Live Review: America, Sharon Corr

Irish singer-songwriter Sharon Corr works her violin magic and serenades us with her rich vocals. Proud of her strong Celtic heritage, Corr tells us that Irish tunes are known to have silly names and Jenny’s Chickens is no exception.

The impressive instrumental quickly has us clapping along to the quirky fiddle. Corr cheers us, holding up her hot cup of ginger tea, and then performs an acoustic rendition of Raindrops. The slow, simple guitar melody allows her voice to shine. A lovable cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams shows off Corr’s talented violin skills and a solo version of So Young pays homage to her former band The Corrs. Reflecting on life and making music with her family, Corr shares work from her second solo outing as she continues to pursue her passion for traditional Irish music with a modern-pop flavour.

We’re introduced to America with a tribute video from the peak of their career during the golden age of the ‘70s. Tonight’s a celebration of their 45 years together as a band that takes us on a journey through the decades via their classic rock anthems. Original members Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell have a sensational band of musicians to help them relive their youth. Recent young recruits include the energetic Ryland Steen on drums and the charismatic Bill Worrell, who makes us feel alive with his magnificent electric guitar solos. Corr joins the band with her violin for a piano-driven love song called Daisy Jane, before America run through some of their biggest hits in chronological order from 1971. They keep the set fresh with a few new tracks, which have a strong blues vibe.

With a catalogue of music spanning almost five decades, America still like to perform a few covers of songs that they wished they had written and these are featured on their Back Pages release. Joni Mitchell’s Woodstock is one of these songs and it transports us to the summer of ‘69 with a montage of nostalgic imagery. They get seriously close to jamming as they conjure up some striking musical chemistry for Green Monkey before an encore of their most famous hit, A Horse With No Name.

There’s no stopping this enduring band. America have performed 100 shows a year for the past 45 years and they assure us that, as long as the fans keep coming, they’ll keep on playing.