I last saw Air Supply in 2021. It was the first concert after the pandemic curtailed all live music and served as a glorious return to the concert experience we all missed so much. Five years later, the band is continuing its 50th anniversary tour with another stop at the Mohegan Sun Arena. While the setlist was largely similar to 2021, the experience was very different, showing that Air Supply can still evolve on stage while staying true to the songs we all love.
Please scroll down for the MisplacedStraws Air Supply live photos and review.
Air Supply opened the night with the traditional “Sweet Dreams”, but it was immediately clear that this tour was different from the last time I saw them. First, the band had a large screen behind them showing clips of their 50-year history throughout the night. Second was the band itself, this was a new configuration of Air Supply. In addition to Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock, long time pianist Mirko Tessandori has assumed the musical director role while stalwarts Doug Gild on bass and Pavel Valdman on drums held their spots. The big change, however, is that Graham Russell is now the only guitar player on stage while the band is accented by Jessika Soli and Kat Findlay on cello. This gives the band a unique new sound that refreshes the songs we are all familiar with.
Russell Hitchcock’s voice still sounds wonderful. The opening six songs are a great mix of Air Supply hits and Hitchcock sing them with the voice of a man half his age. Graham Russell spent the night on guitar but added his beautiful voice to accent Hitchcock and create that classic Air Supply Sound.
Graham Russell announced that the band has released a new record, A Matter of Time, and that as a thank you to fans for 50 years of support, it is available as a free download on their website. They then played the title track, which kept the same feel as their legacy material and fit perfectly in the set. At this point, the night slowed down, perhaps a little too much, as Hitchcock took a break to rest is voice. Graham took the time to talk with the crowd, recite a poem, and played the beautiful acoustic track “Me and the River”. Hitchcock finally came back on for a conclusion of hits that any band would envy, climaxing with the explosive “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All”, followed by the traditional encore of “Without You” and “All Out of Love”.
Fifty years into a legendary career, Air Supply can still pack the arena and leave fans singing and smiling. There were not many empty seats at all in Mohegan Sun Arena, and it was obvious how much the band appreciates the support fans have shown over the decades. Air Supply is a unique band, referred to as the most romantic band in the world, their fans span all ages and lifestyles. Not many bands last a decade, let alone 5 of them. Air Supply carved out a niche that has touched so many, and the fans still show up year after year to hear their timeless songs.
