America: The band marks a night of firsts at Loeb Stadium
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Last Thursday night saw the start of a new era for Loeb Stadium, as the classic rock band, America, became the first major act to perform at Lafayette’s newest music venue.
Almost every seat in the stadium was occupied and when America stepped on the stage, the stadium cheered with excitement.
America matched the energy of the crowd as they opened the performance with an electrifying rendition of “Tin Man” and “You Can Do Magic.”
“Great to see you all here," said Dewey Bunnell, one of the original members of America, after they finished their opening songs. "Thank you for supporting live music. It is great to be back on stage.”
Bunnell went on to explain how the band had initially planned on doing a 50th year anniversary to celebrate the formation of the band, but due to COVID-19, they had to scrap that idea.
“This tour was originally going to be the 50th anniversary of the formation of the band — 1970 through 2020. But something called COVID got in the way. So now we're two years later, now we're just celebrating the first album,” said Bunnell.
The current line-up of the band was comprised of the two original members, Gerry Beckley and Bunnell, as well as the newer members, bassist Richard Campbell, drummer Ryland Steen and guitarist Steve Fekete.
America went on to play several classic songs from their discography, such as “Sister Golden Hair,” “Driving,” “Eleanor Rigby,” “Hollywood" and “Ventura Highway,” to name a few.
Throughout the show, Beckley and Bunnell would share stories of their past with the audience, highlighting some of the amazing experiences throughout their 50-year careers.
“Within a year, we were opening for almost all of those bands. We were opening for The Who, we were opening for Elton, Rod Stewart and the Faces, Traffic. We opened for Pink Floyd. We were 18 years old and we sat on stools and we did about a 30-minute acoustic set and the crowd went mild,” said Gerry Beckley.
“And then Pink Floyd came out with a 90-piece orchestra and choir and performed the entire 'Atom Heart Mother' album. But if you closed your eyes… very similar show, very similar. From what we could recall, virtually identical, or at least in our minds it was.”
As the night was coming to a close, America played their signature song, “A Horse with No Name,” as their encore performance. The moment the audience heard that first chord, people jumped out of their seats and began dancing like it was 1972 all over again.
If there were easier access to the ball field, people would have most likely ran down to the field and danced to the last song of the night.
Hometown music
America wasn’t the only band to make history on June 30. Although they may have been the first band to headline a show at Loeb Stadium, the Miller Band had the honor of taking home two historical aspects away from the show.
Not only were they the first opening band to ever perform at Loeb Stadium, but they were also the first Lafayette natives to perform at the stadium.
The band was comprised of LD Miller, who was on guitar, harmonica and keyboard, Cole Miller on percussion, Ryan Fletcher on flute and vocals, Max Allen on guitar, and Scott Pazera on bass.
The Millers played a 30-minute opening set for America, and throughout their performance, it was common to see heads bobbing along to the music.
Many in the audience were familiar with the Millers due to an appearance on "America’s Got Talent," but for others, this concert was the first they had ever heard of the Lafayette natives, and they were not disappointed.
“I really enjoyed their music. I might check them out after this,” a concertgoer told the Journal & Courier.
For the Millers, the opportunity to be at Loeb Stadium’s first performance was something that they appreciated deeply.
“It’s was an incredible honor for us to be able to open for America… We love Lafayette, it’s our home” said LD Miller.
“When we’re up there on the stage and playing our music after all these years doing everything that we’ve ever done, it feels very very good.”
“You see all these familiar faces out in the crowd. And you know you want to make them proud,” added Fletcher.
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While there were some complaints regarding the placement of the stage, specifically how far away it was for folks seating in the stands, for the most part, people seemed to enjoy Loeb Stadium’s first-ever performance.
“It was really well organized and smooth for that first time. They had it nailed down just perfectly,” said Abby Lillpop.
“It was a really awesome event, and I can’t wait for the series that they plan on doing next summer.”
The next performance planned at Loeb Stadium is Country star Justin Moore, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 2. For more information regarding tickets to that event, you can visit longpac.org or call the box office at 765-742-5664.
Noe Padilla is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email him at Npadilla@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter at 1NoePadilla.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: America band marks night of firsts at Loeb Stadium in Lafayette
