Air Supply in abundance

Australian soft-rock duo Air Supply made yet another trek to Thailand on Tuesday night and the performance was once again memorable, though the turnout was rather disappointing.
Singer-songwriter and guitarist Graham Russell and lead vocalist Russell Hitchcock continue the “comeback” that never ends with a “Greatest Hits Concert” that did indeed string together 16 of their most familiar hits.
These included “The One that You Love”, “Lost in Love”, “All Out of Love”, “Here I Am”, “Sweet Dreams” and “Making Love Out of Nothing at All”.
The concert, organised by Media Wrap, took place at Impact Exhibition Hall 3 and lasted nearly two hours.
Russell, 64, and Hitchcock, 65 – backed up by a four-man band of younger musicians – managed to captivate the audience early on. They effectively entertained the audience, with Hitchcock mostly singing and touching hands with fans gathering in front of the stage and Russell mainly playing the guitar and joking with the audience.
Russell sang a few songs and joined in parts of others sung by Hitchcock. Certainly the quality of their voices has declined since their heyday, but the duo remain as energetic and impressive as ever.
The band was formed in 1976, a little over a year after Russell and Hitchcock met in Australia while taking part in the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar”. The duo have toured with more than 20 musicians over the past 38 years, during which they released more than 15 studio albums.
The current band features bassist Jonni Lightfoot, guitarist Aaron McLain, drummer Aviv Cohen and keyboardist Amir Efrat. Last December Air Supply was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association’s Hall of Fame.
During their performance of “The One That You Love” on Tuesday, Russell and Hitchcock came down from the stage to meet their fans up close. Accompanied by a few security guards each, they walked separately along the aisles to be mobbed by fans snapping photos and grabbing selfies.
Russell told us Air Supply first came to Thailand in 1981 – before many of those at Tuesday’s concert were even born, he noted with a smile. He said they’ve since been back “10 or 11 times”.
The audience numbered about 1,000 – not much for a foreign act – but the crowd was supportive and lively for the most part. There was much applause and loud cheering, clapping in unison and singing along whenever the band encouraged them.
About half an hour into the concert, Russell invited the people in the back rows to come up and grab the unoccupied seats nearer the stage, and they happily accepted the suggestion. With the crowd now packed closer together, the atmosphere became more exciting and people were more energetic.
It seemed the duo was equally impressed with the supportive audience. “Bless you! We love you very much,” Hitchcock declared toward the end of the show. And, from his partner, “Thank you, Thailand. Khob khun krub. You are beautiful.”