A fair supply of Air Supply

Any of my friends, or even anyone who's ever visited "Sean's Space" already knows this: I'm a sucker for a sappy love song.

So it should come as no surprise that not only did I drag my GF to the Dutchess County Fair to see Air Supply (they of such hits as "All Out Of Love," "Even The Nights Are Better," "Lost In Love" and the like) on Tuesday, but that we had a fun at the concert and even met the band after the show. After years of listening to the Australian duo on the radio, it was great to hear Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock live, playing all the hits I've grown to love.

The Aussies played 'em all: "Every Woman In The World," "Even The Nights Are Better," "Two Less Lonely People In The World" and more, for 90 minutes straight! (Not bad for free seats in the bleachers.) They both sounded just as good live as they do on their "Greatest Hits" CD, though there was no lip-synching here.
The pair even walked through the crowd (including the grandstand) for a song, making more of a personal connection with the fans. Moments after the finale, my GF and I got to meet Russell (seen here) and Graham, and added two more to our series of bad pictures snapped following concerts at the fair.

Even after decades of shows — not to mention leaving Dallas at 4 a.m. Tuesday morning and a long day of travel to reach Rhinebeck — the singers were extremely gracious, autographs for my GF, who even snagged a guitar pick from the group's manager.
With many of the fair's acts each summer being country musicians, it was nice to take advantage of one of this year's pop acts, especially one whose songs I've enjoyed for years.

For a group that's had countless hits and that's been making hit music for decades now, it was great to see the Air Supply guys didn't see playing a county fair in upstate New York beneath them. On the contrary, Graham and Russell embraced the Dutchess County Fair crowd, calling such county gatherings around America what makes our country great.

For at least two fair-goers, this night was better for having spent a few hours at the fair!