and Russell stay very much in connection with their fans. When the duo came down from the stage for a walkabout, the fans were ecstatic, especially when Russell stopped to have selfies taken with some of them.
When Graham and Russell said goodnight, I knew there would be an encore because their all-time-favourite Top Hit “All Out Of Love” was still not performed yet! True enough, after prolonged clapping and shouting of “encore encore” from the audience, Air Supply came back on stage to sing that song and a couple more!
It was truly an unforgettable night – a most enjoyable one, listening to this world-class legendary duo performing live all those songs which I have loved listening to all these years.
My thanks and appreciation goes to One World Hotel for the complimentary media tickets which enabled us to watch this awesome show performed by one of the most respected bands in the world.