It wasn’t.
Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell sounded great; both their guitar playing and their voices were superb throughout the entire song. For a moment, even, I thought I felt goose pimples shoot up my arm while listening to them harmonize on the “Sha-la-la-la-las” that make up part of the chorus.
What was especially nice about this performance, was that the two “names” that were performing on stage with them, never seemed to want anything other than to put their heads down and simply enjoy playing and being on stage with Beckley and Bunnell. Their presence was felt, though, and added to the performance rather than distracted from it.
So often a guest-star will take center stage on a song. It was nice to see Adams and Kweller simply be content with helping to make the music better.
Ultimately, I’m glad I made it through the Letterman show until America took the stage. The band’s performance just added a little bit of sugar on top of the sweetness that they deliver in their new album, so it was worth it. My only complaint is that I now want to see them in concert, and I doubt they’ll come anywhere near my neck of the woods. Oh well…
Now, do yourself a favor and go out and buy Here and Now by America.
Article comments
1 - CaptDan
Great review! I was in the studio audience for that show and it was a terrific live performance. You should definitely get to a concert sometime! You won't be sorry.
I also think it's great that young rockers like Ryan Adams, Ben Kweller, Matthew Caws of Nada Surf, Mark Rozzo of Maplewood, and others worked on this album because they are actually FANS of America. They seem truly happy to participate on this album and be part of America's sound, not some bolted-on addition.