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October 24, 2021

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Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Buckley, better known as America, are out celebrating their 50th Anniversary and they made a stop at the beautiful Akron Civic Theater on Saturday night.

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America released their first album in 1971 when the band also included drummer Dan Peek.  The band became a duo in 1977 when Peek left the band to pursue other interests.

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The duo, with the help of three backing musicians, opened the show with "Tin Man" from their Holiday album and proceeded to play twenty two songs from their storied career. 

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America has had so many hits, I forgot about a few of them like "Daisy Jane" and "I Need You."  The pair still have great voices and they were on point all evening long.

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In the middle of the set, the duo paid homage to one of their producers, Sir George Martin, by playing "Eleanor Rigby."

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Some deep cuts and even some newer songs like "Greenhouse" and "Driving" fit nicely into their ninety-five minute set.

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The last portion of the show was reserved for the big hits.  "Lonley People" segued into perhaps the highlight of the show "Sandman."  During that song, the band effectively used the background screen to project images of the late '60s and early '70s.  Vietnam, hippies, Kent State and Nixon were just some of the pictures on display that helped them tell the story.

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It seemed that most of the fans in the audience could easily relate to those images.

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The concert ended with "Sister Golden Hair" and the bands first number one hit, "Horse With No Name."

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It was a great night of music, harmonies and nostalgia.

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Review and photos by Greg Drugan

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