Air Supply affects Jakartans a night of love

By Achmad Nurhoeri

JAKARTA (JP): No other theme is more exploited in the music industry than the theme of love. As the most universal and least understandable thing, love seems to be the never-ending well of inspiration for singers all around the blue marble.

Although most musician/song writers dwell on this theme, only a few of these love-exploiting recording artists meet their fortunes in the industry's tunnel of love. The mushy will go with the wind, the raunchy will only last for a puff or two, the just- to-make-a-copy will never reach the soul. Only the ones who neatly craft the tunes and lyrics with the utmost passion will survive. Some of them are destined to last forever.

And who else in this love-consumptive world possesses the power of making people lost in love with melodies better than Australian Russell Hitchcock and Briton Graham Russell, a.k.a. Air Supply. Since 1975, the duo has dazzled the lovers of the world with songs like Love and Other Bruises, Making Love from Nothing at All, All Out of Love and their premiere Billboard blockbuster Lost in Love. Their lyrics, like anabolic steroids to Ben Johnson, provide the huggers, the cuddlers, the kissers and the slow dancers with the impulse needed to take a dive into romance.

Air Supply's love potion also showed its strength in Indonesia. The group first cast its spell on 7,000 Indonesian fans at Ancol's ex-racing circuit in North Jakarta on Jan. 29, 1994, followed by an exclusive performance at the Sahid Jaya Hotel. In April 1995, during their News from Nowhere promo tour, the duo staged a show at Jakarta's Hard Rock Cafe. Two months later, they were back again in the Indonesian capital to stun 5,000 melody-seekers in a concert at the Jakarta Convention Center. And now, at the start of 1997, they are here again to make another bang.

During this trip, not only Jakarta is on their hit list. The flower city of Bandung in West Java, hot Surabaya in East Java and cultural Yogyakarta are also on their agenda, with tonight's performance at one of Jakarta's mint hotels, the Gran Melia, as their final stop.

At the Bandung show early in the week, they succeeded in luring the surprisingly petite audience of 1,000 into their routine trance. The not-so-successful songs from their 1993 Vanishing Race and 1995 News from Nowhere albums generated little enthusiasm among their fans. But as usual, the evergreen love songs like Making Love from Nothing at All, turned out to be the lifesavers. People come to watch Air Supply for their sweet and touching songs, and Bandung people proved to be no different.

Bearing in mind that the duo have spent 21 years together is as equally amusing as their songs. They met each other while performing in the musical drama Jesus Christ Superstar at Sydney's legendary Opera House. They agreed to combine their musical talents and eventually formed the group. Russell Hitchcock provides the lead vocals, with his high-pitched voice, with its wide vocal range. Graham Russell writes the songs which, he said, "only take less than half an hour each".

Their debut in the industry was in 1976, when their single Love and Other Bruises reached the Australian top 10. The following year, they became Rod Stewart's opening act during his Australian tour. Their ride to fame and fortune eventually received a long-awaited boost in 1980 when the everlasting Lost in Love rushed onto America's Billboard throne. It even left Australians astonished. After landing nicely on the world's most celebrated chart, there was no turning back for the duo who have mastered the formula of bringing about an amorous mood.

"I write songs whenever I can," claimed guitarist and composer Graham Russell.

"But although I write a lot of love songs, frequently I get confused about the words. It's sometimes so simple, but at the same time, so hard to understand," said Russell, a lover of animals who has many pets.

"Love can also appear whenever I see the audience appreciating our performance, whenever I know a lot of people are touched by our songs," said Russell Hitchcock, also an animal-loving environmentalist.

It's clear that the duo are trying to convey a message: Love songs are not only meant for the young. Love is the most universal thing. Russell and Hitchcock are both in their early 40s. The universality trade turns out to be more than a coinci dence in a linguistic way. The two are proud that their English- language songs can also be enjoyed by non-English speaking audiences. "That's where we show Air Supply's music is universal," said Hitchcock.

It seems unlikely that this duo will part; they are intent on staying on their yellow brick road. Their ongoing cohesiveness may well be logical, considering that they have not recruited other musical personnel. Although the duo are always accompanied by a band of other musicians, they are very much in the spotlight and in command.

"The two of us are the ones who know the most about the group (Air Supply). We decide when to come back and when to take a break," explained Russell, who lives on the snowy mountains of Moon Canyon in Utah, the United States. "On stage, we can handle the situation because we only play whenever we think we are really prepared to do so."

Air Supply's 1997 Indonesia tour is organized by promoter Buena Produktama, which was also responsible for Color Me Badd's, cross country tour. A staggering total of 14 cities were entertained by the hip-hop quartet around the end of 1996.

At tonight's concert, the duo's repertoire will be dominated by songs from their recent 1996 album Greatest Hits Live - Now and Forever. The special thing about the album is that it was recorded during the group's tour around Asia, including Indonesia. The coming show, like the album, mixes new songs and oldies together, making it cross-generation entertainment. So, the fresh fans of the 1990s will be enthralled by recent hits like Always, The Way I Feel and Goodbye. And the die-hard Air Supply admirers from the 1970s and 1980s, don't you worry -- the legendary tunes will also fill the air.

So put on your best clothes, your best perfume and journey to the best romantic evening with your most intimate friend, along with the masters of love. Needless to say, tonight, Air Supply will make the feeling come alive.

Tonight, a start of a love to remember/Tonight, a love that will be never be ended/Tonight, let me take you where there's no return and dreams will all come true.