We would go see and/or hear anyone and everyone possible who played the outdoor venue situated at Central Park’s converted Wollman Skating Rink in midtown Manhattan and the band America was no exception. I have really no idea if this was a night we actually went in to the concert or if we stayed outside on the boulders facing the stage beyond the fence; all I can say with certainty is that I was there somewhere. Amazingly America still tours and when they opened for The Beach Boys at the Westbury Music Fair in the round, a few years back my father and I both agreed that, on at least on that night, America played better than the also still touring Beach Boys, who sort of remind me of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons when Valli would inexplicably hit those high notes from his teens and twenties until you then realized there was a switch on the microphone for when he would address the audience in his adult voice. That version of The Four Seasons sort of reminded me of a 198’s era boy band dancing and singing(?) with their grandfather. I believe Mike Love might have had similar vocal assistance as Valli, which at his age is understandable if not very comforting.

A Horse With No Name

Rock On!

GQ