Soft rock hitmakers Air Supply, performing Saturday at Rose, make touring top priority

Jul. 12—Romantic soft rock songs such as "Lost in Love, "All Out of Love" and "Every Woman in the World" will certainly be among the highlights of the night when Air Supply performs a rescheduled concert at Rose Music Center in Huber Heights on Saturday, July 16. However, having a handful of Top 10 United States hits wouldn't matter if the Australian group, led by founding members Russell Hitchcock (vocals) and Graham Russell (guitar), didn't continue to deliver on stage.

"We still haven't stopped giving 100 percent every night because I appreciate people trusting us and taking the time to come see us," Hitchcock said. "I appreciate people spending money to see us because in these times, concerts, music, movies or anything like that is a luxury. It's not something you can take for granted. The fact people choose to come to see us is something very special to me."

Air Supply, which formed in 1975, continues to tour annually with a live show that goes well beyond the obvious hits. In a January 2020 issue of the Australian newspaper, Herald Sun, the group was named one of the Greatest Aussie Bands of All Time. AC/DC was No. 1 followed by the Bee Gees, Inxs and the Seekers. Air Supply, at five, finished ahead of Men At Work, Little River Band, Midnight Oil, Savage Garden and other popular acts.

"We've never rested on our laurels," Hitchcock said. "In fact, pretty much every night before the show, we have a vocal thing we do with the band. We get in a little huddle, I usually say a few words and most of the time I finish with, 'Remember, this is the first show for the rest of your life so don't screw it up.' Then, we're ready to go."

Live air

The current state of Air Supply is showcased on the 2019 live release, "The Lost In Love Experience."

"It's a great look at the music because the CD has a live performance and the other CD has instrumental versions of our songs," Hitchcock said. "Graham went over to Prague and worked with the Prague Symphony to embellish them, and it sounds awesome. When you take the words out of the songs and just have the melodies, you realize how strong the songs are. It really shows you the strengths of the songs in that arena, but this one is just out of this world. I'm just thrilled to death with it and people have responded to it wonderfully."

Fresh material

Air Supply plans to enter the studio in early August to record some new songs. The band's last studio album, "Mumbo Jumbo," was released in 2010.

"We've got to take the time when we can to record," Hitchcock said. "We're doing four tracks just to get some new stuff out there. Hopefully, whatever we record will be out in September or October but that's all in the planning stages right now. We're staying busy. We never take a break. Next month, we have a week off and we have a few days in August when we're going to try to put some stuff together in the studio.

"You have to make sure you're rested up and in a good frame of mind to record," he continued. "Being in a studio and being on the road are certainly different animals. On the road, you get a shot to do it and that's it and then you move on. Of course, in the studio, you can take your time a little and make sure the music is right."

A singular mission

For now, Hitchcock and his bandmates are focused on the tour.

"Our priority always has been and still is touring," he said. "We've always been a road band and that hasn't changed. It's just great to be back in the saddle in that regard and to get out there and play our songs that people have come to know and love. We're always looking forward to getting out and doing our thing. Dayton is a stop we've made a few times. We're looking forward to getting back and, hopefully, seeing some familiar faces and some new ones, too. I can assure everybody it's going to be as good as they remember and hopefully better."

Contact this contributing writer at 937-287-6139 or e-mail at donthrasher100@gmail.com.

HOW TO GO

Who: Air Supply

Where: Rose Music Center, 6800 Executive Blvd., Huber Heights

When: 8 p.m. Saturday, July 16. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Cost: Tickets start at $23

More info: 513-232-6220 or www.rosemusiccenter.com

Artist info: https://airsupplymusic.com